Resurgence
of Bed Bugs,
the
their Basic
Biology
and Control Suggestions
Harold J. Harlan
621 Maple Hill Lane
Crownsville, MD 21032
Adult Male - C. lectularius (L.)
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
( = Hexapoda )
Order: Hemiptera ( Sub-Order: Heteroptera )
Family: Cimicidae
Genus: Cimex
Species: lectularius
Scientific Name: Cimex lectularius L.
Common Name: the Common Bed Bug
Evidence of Resurgence
Snetsinger: “. Bed bugs may actually cause slums .
. . (Busvine 1951); today (1997) specimens are
unavailable for classes & few young entomologists
have seen an infestation . .” [ Mallis 8th ed.; p.399 ]
Kreuger’s: “Don’t get Bitten by the resurgence of
Bed Bugs,” Pest Contr. 68 (3): 58-64 ( Mar. 2000 ).
NPMA: 29 infestations confirmed; 18 states & DC
[ Library Update, Sept. 2001 ]
NPMA: 29 infestations confirmed; 29 states, DC ,
3 Provinces CAN, & 2 states MEX ( Dec. 2003 )
Orkin has treated bed bugs in 34 states (Jan. 2004 )
Adult Female
Adult Male - Engorged
Description
Small – 3/16 inch long, oval, flat, reddish brown insects
True bugs - w/ 3-seg. beak, 4-seg. antennae
Vestigial wings & a thin coat of fine golden hairs
Give off a distinctive “musty, sweetish” odor
Undigested blood in feces causes “rusty” spots
Males – pointed abdomen
Females – rounded abdomen
Dorsal View - Front Half
Ventral View - Head
Adult Female – Lateral View
Identify the Bugs
- 4th Antennal Segment
< 3rd Segment
- “Fringe Hairs” on
Pronotum < Width of
Compound Eye
- Pronotum Front Margin
Deeply Indented
(vs. Only Slightly)
= C. lectularius L.
Bed Bug vs. Bat Bug
Swallow Bug
Biology
Feed only on Blood – Mammals or Birds
Attach small (1 mm) whitish eggs to surfaces in
harborages where they hide in loose clusters
5 Nymphal instars ( Need >1 blood meal each instar )
Life Cycle takes 4-5 weeks (egg-to-egg) in ‘good’
conditions [ 75-80% RH; 83-90 degrees F ]
Female may lay 200-500 eggs in her lifetime
Adults can survive >1 yr. w/o feeding [ Nymphs 3-4 mo.]
Mating – “Traumatic” Insemination
Feeding - Several Instars
Engorged
Nymphs-1 & 2
Engorging Adults & N - 2
Eggs and Droppings
“Rusty Spots” on Bedding
Male Aedeagus
Female ‘Spermilage’
Adult
Bed
Bugs
Mating
Medical Importance
- Found naturally infected w/ >20 human pathogens
- Never proven to transmit any human disease
- Several species feed on humans
(including: Common & Tropical Bed Bugs,
Bat Bugs, & Poultry Bugs
- Salivary proteins cause “sensitivity” to repeated
bites by large numbers of bed bugs
- - 5 stages: no reaction; delayed reaction; both immediate
& delayed; immediate reaction only; & finally, no reaction
- - True hypersensitivity can develop (but it is reversible)
- Serious social stigma to “having” an infestation
Feeding a “Rearing Jar”
Immediate Bite Reactions
Delayed Reactions (> 24 hrs.)
Habits ( Behavior )
- Nocturnal, harbor in clusters, but NOT ‘social’
- Hide in daytime in cracks, crevices, behind
baseboards, bed frames, mattress seams, etc.
- Take a blood meal to repletion in 3-10 min.
- “Prefer” humans but feed on other hosts, too
- Travel 5-20 ft. (each way) nightly to feed
- Feed every few days if hosts available
- Often void part of previous meal while feeding
- Can remain fully active at 45o F
[ if acclimated for 24 hrs at < 60o F ]
Bugs Have Thin Flat Bodies
Survey Sites: Bed Frames
Mattress (especially Seams)
Upholstered Chairs
Window Curtains & Frames
Control Strategies
- Thorough survey & accurate ID
- Educate customers ( may take > 1 visit )
- Sanitation will NOT eliminate them
- Initial vacuuming (mattresses, beds, harborages )
- Treat harborages w/ properly labeled residual
- - try to not use highly repellent materials
- Dust electrical boxes, voids (maybe seal them shut )
- Seal harborages shut (pref. silicone-based sealant )
- Consider physical barriers if appropriate
- Sticky monitors ( may detect continued presence)
“New” Techniques & Products
1. Gentrol™ labeled for Bed Bugs (late-2003)
2. Heat Treatments ( Whole-House or Room)
3. Steaming – Matresses, or Beds, etc.
4. Phantom™ (Chlorfenapyr) labeled to control
ants / roaches; indoor ‘crack-and-crevice’
5. PCO Pellets™ (Acephate) still labeled for
‘crack-and-crevice’ treatments
6. Encase matress & Pillows in plastic covers
7. Permethrin repellent, over-the-counter (s-h)
Fumigation
1. “Whole structure” fumigation will eliminate
bugs present within treated areas, but . . . . .
a. This is seldom economically practical.
b. There is no residual protection.
2. The same things are true for . . .
a. “Batch” or “Single-Room” Fumigations,
b. Heat treatments (Whole Bldg. or One - Room), and
c. Cold treatments (Whole Bldg. or One - Room).
Monitors May Help Detect
Bed Bugs
Why Bed Bugs Are Resurging
1. Greater human mobility
2. Less use of any residuals – last 5-6 yrs
3. Significant switch to baits for roaches & ants
4. Many PMPs are not familiar w/ bed bugs
- inadequate survey, wrong ID, incomplete treatment
5. Pyrethroids used in most accounts are repellent
- bugs do not get a lethal dose (esp. in deep cracks)
- harborages easy to miss in first survey
- bugs may detect & avoid residual treatments
- bug pop. often “split” or move from such treatments
6. People may call any unknown bite - “bed bugs”
Questions ?