How to get rid of bed bugs – Part 1

There are mainly two categories of approaches for getting rid of bed bugs: Chemical and non-chemical options. Each category offers you several options.
In this article we will focus on non-chemical options.

Please keep in mind that getting rid of bed bugs is not easy and you may have to combine several options for quicker and permanent results.

Non chemical options:

This is where you can really shine without help from a certified Pest Control Professional (PMP).

Here ia quick list of non chemical options:

A. Physical removal:

• Locate and vacuum
• Reduce clutter

B. Isolate the bed bugs:

• Filling cracks and crevices
• Mattress covers
• Isolate the bed

C. Kill bed bugs with with water and temperature control:

• Laundry and drying
• Steam treatment
• Thermal treatment
• Cold treatment

A. Physical removal:

It refers to the options where you physically remove the bed bugs and reduce the clutter which provides hiding place. It includes vacuuming, reducing clutter, scrubbing of surfaces with hard brush and removing bugs by using a brush or a sticky tape where vacuuming may not be possible.

Locate and vacuum:

First of all search thoroughly bed room furniture for bed bugs. Do not leave anything un-searched. Assume that every piece of furniture can be and is contaminated.
What you are looking for is live bed bugs, nymphs, their white color eggs, bed bug skins and dark brown or red spots which are from the bug feces and blood.

Mattress and box spring: Remove all the bed linens and check the mattress. Pay particular attention to the edges of mattress and box spring. Turn mattress and box spring and check underneath. Remove mattress and box spring and check the head board. Dismantle the bed frame and check.

Chairs, couches, dressers, tables, picture frames and mirrors, loose wall paper:Remove picture frame sand mirrors from the wall. Dismantle the frames. Check the edges carefully for the evidence of bed bugs. Remove all the protective layers, fabrics etc. from the chairs, couches, dressers and tables. Pull out the drawers of tables and dresses completely and check for the evidence.
If possible, remove the loose wall paper and inspect the area it was covering.

Thoroughly vacuum all the above with a vacuum cleaner attachment. If possible scrub all the above with a hard brush to dislodge the bed bug eggs. Then thoroughly vacuum the carpets or floor. If you have carpet, scrub it with a hard brush to dislodge the bed bug eggs. Vacuum again.

Dr. Harold Harlan (US Armed Forces Pest Management Board) has mentioned that using HEPA Filtered Vacuum Cleaners  removes more than 99% of all particles bigger than 0.3 microns (one third of one millionth of a meter). It ensures that many allergens (substance that causes allergic reaction) associated with bed bugs and their debris is removed.This should get rid of bed bug eggs as well.

After you are done with vacuuming, remove the vacuum bag and seal it and put it in a big zip loc bag and throw it in the dumpster right away. Vacuuming could remove a portion of bed bugs and may kill some of them.

If you find bed bugs on a surface where vacuum cleaner or its attachment does not work well, use a sticky tape and press it on them. Then immediately put them in a zip loc bag and get rid of it.

Reduce clutter:
By now you already know that bed bugs have very flat body structure and they can hide in very small holes and in any crack where your credit card can fit.
Now go to your centre of the bed room and look around. Is there anything other than your bed which has small holes or cracks? Is there anything which can provide hiding places, like curtains, books, boxes, furniture etc?

Ask yourself hard questions like: Do I really need this in bed room? How does it help me get good sleep? If I have to choose between good sleep and this piece of furniture, what would I select?

Remove all the unessential things. One you get familiar with the pain and frustration and sleeplessness bed bug victims go through, you will probably never keep anything in bed room other than your bed.
Throw away everything you can. Whatever you can not throw away put them in big zip loc bags and put it away for at least 18 months. Yes. That is how long bed bugs can survive without blood meal.

Use Space Bags to store your cloths, comforters and blankets, pillows, patio cushions, sweaters and jackets, and other bulky items.

B: Isolate the bed bugs:

Bed bugs have weak claws and mouth parts. They can not claw through or bite through even very thin films of coatings. You can make this weakness, your one of the most effective bed bug fighting strategy.

Filling cracks and crevices:

You can stop bed bugs movements very easily by filling all the cracks and crevices where they are hiding. You can seal holes, cracks and other crevices by using Expanding Foam In a Can or Caulk or Steel Wool.

Once you find bed bugs in a room, you can control their spread to other rooms by sealing holes and cracks as mentioned above and by keeping the door of that room shut. You need Breeze Blockers for preventing bed bugs spreading to other rooms from underneath the door.

You can use this isolation strategy for safe guarding your cloths and books. Store all the cloths and books in plastic bags or plastic containers.

Mattress covers:

Depending on the age, condition and severity of bed bug infestation you should consider throwing away your mattress, box spring and bed frame.

However in case you decide to keep your mattress, you can cover mattress and box spring in Bed bug proof mattress protectors. Once you do that, any bed bugs which are inside the mattress or box spring, are trapped. They can not reach you.

Buy slightly expensive high quality covers as they are less likely to rip. After you place the mattress and box spring in the cover, carefully check the cover for any cracks. The bed bugs can come out very small cracks. If you find cracks, seal them with tape. Then seal the zipper with a tape.

Many bed bug victims feel using mattress covers is a complete solution and they do not need to do anything else. This is completely wrong.
The bed bugs inside the cover can not reach you. However what about the bed bugs hiding in the frame, head board or in the crevices in the wall or in other furniture or clutter? They can still reach you during the night.

That is why you need a comprehensive plan utilizing several (actually all) the options.

Isolate the bed:

Bed bugs can not fly. They have to crawl to reach to you. This is very effective strategy. Take all steps you can to make it extremely difficult for them to reach you.

· Pull your bed away from the walls.
· Make sure that bed linens and cover do not touch the floor.
· Put double sided tape on the bed frame and the legs of the bed.
· Put legs of the bed in a glass or small pots/pans/dish with very smooth surface. This will make it very difficult for bed bugs to climb up your bed.
· As an added precaution, you can fill the glass/pots/pans/dish with soapy water. Every couple of weeks, refill them.
· Rub glue or Vaseline or petroleum jelly on the legs of the bed.
· When it is time to buy a new bed, please buy a metal one instead of wood. Bed bugs love wood and fabric.

· When it is time to buy a new linen, please buy a light colors or plain white. They make it easy to detect bed bugs and bed bug spots.

C. Kill bed bugs with with water and temperature control:

Bed bugs can not survive at very high (above 120 F/50 C) and very cold temperatures (0 F/ -19 C). Hence temperature control can be another effective strategy for getting rid of bed bugs.

Laundry and drying:

Put all the cloths you think could be infested in Green Clean Dissolvable Laundry Bags and wash them at high temperature in soapy water. You use the bags to ensure that the bugs do not get fall off the wash load and infest other areas. Then dry them in dryers at high temperatures for two cycles. Some commercial dryers let you select the temperature. On such dryers, set the temperature to above 120F.
Cloths and stuffed toys which can not be washed should be put in dryers for one or two cycles. If you think excess heat of 120Fwill damage the cloths then use the highest temperature as per the manufacturers instruction.

What about stuff which can not be put in washer or dryer?
For expensive cloths, luggage, sleeping bags, dry-clean only cloths, stuffed toys, shoes, backpacks, purses and linens you can use PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heater Unit to kill bed bugs. It kills all stages of bed bugs including eggs. It kills bed bugs safely and gently from your non-washable possessions.
Many hotels have bed bugs at the beginning stage. You can not detect them from visual inspection. When you come back from travel you can use PackTite Heater to kill bed bugs from your luggage. Just put your luggage in the PackTite Heater and turn on the heat.

Steam treatment:

Steam treatment uses steam at very high temperature for killing bed bugs. Care needs to be taken in making sure that the steam outlet is hold very close (about 3 cm) to the crevices and holes. If the stem outlet is farther away then the the steam temperature drops significantly and does not kill the bed bugs. If it is closer than ideal distance recommended by the manufacturer then excess moisture could get into the surface being treated. This could cause mold and other moisture related issues.
Some of the steamer which produce steam at very high temperatures are: WhiteWing Steamer – Vapor Steam Cleaner (285°F) and Reliable T630 Enviromate Steam Cleaner (220F).

Thermal treatment:

Please note that thermal treatment should be done by a certified Pest Control Professional (PMP). We have mentioned here for information purpose only. There is a risk of fire and furniture frames could change the dimensions.

PMPs use commercial heaters to raise the temperature of the room or the entire house. If you want to kill bed bugs from expensive cloths, luggage, sleeping bags, dry-clean cloths, stuffed toys, shoes, backpacks, purses and linens, see the section “What about stuff which can not be put in washer or dryer” under “Laundry and Drying”.

Cold treatment:

Cold treatment refers to the killing of bed bugs at very low temperatures of around 0F. Cold treatment of the entire room is not practical. However some of the furniture can be put in plastic bags and then stored in cold containers.
Some Pest control professionals use Carbon Dioxide gas for rapid freezing for killing bed bugs.
Please note that the cold temperature needs to be reached very quickly and needs to be maintained for a long time. Hence you can not leave the windows and doors open in winter and hope the cold temperature will kill the bugs. Instead of dead bed bugs, you will find water pipes frozen.

This bed bug video, created by Kyle Tekiela, shows an extreme case of bed bug bites, how pest control professionals look for hiding bed bugs, encounter with bed bugs in a hotel and views of scientists, and pest control professional.

Things to note:

• Disturbing case of bed bug bites.
• Bed bugs grow from a couple to over a thousand in a matter of months.
• How scientists research bed bug’s resistance to pesticides.
• How pest control professionals look for hiding bed bugs in bed room furniture.
• Need for more public understanding of bed bugs.

Bed bug Video:

Video Credits:

Kyle Scott Tekiela at youtube.com

Can not see the video?

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It may say something like: To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this page from running scripts or ActiveX controls that could access your computer.
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Click on that line. Select “Allow Blocked Content”.

It may show you a warning “Allowing active content such as script and ActiveX control can be useful but active content might also harm your computer.
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Select “Yes”.

This bed bug video, created by National Geographic shows a bed bug coming out from small holes and crack in the wall near electric switch. It then proceeds to find its prey and starts biting.

Things to note:

• Bed bug’s flat body structure.
• How fast bed bug moves.
• How bed bug comes out from small hole and crack near electric switch.
• How much blood a bed bug can drink

Bed bug Video:

Our special thanks to the creator of the video: National Geographic.

Can not see the video?

It may be due to your browser’s security settings. Please look for a line in the top portion of your browser window.
It may say something like: To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this page from running scripts or ActiveX controls that could access your computer.
Click here for options”
Click on that line. Select “Allow Blocked Content”.

It may show you a warning “Allowing active content such as script and ActiveX control can be useful but active content might also harm your computer.
Are you sure you want to let this file run active content?

Select “Yes”.

Bedbug resurgence: Are bed bug cases on rise?

Absolutely! There is a steep increase in number of bed bug cases recently, in both: US and rest of the world. Just two examples from two developed countries will be sufficient:
• According to National Pest Management Association, USA, pest control companies who were receiving one or two bed bug related calls per year are now receiving one or two bed bug related calls every week.
• According to Department of Medical Entomology, Australia, number of bed bug cases in Australia have risen by 5000% (50 times) in six years between 2000 and 2006.

And the real numbers could be way higher:

Please numbers are Please note that most of the reports are collected from pest control companies. There could be many more cases which are not reported either because bed bug victims either could not identify the bugs or decided to treat the bugs themselves (which in turn increased bed bug infestations).
And in developing countries even the pest control companies may not have maintained statistics.

Countries where bed bugs are found:

Since 1999, infestations have been reported in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Australia, Canada, India, and the United States.

The reasons of resurgence:   

There are several reasons for the bed bug resurgence. All of them fall in threem ina categories as follows:

• Increased travel:

Bed bugs hide in our luggage, shoes and sometimes clothing items and enter our homes. And in other cases, we unknowingly carry them with us in our luggage, to hotels, motels, friend/relative’s homes, cruise ships, schools, day care, nursing homes, hospitals, apartment buildings and dormitories.

• Our mistakes:

o Acquiring secondhand beds, couches and furniture
o New Pest control Method: Instead of spraying the insecticides, many pest control companies use baits to kill other bugs like cockroaches. This method does not kill bed bugs as they eat only blood and are not attracted by the baits.
o Ban of strong insecticides: Due to environmental and health related issues U.S. Government has banned many strong insecticides like DDT.
o We usually avoid calling pest control companies for cost reasons until bed bug infestation is out of our control. This gives them enough time to grow in numbers and spread other places.

• Bed bug’s strengths:

o Bedbugs have grown resistant to the weaker insecticides.
o They grow very fast. A single female bed bug produces about 200 to 500 eggs in a life time. These eggs hatch in about two week’s time.
o Bed bugs grow very fast in human favorable conditions like warm temperatures.
o Bed bugs can live for a year or as much as eighteen months without feeding.
o Their body structure: Bed bugs have very flat body structure. They can easily hide in a crack where your credit card can fit.
In last few years average American house has grown in size offering many more places for bugs to hide. We also prefer huge beds with headboards, again offering many places to hide.
Bed bugs prefer wood and fabric. Our houses are made primarily of wood and our sofas, chairs, and couches are made up of soft fabric.
o The same flat body structure allows them to move from one apartment to another through cracks in the walls, or holes made for electric wires or heating or cooling systems.
o Insecticides do not impact bed bug eggs much, so they usually survive the first round of insecticides treatment. This requires a second round of insecticides treatment to kill newly hatched bed bugs. And we usually avoid it for cost reasons.

General Questions:

2. What do bed bugs eat?
Bed bugs feed on blood of human beings in most cases. If they can not find human beings then they feed on blood of animals like mice, cat and dogs.

3. Do bed bugs fly?
No. Bed bugs do not have wings therefore they can not fly.

4. Where do bed bugs live?
Bed bugs live in small holes, cracks and crevices. Due to their very flat body, they can easily fit in a crack where your credit card can fit.
They are generally found close to their prey i.e. in bed rooms and living room.
Their favorite hiding places are in bed frames, box springs, mattresses, sofa, other furniture, clocks, phones, televisions, smoke detectors, cloths in closets, crevices in the line where floor and walls meet, loose wallpapers, in cracks in hardwood floors and behind picture frames.

5. How frequently bed bugs need their meals?
Bed bugs come out looking for blood meal every five to ten days.

6. If I leave my home for about ten days, will bed bugs die?
No. Even though bed bugs look for meals every five to ten days, they can survive without meal for twelve to eighteen months. Yes. You read it right: Months!!

7. Can you see bed bugs?
Yes. You can see bed bugs clearly without magnification.

What do bed bugs look like?

8. Can you see bed bug nymphs and eggs?
Bed bugs nymphs can be seen without magnification.
The eggs are very small about the size of a dust spec. Though you can see them without magnification, you need magnification to see them clearly.

9. What do bed bugs look like?
• Shape: Bed bugs are oval in shape.
• Size: They grow up to 4-5 mm. in length.
• Body structure: They have flat body.
• Color: They are reddish brown in color.
• You can see their pictures here: Bed bug pictures

10. What do bed bug nymphs look like?
Bed bug nymphs are translucent and lighter in color. They look like small adults. You can see their pictures here: Bed bug nymph pictures

11. What do bed bug eggs look like?
They are tiny and white in color. The eggs are very small about the size of a dust spec. You can see their pictures here: Bed bug nymph and eggs pictures

12. What do bed bug bites look like?
Bed bug bite marks are your skin’s allergic reaction to the bug’s saliva. So they look very different from person to person based on the person’s skins reaction. Some times it takes a few days for skin to react and hence marks to appear.
Some people do not get any marks after they are bitten. Others develop itchy bumps and rashes which are light red or pink in color. You can see pictures of bed bug bites here: Bed bug bites pictures

13. Do bed bugs spread diseases?
No. Bed bugs do not spread diseases.

How dangerous are bed bugs?

 14. What is the harm caused by the bed bugs?
• Physical harm:

• Bed bug bites cause itching and inflammation.
• Chemicals used for treating bed bugs may be harmful to people, pets particularly for children, pregnant women and elderly people.

• Mental and emotional physical harm:

• Due to bites people can not sleep well which leads to loss of concentration, loss of general well being, stress and anxiety.
• People who have suffered bed bug problem can not feel completely safe from them for some time. Even if they are gone, they feel they are around.

• Financial Harm:

• Bed bug treatment can be expensive in general. However it can get prohibitively expensive for small businesses like hotels, motels, day cares and nursing homes.
• You may have to throw away some furniture, electronics items if suggested by pest control company.

• Social stigma:

• Due to wide spread ignorance about bed bugs, people feel that only people with unclean homes and unhygienic habits get bed bugs. This leads to social stigma getting associated with this problem. Some small businesses like hotels and motels can not recover from it.

15. Do I have to throw away the mattress and the bed?
In most cases: ‘No’. However sometimes the pest control company may recommend doing so depending on the age, condition and the severity of infestation.

16. Do I have to throw away my cloths?
In most cases: ‘No’. It is easy to clean cloths: Just wash them and run them twice through dryer on high heat. Cloths which need dry cleaning is a different matter though: Talk to your dry cleaner about the problem. They may have a solution.

17. Can bed bugs bite pets?
Yes. They can. However they prefer human blood. They will bite pets only if human blood is not easily available.
Also it is hard for them to reach to pet’s skin because of long hair. And sometimes they find it difficult to get out of pets due to long hair.

18. Can bed bugs bite on genital organs?
Yes. They will bite on any organ exposed to them. However they avoid body parts with excessive hair because it is not easy for them to reach to skin.

19. Are bed bugs found only in dirty homes?
No. The dirt does not automatically produce bed bugs.
The dirtiest houses may not be infested with bed bugs. And the cleanest homes may be infested with bed bugs.
However having less clutter means less hiding places for bed bugs. So please reduce clutter in your home, especially in bed rooms.
Also vacuuming with a powerful vacuum cleaner could reduce some bugs and their eggs.

 Why me?

 20. Why only I am getting bitten and not my spouse?
Bed bugs get attracted to us by body heat, smell of perspiration and carbon dioxide exhaled by us. For some reason, bed bugs may find your body heat, smell or amount of carbon dioxide more attractive than your spouse.
Another possibility is your spouse is also getting bitten by the bugs; however his/her skin is not allergic to the bed bug’s saliva. Hence it is not showing any bite marks.

21. How did I get bed bugs?
Major sources of bed bugs are as follows:
• Visit to a bedbug infested place such as hotel, motel, bed and breakfast place, cruise ships, restaurants, public transportation, schools, day care, nursing homes, and hospitals.
• Your neighbor or previous tenant in your home
• Used furniture
• Guest, mover’s truck or your pet

22. Can bed bugs travel on my body or cloths and spread?
They can but they prefer other means like luggage, backpacks, in used furniture and mattress. These things provide better hiding places like cracks and crevices. Their biggest hurdles against traveling on your body or cloths are: your body movement and exposure to light.

Tenants:

23. I am renting an apartment. What should I do to get rid of bed bugs?
First of all contact your property manager. You are required by law to work with property manager. And property managers are required by law to provide a livable condition. Bed bugs infestation makes it unlivable in many states.

24. Why I should not attempt to get rid of bed bugs myself?
Two reasons: First, you could be hold liable to damage to other people’s property if bed bugs spread. Second, local laws require certain chemicals to be applied only by certified technicians.

Bed bug resurgence:

25. I thought bed bugs are found only in developing countries. Is that true?
No. Bedbugs occur throughout the world. They are found in Europe, North America and Australia in addition several developing countries.

26. How serious is the bed bug problem?
Numbers of bed bug cases are on a steep rise. Just two examples should be sufficient:
• According to National Pest Management Association, USA, pest control companies who were receiving one or two bed bug related calls per year are now receiving one or two bed bug related calls every week.
• According to Department of Medical Entomology, Australia, number of bed bug cases in Australia have risen by 5000% (50 times) in six years between 2000 and 2006.

How to confirm?

27. How do I know I have bed bugs?
This is a two step process: Gather evidence and confirm.
Step 1: Gather evidence: Look for bite marks on body, live bugs in the areas near bed, blood spots, dead skins and stains from the bug’s excretion. Or you can call local pest control company. They may come for free inspection.

Step 2: Confirm: If you can find live bug, put it in a plastic container and send the sample to a lab from a college or university.
• You can find the lists of such labs here:  List of places to test bugs.
• Or you can find a professional at National Pest Management Association – Find a Pro.
• Entomologists are scientists specializing in study of insects. The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the largest organization in the world serving Entomologists. You can find a List of ESA Certified Entomologists here.

28. Can I get rid of bed bugs myself?
No. You will spend a lot of time, money and energy trying to get rid of the bugs but may not be successful.
The major reasons why you may not be successful getting rid of bed bugs yourself are:
• They need very little space to hide. How many cracks with thickness of a credit card can you find in your home? All of them are potential hiding places for bed bugs.
• Their infestation grows very fast.
• If you live in a multi unit place like apartment, hostel you may spread them to other units and eventually the bugs will come back from those units. All nearby units need to be treated and cracks be sealed.

Getting rid of bed bugs:

29. What is the harm in trying to getting rid of bed bugs myself?
Several things work against you as follows:
• Chemicals: Let’s say you treat them with chemicals. And you are not successful, so you call a pest control company. Now they treat the bugs with chemicals. So what do you end up with: More chemicals and a few extra sleepless nights before you called the pest control company.
• Time: Time works against you and in favor of the bugs. Let’s say you treat them. And you managed to kill most of the bugs but some survive. Some of their eggs survive too which are even more difficult to treat. The eggs will hatch and survived bugs produce even more bugs. Their population will spread to other rooms and keep on growing while you may think you got rid of them. When you detect them after some time their population might have grown to a very high level.
• Local laws: Local laws prevent you from using some chemicals.

 30. So are you saying I can not do anything?
No. We are not saying that. Please understand the complete picture and you role:
There are two phases of fighting bed bugs:
Phase 1: Getting rid of them.
Phase 2: Keeping them out of your home forever.

It is in the second phase of keeping them away, you can do a lot: Get knowledgeable. Make informed decisions so the bugs can not invade your home again. This is along term battle,
Just leave the first phase of getting rid of bugs to professionals.

 31. I am pregnant. Or I have pets, children or elderly people in my home. Is it ok for pest control company to use insecticides in my home?
Share your concern with the Pest control company.
• Ask them for a list of insecticides they are planning to use. The list should include the name of the product and EPA Registration number. Ask for Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
• Use this EPA number and the product name to do your research on internet. One particularly useful site is National Pesticide Information Center.
• Take the information collected from above two steps to your doctor or veterinarian. To get their expert opinion.

 32. How long will it take to get rid of bed bugs? And why?
At least three to four weeks.
In the first week you will become aware of the problem, correctly identify the bug, contact a pest control company and prepare your home by reducing the clutter.
In the second week the pest control company will treat your home. This treatment does not kill the eggs which will hatch in two weeks.
In forth week, the pest control company will treat your home second time.

 33. The pest control company treated my home. But I still find bed bugs. Why?
There are two things working against you and the pest control company.
• As we mentioned earlier bed bugs can hide in a small crack where your credit card can fit. How many such cracks are there in your home? Is it realistic to assume all the cracks and small holes are identified and treated for bed bugs?
• Pesticide treatment does not kill eggs which will hatch in two weeks. So Pest control company has to come for second and possibly third round of treatment.

 34. Can I kill bed bugs without using insecticides?
In theory, ‘Yes’. You can kill bed bugs using extreme heat, extreme cold, steam etc. However these options have severe limitations as follows:
Bed bugs get used to hot and cold climate if the temperature rises or lowers slowly. So the hot or cold temperature required to kill bed bugs must be reached quickly. And how do you ensure that every deep crack and deep holes inside your home will become hot or cold quickly?
Similarly how do you ensure steam will reach deeply in the cracks in wood?

35. What kinds of insecticides are used to kill bed bugs?
There are mainly three types of insecticides as follows:
• On contact kill insecticides: They kill bugs on contact
• On contact dry insecticides: They make bug’s skin extremely dry and hence the bugs die quickly.
• Growth impacting insecticides: They impact development of insects. It also weakens their reproduction capacity. This reduces their infestation severely.

 Preventing bed bugs: 

36. What can I do to stop bed bugs entering my home?
There are several things you can do. Learn as much as you can about the bugs and prevention.
• Start with reading our article:    Where did I get the Bedbugs from.
• Never buy used furniture, clothing and other items. You may save some money initially, but the financial, emotional and health cost of losing sleep while fighting bed bugs is just not worth it.
• Seal holes, cracks and crevices in your home.
• If you have bird’s nests inside or anywhere near your home, please get rid of them.
• Discuss with your pest control company and make a long term plan. And work on it.
• Also read the next question for traveling related precautions.

37. I travel a lot. What precautions should I take?
• Research online hotels for bed bugs incidents before booking.
• When you reach hotel, carefully look for bed bug infestation. If you find evidence, find another hotel. If it is not possible, inform the hotel manager and ask for a room far away from the current room.
• When you return from trips, clean thoroughly the luggage with a hard brush, and Wash cloths and run them through two hot cycles of dryer.
• If you have guests, follow the last instruction for their luggage.

Here are pictures of Bed bugs showing front , side and close up views:

Bed bug picture 1	Picture of a bed bug showing blood meal in the stomach.
Bed bug picture 2	Bed bug picture showing the full body and dark color patches of blood meal.
Bed bug picture 3	Bed bug – Dark red color
Bed bug picture 4	Bed bug – Size compared with a penny
Bed bug picture 5	Bed bug after a meal.
Bed bug picture 6	Bed bug – Side view
Bed bug picture 7	Bed bug – Dark color
Bedbug picture 8	Bed bug – Front view
Bedbug picture 9	Bed bug – Close up: Ventral view (bug is on its back); shows folded proboscis

 

 

Where do Bed bugs come from?

Once it is confirmed that somebody has bedbugs, her first question is: Where did I get the Bedbugs from?

The answer is: It could be from any of the following sources:

• If you live in an apartment or condominium building or a dormitory, then you might have got them from your neighbor or previous occupant.
• From high occupancy places like hotel, motel, bed and breakfast place, cruise ships, restaurants, public transportation, schools, day care, nursing homes, hospitals.
• From used furniture or cloths or bed frame or mattress or even picture frame, bought from a yard or garage sale.
• From a guest
• From animals or birds.
• From mover’s truck 

Let’s review each of the above sources in detail.

Source 1: If you live in apartment or Condominium building or dormitory:

There is a good possibility is that bed bugs have reached your home from your neighbor. This neighbor could be on the same floor as yours or from the floor above or below yours.

Your neighbor might have got the bed bugs from any of the above sources. Then the bugs could have reached your apartment by the following means:

·        Bed bugs travel from one apartment to another through:

•  
  • Voids in the wall.
  • Holes made in the walls for electric wires or heating or cooling systems.

·        Previous resident in your apartment could have got them from any of the above mentioned source.

·        Your neighbor might have found bedbugs in her apartment and could be trying various options to kill them. Some times these options do not kill the bugs but spread them to other apartments.

·        Your neighbor might have detected bed bugs and might have decided to throw away the furniture, mattress or bed frame. She might have dragged the infested furniture through common areas like hallways. During the dragging process the bugs might have fallen off from the furniture and could have rushed to the nearest hiding place: your apartment.

·        Your friendly new neighbor may not have bed bugs in her previous residence. However when she moved in the next apartment to yours, the bedbugs from the mover’s truck might have got hidden in her furniture. During moving the furniture, they might have fallen off and got to your apartment.

How to protect yourself:

·        Seal Holes: Seal holes, cracks and other crevices by expanding foam in a can or Caulk or Steel Wool.

·        Secure main door: I have found Breeze Blockers very useful in preventing bed bugs and other insects entering my apartment through main door. And as a bonus, it keeps heating and cooling costs down.

·        Education: Please review the articles form this web site. We have done all the homework for you. Take several print outs and leave it with your apartment or condominium manager.

Source 2: High occupancy places like a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast place, cruise ships, restaurants, public transportation, schools and day care, nursing homes, hospitals:

Bedbugs grow primarily where they can get food: blood. Hence there is no surprise that they are found in the places with high occupancy like hotel, motel, bed and breakfast place, restaurants, public transportation, schools, day care, nursing homes and hospitals.

And even though the owners of these places do their best in getting rid of these insects, they have one major difficulty which a single family home owner does not face: Fresh supply of bugs brought in by people.

How to protect yourself:

·        Traveling: Here are a few quick tips: Use Bed Bug Spray and Hard Shell Luggage. Clean your luggage with a hard brush when you come back from the trip. Store all your used cloths in Green Clean Dissolvable Laundry Bags during your stay. And when you come back, just dump that bag in your washer, set the wash cycle to ‘hot’ and you are done.

·        After your visit to the high occupancy area:  First of all, I would like to remind you that everyday millions of people visit high occupancy areas like restaurants, public transportation, schools, day care, nursing homes, hospitals. And only a small percentage of them catch bed bugs from there. However a little precaution helps a lot. Wash the cloths immediately and put them in dryer for two hot cycles. Very hot temperatures in the dryers will certainly kill them.

Source 3: Used furniture or cloths or bed frame or mattress or even picture frames, books bought from a yard or garage sale:

Used furniture poses great threat of having bedbugs and their eggs. Because of their flat body structure, bed bugs can hide in very very small holes or gaps. They are very difficult to detect and you may not have luxury of time to inspect the furniture thoroughly.

How to protect yourself:

Avoid them completely. It is not worth the trouble of buying used furniture and then spending a lot of time, energy and money getting rid of the bed bugs.

Source 4: Your guests:

Your guest may not have any bedbugs at her home but her luggage might have got infested during the travel or during stay in hotels.

How to protect yourself:

Take the same steps when you came back form the vacation. Thoroughly clean the luggage with a hard brush, and Wash cloths and run them through two hot cycles of dryer. On a very hot day, you can seal the luggage in plastic bags and put them in your cars, shut the windows and leave the car in open.  Very high temperatures will kill the bugs.

Source 5: Animals or birds:

·        Animals: Although bed bugs prefer human blood they can survive on any warm blooded animal like your pet dog, cat, rabbit or guinea pig.

·        How to protect your pet: Keep the place where pets sleep clean and clutter free. Make sure that your pet’s toys do not have any cracks or holes where the bed bugs can hide. Regularly was your pet’s bed and run it through two hot cycles of dryer.

·        Birds: Bedbugs are known to live in bird’s nests. And they are also found in homes where pigeons, bats, swallows and other birds live.

·        How to protect yourself: If you have bird’s nests inside or anywhere near your home, please get rid of them.

Source 6: Your mover’s truck:

Movers carry people’s furniture form one place to another. And guess what comes with the furniture? Yes. You are right! Bed bugs.

You might have bought very expensive mattress. The mattress shop may also be clean and not infested with bed bugs. However can you guarantee that there are no bugs in the truck?

·        How to protect yourself: If possible move the stuff in your own vehicle. If you are renting a truck then shut the truck windows and let it sit in the sun for a whole day. If it is a hot season then you may get lucky and the high temperatures will kill the bugs.

·        Use Space Bags to store your cloths, comforters and blankets, pillows, patio cushions, sweaters and jackets, and other bulky items.

·        Use Bed bug Proof Mattress Protector for the mattress and the box spring.