New England Bed Bug Forum

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.

Property managers and landlords may want to avoid having bad publicity and avoid lawsuits from tenants by acting quickly on any bed bug infestations being reported by their tenants.  They may also want to look into hiring and signing a maintenance contract with a company that specializes in bed bug inspections and exterminations.   Many pest control companies are not yet, offering maintenance programs for bed bugs.  Bed Bugs can become a complex issue to deal with that you really need someone who specializes in eradicating them.

HUNTSVILLE, AL

They are disgusting, tiny, and can be all over the place before you have a clue they are there. They are bed bugs. Residents at a local apartment complex emailed WHNT NEWS 19 to say their homes are infested with them, but they couldn’t get the proper help from their apartment complex.

“Oh, it was creepy. It was seriously scary,” said Patrick Rhodes.

Rhodes recalls what it was like when he first saw bed bugs in his apartment.

“They look like big termites, or overgrown lice,” added Rhodes.

He lives at Garden Cove Apartments with his wife and two children.

“I have to leave my lights on until 6:00a.m. for me to go to sleep. I am tired of it. I can not do it. I don’t get any rest. My wife is scared,” added Rhodes.

Rhodes showed a picture of what his family wears when they go to sleep. They had to throw their beds away. They now sleep next to each other, under the covers, and on the floor.

“That is not right. I don’t wish this one anyone. This is not good. No,” added Rhodes.

The husband and father noticed bugs all over the apartment a month ago.

“As a matter of fact there is one right there crawling. It is one that is alive. It doesn’t have to be dark,” added Rhodes.

He spent two weeks trying to figure out exactly what they were, but finally went to his property manager.

“He has been trying. Lately, there hasn’t been anyone doing as far as trying to get things resolved,” added Rhodes.

Rhodes believes the apartment’s owner is moving too slow.

“I guarantee you if it were one of their managers in one of their houses, it would have been taken care of and resolved by now,” added Rhodes.

His words tell the story.

“The eggs are hatching. They lay lots of eggs. I really do not know how these things operate. I know they bite and it hurts. I am tired of my kids getting bitten,” added Rhodes.

His bites show it.

“My children are getting eaten up and they are landing all over my counters. We should not have to live like this. It is getting ridiculous,” added Rhodes.

The Garden Cove Apartments Property Manager, Coby Giles, issued a statement regarding Rhodes’ concern:

“Management was made aware of a possible pest infestation at the beginning this week and contacted our pest control company to set up an inspection of the unit. Garden Cove provides on-going pest control maintenance to our residents. Unfortunately, bed bug treatment is not offered as part of the annual contract. I am personally taking steps to assure the resident’s issue is resolved as soon as possible. Our company procedures do not make it possible for me to issue payments on-site. The need for bed bug treatments at our property is a new issue which requires advance payment and we are looking at ways to avoid this requirement in the future.”

Using a bed bug dog for an inspection of bed bugs produces quicker and more accurate results which leads to lower remediation costs and the ability to more fully remedy the bed bug infestation.

Bed Bug dog inspection is up to 96% accurate and once a dog “hits” on a bed bug infestation problem, in many instances they can pinpoint where the bed bugs are within three feet.  This means that if you have a bed bug infestation in your bedroom, the dog should be able to tell you if it is in the mattress, closet, clothes, and or dressers.

A bed bug dog inspection can lead to less expensive extermination costs, in that only one or two rooms may need to be exterminated for bed bugs instead of a whole apartment, house, or office building.

It’s Efficient – Targeting the exact location of a bed bug problem eliminates the need to treat an entire home or business.  A property manager that owns or for-seas multiple units can save hugely  by only having to have the units that are infested by bed bugs treated instead of the whole building or facility.

Bed bug detection dogs generate quicker, more accurate results and this leads to lower remediation costs that can be quite substantial.

By using a dog for a bed bug inspection it will help in the reduction of pesticides needed for treating an infestation.  The pinpointing of a possible bed bug infestation by the dog allows your exterminator to target the area with the correct procedure in killing the bugs without having to go overboard with chemicals.  This reduction of pesticides is not only a cost savings to you, it is good for our environment.

Another advantage of having a bed bug dog inspection is that the dogs can find small infestations before they are out of control.  This allows you to end the cycle of bed bug reproduction that can snowball into a major infestation quite quickly.  One pregnant female can become 30,000 within six months

Bed Bug dog inspections cover areas not visible to humans.  A bed bug dogs sense of smell can find unseen bed bugs with up to 96% accuracy, whereas a human is only about 20 – 25% accurate in finding bed bugs in a building.

Bed Bug dog inspections can give you peace of mind that your remediation treatments were successful and that the bed bug infestation was treated in it’s entirety.

Many bed bug dog inspection companies offer proactive maintenance programs that can assure your customers that your facility is diligent in the fight against bed bugs.  This may help if any litigation pops up.

Lastly bed bug dogs are honest.  they do not work for money. All these dogs get as a reward for their diligent work is food and love by their owners and handlers.

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.

Check out this awesome and heartbreaking video that was on Animal planet. This unfortunate family had a major bed bug infestation on their second floor that they spent almost $17,000.00 dollars to exterminate. One month after they thought the bed bugs were killed with pesticides they came back. The culprit was their four year old’s “sock Monkey” stuffed animal. Bed bugs love to hide in a child’s stuffed toy because they can smell the kids body on it from being in such close proximity with the toy. A good, eco-friendly, and safe way to kill bed bugs in children’s toys is insect heat treatment.

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.

If you think you have a bed bug infestation in your home or place of business and caught what you think is one of these blood sucking parasites, here is a good way to visually confirm your bug. Bed bugs look somewhat like some types of beetles. For instance, an immature cave beetle has the same kind of a translucent brown body coloring as a young bed bug. There are some differences you can identify in order to tell if you have a bed bug or a beetle. The bed bugs body has lateral stripes or ridges, where as a beetles body is smooth.  A beetle’s body is more elongated than a bed bugs body.  The bed bugs body is more rounded with shorter legs.  Also you probably won’t find bed bugs wandering around the house during the day, it is very possible you will see beetles in the day light.  If any one has any other characteristics they can think of that stand out between a bed bug and a beetle your input is more than welcome.

Engorged Bed Bug

Cimex Lectularius, the bed bug, in its adult stage is about 1/4 of an inch in size and usually brown in color unless it is full from its blood meal. The engorgement of the insect will cause it to have a reddish color. A baby bed bug is very small and can hardly be seen by the naked eye. It is translucent. Bed bugs are mostly body or abdomen. They have six legs, a pair of antennae or feelers, two compound eyes, and a needle-like mouth with two hollow pathways to inject numbing chemicals and suck your blood out of your body with.