New England Bed Bug Forum

Chances are, you or someone you know has had a run-in with bed bugs. It might have happened in a scrupulously clean bedroom. Or maybe it was a hotel room, office or college dorm. In the February issue of Scientific American entomologist Kenneth Haynes of the University of Kentucky explains how, after a lengthy absence, bed bugs are staging a comeback. The good news is scientists are intensively studying these insects, and their insights suggest novel ways of detecting the bugs and eradicating infestations. Some of those potential solutions are a long way off, however. In the meantime the best bet is to avoid bringing bed bugs home in the first place.

Do bed bugs only feed on humans?

No. Bed bugs are also pests in poultry operations, and they’re known to drink the blood of bats. Some labs that study bed bugs rear them on guinea pigs and mice. The bugs might feed on cats and dogs. Fur is probably a barrier to them, but they could feed at any place on the body without fur. Bed bugs are not specific to humans, but they are adapted to parasitizing us.

Could you have a bed bug infestation in your home and not know it?

That’s very possible. I have heard of couples reporting that only one partner is getting bitten. The truth is that both are getting bitten, but only one has a reaction to the bites. Thirty percent of people or more don’t react to bed bug bites at all, and the elderly are less reactive than the rest of the population. Among those people who do react to the bites, most of them don’t respond to early bites, but develop a sensitivity to subsequent ones. Those individuals who are not sensitive to bed bug bites may not know they have an infestation. Because bed bugs are nocturnally active, it’s hard to see other signs of their presence—unless you’re accustomed to waking up at 3 A.M. and taking a census. With a huge infestation, bed bugs start to move away from the bed, so you’re more likely to see one in an exposed place during the day. In very severe infestations people can become anemic. That takes a lot of bugs though—maybe 100,000 feeding once a week or more.

Another clue to infestation is odor. Like many species of bugs, bed bugs release odors called alarm pheromones. When a group of bed bugs gets disturbed, you may get a whiff of that odor, which is similar to the odor stink bugs give off. At higher concentrations the odor is unpleasant. Some people say at low concentrations it’s a pleasant smell—like coriander. In fact, older literature refers to the bed bug as the coriander bug. I’ve tried to smell the coriander scent in bed bug alarm pheromones and have not been able to make the connection, however.

What can one do to avoid getting bed bugs?
The first thing is you have to be able to recognize and distinguish a bed bug from any other insect. Everything starts to look like a bed bug if you start to worry about them. An adult bed bug is about the size and shape of an apple seed. If it has not fed recently it will be flattened and brown. If it has fed it will be round in circumference and reddish. Immature bed bugs have a similar appearance to adults, with the smallest being the size of the head of a pin. You can then learn to look for their fecal spots, which can be easier to detect than the bugs themselves. Check your hotel rooms when you travel. And think twice before bringing home used furniture. If you are purchasing used furniture, ask the furniture store how they deal with bed bugs. If they have no plan whatsoever, that’s probably not a good sign. If you purchase used clothing, put it through a clothes dryer on a medium to high setting for a cycle as soon as you bring it home. And before you move into an apartment, ask the landlord whether there has been a bed bug infestation, or whether the building has ever been treated for bed bugs.

Bed bugs are one of the only animals on our planet known to get stronger by inbreeding.  A recent study has come to terms that bed bugs are fighting back against us humans by inbreeding.

New research on the bed bug’s ability to withstand the genetic bottleneck of inbreeding, recently announced at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting, provides new clues to explain the rapidly growing problem of bed bugs across the United States and globally. After mostly disappearing in the US in the 1950s, the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) has reappeared with a vengeance over the past decade. These stubborn pests have developed a resistance to the insecticides, known as pyrethroids, commonly used against them.

One of the newly discovered factors that appears to be contributing to the bed bugs’ effective infestation is their ability to establish new infestations through inbreeding. Coby Schal, PhD, and Ed Vargo, PhD, both entomologists at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and colleagues carried out two studies now under peer-review examining the genetics of bed bugs from three multi-story apartment buildings in North Carolina and New Jersey, and determined that there were high levels of relatedness within each apartment and very low genetic diversity within each building, indicating that infestations start from just one or two introductions of the insect. Being able to withstand a very high level of inbreeding — i.e., still produce healthy offspring — allows the bed bug infestation to expand to other apartments within the building.

Another study by this team confirmed this same conclusion based on a study of 21 bed bug infestations from Maine to Florida in the US, nearly all of which came from single rooms within homes. “Inbreeding gives bed bugs an advantage in being able to colonize,” said Schal. “A single female that has been mated is able to colonize and start a new infestation. Her progeny and brothers and sisters can then mate with each other, exponentially expanding the population. With many organisms, extensive inbreeding would cause serious mutations that would eventually bring about an end to the population.” He also noted that cockroach populations are also able to survive inbreeding.

A major strategic advantage that we might want to explore in this bed bug fight, and it may seem unproductive at this time, but may pay a huge benifit in the future is to introduce female bed bugs into the mix that do not have a resistance to any chemicals.  This would, in theory, create colonies of bed bugs that do not have any resistance to our extermination procedures or chemicals.

Until then, there is really only one proven and effective way to kill bed bugs and that is heat.

Bed bugs are becoming such a problem in the US that they are starting to drain profits from viable businesses.

Who knew bed bugs could be this industrious? We all know they go to work at night as stealthy little blood suckers, wreaking havoc not just in our homes but on our businesses. They can cost thousands to tens of thousands of dollars to eradicate depending on whether it’s an infested residence or a commercial building. Even ridding them from a single room can be costly. Add to that the fact that exterminators often have a difficult time fully killing the pests. DDT is banned, traditional baits aren’t effective since they feed on blood, and it often takes several go-rounds before all the bugs and their eggs are rendered dead. The expenses rack up fast.

Take a look at the US lodging industry, the single largest industry to be affected by the pesky critters. Over the past few years, it’s been battling lawsuits, negative publicity, and decreased consumer confidence. Some of the more famous lawsuits include the one against Leona Helmsley’s Helmsley Enterprises, which paid a $150,000 settlement in 2004 to two customers who claimed that bed bugs at the Park Lane hotel attacked them, then infested their home. Three years later a larger bed bug case involved opera singer Alison Trainer, who filed a $6 million lawsuit against one of the leading global hospitality companies Hilton Hotels (now known as Hilton Worldwide). According to the Associated Press, she claimed to have had 150 bed bug bites after staying at Phoenix’s Hilton Suites, an experience that she said left her losing weight and afraid to sleep in a bed.

In 2010 perhaps the most publicized bed bug victims were not hotels but corporate clothing retailers. Chain stores Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, and Victoria’s Secret all had to temporarily close stores in New York City due to reported infestations. While Victoria’s Secret said it had taken “proactive” measures after a bed bug sighting in its Lexington Avenue store, reports came out alleging that Abercrombie & Fitch either initially ignored or was slow to respond to outbreaks in its own stores, namely its South Street Seaport location and at a huge Hollister store in SoHo. Talk about unmentionables.

In 2011 NBC Chicago said mattress manufacturers in Illinois took a hit after consumers began complaining of itchy skin. At least five stores in the Chicago area were said to have sold new or refurbished mattresses containing bed bugs, according to city officials. The stores included Best Mattress Company, Mike’s Furniture, TC Furniture, and Guadalajara Furniture. Other recent bed bug lawsuits have been filed against cruise lines, dry cleaners, furniture rental companies, and schools.

Mattress covers or encasements, the #1 bed bug protection product among consumers, has become so ubiquitous that virtually every major retailing chain, including Wal-Mart, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and e-commerce behemoth Amazon.com, each carry different brands.

Expertise in bed bugs as they relate to property law is also a growing practice area for some law firms, according to this Wall Street Journal blog.

With the EPA designating bed bugs a public health concern, the pest control industry is enjoying especially high demand for its products and services in both the residential and commercial sectors. Terminix, the country’s largest provider of pest control services, reports it’s seen an increase in the prevalence of bed bugs in most states over the last year and it expects that trend to continue. Compiling data from 350 Terminix branches across the US, the company reports that the top three bed bug-infested cities for 2011 are New York, Cincinnati, and Detroit.

Developing products and methods for killing these pests is becoming even more urgent as conventional bed bugs evolve into so-called “super bugs.” Medical News Today reports that Canadian researchers found bed bugs from three hospital patients in a downtrodden Vancouver, British Columbia neighborhood to be carrying two types of drug-resistant bacteria, one of which is the stubborn MRSA staph. The study, released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is small and preliminary but intriguing. Who knows, perhaps the biotech industry will come up with the next big bed bug deterrent.

If you have an infestation in your home or business the first thing to do is to find out where this bloodsucking parasite is residing, so that you may eradicate it.

September will mark the first National Bed Bug Awareness Month in which U.S. Rep. Robert Dold, (R-Ill.) and 10 of the foremost bed bug experts from across the country team up to create videos, articles and interviews geared toward helping the public fight back against bed bugs.

This educational campaign serves as a comprehensive response to the continued spread bed bugs throughout the country. National Bed Bug Awareness Month will kick off Sept. 1 with the launch of an interactive, online tutorial series and culminate with the North American Bed Bug Summit being held in Chicago from the Sept. 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare.

National Bed Bug Awareness Month is an important step in educating the public about bed bugs as the pest takes root in untouched regions of the country.

“Last year bed bugs received a tremendous push in awareness due to constant media exposure. However, this year awareness is stagnating, not because bed bugs have gone away, but because they are not receiving enough coverage,” said Cooper. “In the war against bed bugs education is still critical. This campaign is aimed at creating awareness in a more engaging and interactive way.”

Research entomologist and doctoral candidate Richard Cooper of Rutgers University has been championing public education as crucial element in the war against bed bugs since 2003. Cooper acknowledges that while there is increased awareness, actual education is lacking.

“The initial lack of public education and awareness enabled bed bugs to spread and become a major problem in the United States,” said Cooper. “Although awareness that bed bugs exist has vastly improved, education has not. There are still myths and misconceptions that allow bed bugs to continue to spread. Without the proper education, prevention is not accomplished and the spread is not stemmed.”

“During the past three years bed bugs have proven to be an extraordinarily complex pest to deal with on a large scale,” said Dold. “In order to develop both practical and effective bed bug treatment methods, leaders in government, the private sector and even local communities will need to collaborate closely to find long-term solutions. The work being done at this summit is a step in that direction.”

The North American Bed Bug Summit represents the culmination of National Bed Bug Awareness Month. The summit, officially titled Bed Bug University: North American Summit, will bring together 26 of the leading entomologists and bed bug experts from around the world together with a cross-section of affected industries.

By gathering stakeholders such as government agencies, colleges and universities, health care, hospitality and multifamily housing under one roof, entomologists and experts will able to provide an educational blue-print for dealing with bed bugs across a variety of sectors.

The Summit will also demonstrate over 70 of the latest bed bug technologies including all-natural bed bugs sprays such as Stop Bugging Me!, entomologist approved mattress encasement’s such as Protect-a-Bed™ and BugZip Luggage Protectors.

A exhibit about the invasion of the bloodsuckers, bed bugs and beyond is now running at the Peabody museum in New Haven.  This exhibit is very hands on and is not only good for a lot of useful information on bed bugs, but is also a great and fun learning experience for  kids of all ages.  There are not only 3-D models of bed bugs and other bloodsucking insects, it is filled with some cool interactive games and morphing programs that show the evolution of bloodsucking insects such as, bed bugs, mosquito’s and fleas.

One of the games/interactive’s that is a must to play is spot the bloodsucker.  This is a very funny game in where you have to spot and identify the blood sucking insects in time so that, Gary, can sleep through the night.

How do you identify bedbugs, lice, mosquitoes, fleas and other bloodsucking arthropods? Media headlines are full of stories about these animals and this exhibit at the Peabody museum in New Haven will give visitors the chance to meet these common human parasites up close (but safely!). A family-friendly multi-media display, it will include interactives, giant models, preserved and living specimens, film footage of blood feeding, and signage that explores where and how they live. Visitors will learn about the complex evolution of their mouth parts that enables blood feeding and how these organisms differ from other household pests. Large-scale photos and specimens will compare and contrast them with common lookalikes such as spiders, mites, beetles, millipedes and silverfish. Finally there will be information on how to treat for and protect yourself from these unwelcome guests.

Going out of town soon? Traffic, blizzards or spending a long weekend with your crazy uncle may put a damper on the trip, but in your haste to come home make sure you’re not transporting six-legged souvenirs: bed bugs.

A decade ago bed bugs were still the vermin of lore — blood-sucking creepy-crawlies laid to waste by the amazingly effective (and toxic) pesticide DDT.

These pesky insects have made quite the stateside comeback lately. In 2010 bed bug outbreaks have been reported everywhere from homes to office buildings, hotels, stores, schools and hospitals. No less than former president Bill Clinton’s Manhattan offices suffered an outbreak.

Although the exact cause remains a mystery, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency chalk up the resurgence of these tiny terrors to “increased resistance of bed bugs to available pesticides, greater international and domestic travel, lack of knowledge regarding control of bed bugs due to their prolonged absence, and the continuing decline or elimination of effective vector/pest control programs at state and local public health agencies.”

Translation: Bed bugs are great travelers. Every region of the country has been besieged, with bed bugs hitchhiking rides in handbags, the folds of clothes, luggage, planes, trains, cars — even ambulances.

While every major metropolis has reported infestations in 2010 (as well as a rapidly increasing number of smaller towns), some cities have been harder hit than others.

“This list is based on our experience, and it’s not to say that other cities might not be as bad,” stresses Ron Harrison, entomologist.

The results? Bustling densely populated urban epicenters with high turnovers of tourists and business travelers are among the worst sufferers. Those cities include New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

The state most afflicted by bed bugs is a bit of a surprise: Ohio. Three of the Buckeye state’s cities — Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton — are on the exterminators’ bed bug-infested lists.

“At this point we don’t know, nor does anyone know, why cities in Ohio seem to have a much higher influx of bed bugs per capital than larger cities,” says  Harrison.

One possibility is that Ohio citizens may simply be more willing to seek help rather than let infestations worsen (a common and harmful response, given the stigma of bed bugs and cost of eliminating them).

The National Pesticide Information Center, which offers information about pesticides and related topics, tracks bed bugs by state, based on the calls it receives.Its data parallels the pest management companies’, with the most inquiries coming from New York, California, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

NPIC Project Coordinator Kaci Buhl says the center has also been receiving bed bug-related calls this year from new states like Oregon, which now claims a weekly presence in the inquiry logs.

Getting rid of bed bugs is complex. It can take up to several visits and treatments. Some states have introduced bed bug related legislation. New York now requires landlords to tell new tenants whether a property has experienced past outbreaks; Pennsylvania, whose largest city Philadelphia makes our list, is considering legislation that would clarify whether a landlord or tenant is financially responsible for an infestation.

Edwin Rajotte, professor of entomology and IPM coordinator at Penn State University, says the good news is that bed bugs don’t carry diseases and are physiologically the same everywhere.

“There aren’t super bugs in Detroit or something like that,” he explains. “The main defense against bed bugs is education and awareness because everybody has a role to play in managing bed bugs, and it’s much easier to manage if you catch it early.”

Both Rajotte and Buhl stress a proactive approach when traveling this holiday season. Check the space you are sleeping in, whether it’s a hotel or the home of a loved one.

“Look everywhere, bring a flashlight and inspect the box spring, seam along the mattress, under tags on the bed, even the headboards,” instructs Buhl.

If possible, leave your luggage in the bathroom since the apple-seed-shaped insects aren’t prone to migrating there. Inspect your luggage before bringing it into your house (Harrison stores his suitcases in the garage to be safe).

Once home, launder your clothes and dry them on high heat for at least 30 minutes to kill all life stages of the potential hitchhikers.

If you spot them in your home or experience bites, do not wait to call in an exterminator. The infestation will only worsen and become more costly and challenging to treat.

Follow these simple steps and you have a good chance of sleeping tight, and not letting the bed bugs bite.

As the year winds down we thought we would give you a basic overview on some bed bug information.

Bed bugs are small, oval, non-flying insects that feed by sucking blood from humans or animals.  Bed bugs can live in any area of the home and can reside in tiny cracks in furniture as well as on textiles and upholstered furniture. They tend to be most common in areas where people sleep and generally concentrate in beds, including mattresses, boxsprings, and bed frames.

Bed bugs are most active at night and bite any exposed areas of skin while an individual is sleeping. The face, neck, hands, and arms are common sites for bed bug bites.  A bed bug bite is painless and is not noticed. Small, flat, or raised bumps on the skin are the most common sign; redness, swelling, and itching commonly occur.  Typically, no treatment is required for bed bug bites. If itching is severe, steroid creams or oral antihistamines may be used for symptom relief.

Fecal stains, egg cases, and exuviae (shed skins) of bed bugs in crevices and cracks on or near beds are suggestive that bed bugs may be present, but only observing the bugs themselves can confirm an active infestation. A professional pest-control company may be required to help identify and remove bed bugs from the home.

Engorged Bed Bug

Bed Bug History

Bed Bugs have been around probably since the dawn of man. They are first noted by the philosopher Aristotle in Greece around 350 BC. These parasites were used to treat spider bites, snake bites, and ear infections during this time. In the 1700’s bed bugs were used as a cure for such emotional disorders as hysteria. These blood suckers were given a boost in their numbers when they were introduced into the major metropolitan city of London in 1666. There was a great fire that practically burnt the city to the ground. Wood and timber was brought in from outside sources and it is thought this is how the majority of bed bugs hitch hiked their way to this large closely quartered human population. When America was colonized people from Europe traveled by sailing vessels to the New World. The bugs hitched their passage on these ships. Things got so bad in the 1700’s that the colonists coming over were not allowed to bring any bedding aboard the ships in fear that they might bring more bed bugs with them. The major infestation in the United States was exterminated by the use of DDT in the 1940’s and 1950’s, but this was short lived when it was banned for use as a pesticide in 1973. With no general purpose pesticide for dealing with this bed bug scourge they are multiplying rapidly in our cities and branching out to rural areas. In the last few years these blood sucking parasites have had a 500% increase in some metropolitan areas.