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 causing a hysteria all across the United States.  Now residents are worried that a recent infestation reported at a college campus in Ohio will have the bed bugs swimming across the river and invading their homes.  People are putting up sand bags, razor wire, and have machine gun emplacements stationed all along the river front to stay of this bed bug invasion.  There is talk about bringing in the National Guard to help in the fight against this bed bug invasion, that may come from across the river at any time.  Just kidding, but with the hysteria that is going on about bed bugs it could happen.

A recent announcement that bed bugs have been located on the campus of Maysville Community and Technical Center have some residents worried the bugs may also spread across the river to Brown County. However, Rusty Vermillion, Brown County Health Department Director, said the tiny bloodsucking bugs have been a problem in Brown County for several months already, and urged residents to understand the facts about bedbug infestations before making rash decisions to throw out couches and beds.

“It’s a major problem here already,” Vermillion said. “Back during the spring we were getting three to five calls about bed bugs a day. It’s a major problem not just in Ohio but all over the United States now.”

“Cleveland, Dayton and Cincinnati are all in the top 20 most infected cities list,” Vermillion said.

Unfortunately, Vermillion said bed bug infestations have a tendency to cause people to panic.

“The main problem we get is people calling after they’ve already thrown out their mattresses and their couches,” Vermillion said. ” Bed bugs are not known to be carriers of any diseases, unlike cockroaches. We have information here at the health department to help people stay calm and to not panic when they find bed bugs in their home. Don’t throw anything away until you see where the infestation is.”

According to information from the Brown County Health Department, bed bugs are known hitchhikers who will attach themselves onto purses or clothing and travel to a new location. Adult bedbugs are a reddish brown, flattened, oval wingless insect. Bedbug bites resemble mosquito or other bug bites and are often misdiagnosed by the public until the infestation spreads to other areas of the house.

“It’s not a hygiene issue,” Vermillion said. “They just spread very quickly and are resistant to most pesticides.”

Check for bedbug infestations by looking for blood stains, droppings and eggs on mattress seams and tufts, pillow cases and upholstered furniture as well as in crevices and cracks in furniture and the baseboard of walls.

The moral of this bed bug invasion story is to take a deep breadth, calm down, and don’t throw out any belongings until you have them inspected by a licensed bed bug inspection company.  If any of your items, such as mattresses are found to be infested by bed bugs there are procedures, such as, heat and chemicals that will kill the bed bugs.

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.