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BED BUGS

By: Michael Waldvogel and Charles Apperson, Extension Entomology
Insect Note - ENT/rsc-31
 

bed bug adultBed bugs were once considered to be a major pest in homes, but improved sanitation and chemical control had reduced this problem to a minor one. While we associate bed bugs with unsanitary conditions, the problems we see now are occuring even in the cleanest of homes, hotels or other buildings. There has been some anecdotal references to the possibility that bed bug problems are on the rise because of increased tourism and changes in how we manage cockroaches by emphasizing the use of baits and reducing the use of liquid insecticides that may have coincidentally controlled bed bugs in the process.

There are actually several species of "bed bugs", but the species found most commonly in the U.S. is Cimex lectularius. Other species found here are typically associated with birds and bats and are not usually a problem for us except when they are found where birds or bats have been nesting on/within the structure. Another species, Cimex hemipterus, is usually found in tropical areas. However, given the more "global" nature of our society with people traveling to and from other countries, it may show up where they are not expected.

Identification
Bed bugs adults are reddish-brown, oval, flattened insects from 6 to 9 mm long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide before feeding. Engorged (blood-fed) adults are swollen and dull red. Though wingless, adult bed bugs do have small wing pads. The eyes are deeply pigmented and the sides of the collar-like pronotum curve slightly around the head. The nymphs (immatures) resemble the adult though they are smaller in size. Newly hatched nymphs are almost colorless whereas engorged nymphs are reddish and swollen. Bed bug eggs are white, oval egg is about 1 mm long.

Life Cycle and Habits
Although humans are the preferred host, bed bugs feed on many warmblooded animals. Animal hosts include poultry, rats, mice, dogs, cats, pigeons, canaries, rabbits, and guinea pigs. Wild animals, including bats, swallows and chimney swifts may serve as hosts and occasionally are responsible for causing infestations in or around buildings.

bed bugs and feces on mattress seamAlthough bed bugs have occasionally been found to be infected with organisms causing anthrax, plague and typhus, they are not consider to be important vectors (transmittors) of these diseases. Our major concern is their blood-feeding activity. As bed bugs feed, they inject saliva which produces an allergic reaction that often causes slightly delayed swelling, itching, and burning which may persist for a week or more. Bed bugs also emit an offensive odor.

Bed bugs can feed and breed year round when conditions permit. These insects hide during the day in mattresses and boxsprings or cracks and crevices. The picture to the right shows bed bug frass and dried blood on the mattress seam and tag. Under favorable conditions, each female lays 200 to 500 eggs. When the insects feed regularly, eggs are laid in batches of 10 to 50 at 3 to 15-day intervals. Maximum egg laying occurs when the temperature is above 21°C (70°F). Eggs are not laid at temperatures lower than 10°C (50°F).

The eggs are coated with a sticky substance that dries once the egg is deposited, causing the eggs to adhere to the object on which they were deposited. Eggs and the eggshells are found, singly or in clusters, near the crevices in which the bugs hide. At temperatures above 21°C (70°F), eggs hatch in 6 to 17 days. At lower temperatures, hatching may take as long as 28 days.

Newly hatched bugs feed at the first opportunity. They molt five times before reaching maturity and require at least one blood meal between each molt. Immature stages can survive approximately two months without feeding; however, most nymphs usually develop into adults within 2 to 6 weeks. Bed bug adults often survive up to 2 months without food, but under certain circumstances can live a year or more without feeding.

Indoors, three or four annual generations may be produced. Bed bugs cannot fly and do not normally crawl long distances. Their primary means of dispersal is through human activity, i.e., people move them from one place to another in luggage, laundry, etc. Animals, particularly birds and bat, may be involved in bed/bat bug dispersal. Piles of cast nymphal skins often accumulate in bed bug hiding places.

Control
The first step to dealing with bed bugs is to locate all of their hiding places:

  • Furniture, particularly bedroom furniture must be inspected carefully, even to theinspecting box spring for bed bugs point of dismantling the bed for easier inspection and possible treatment. Check the mattress and boxspring carefully, particularly the seams and dust cover on the underside of the boxspring.
  • Check under and behind other pieces of furniture, such as chairs, couches, dressers, etc. It may be necessary to remove the dust covers on the undersides of chairs and couches or check folds of fabric on the undersides. Pull drawers out of dressers, inspect them carefully and examine the interior of the dresser. Check under lamps on nightstands.
  • Remove and inspect objects, such as pictures, mirrors, curtains, etc., that are hung or mounted on walls.
  • Check obvious cracks and crevices along the baseboards, particularly the back framing pieces.
  • Inspect torn or loose wallpaper and decorative borders.
  • Check clothing and other item stored in areas where bed bugs have been found.
  • If you have traveled recently, even in the last few months, carefully check your luggage as well as the closet/storage area where luggage is kept.
  • Check attics, eaves and roof overhangs for signs of bat or bird activity. Remove old nesting material. If you have bats roosting in your attic, contact a pest control company or wildlife damage control company in your area for assistance.

The next step is to treat the possible daytime hiding places of bed bugs. Such applications are best done as a "crack and crevice" treatments to gaps around baseboards and other such items. Insecticidal dust formulations provide long residual in these locations. Pesticide applications to furniture, particularly mattresses, should be use sparingly and carefully (and perhaps done by a pest control professional). Use products that are labeled for application to carpeting and furniture. Many times the first application does not seem to give complete or immediate control. Additional treatments may be necessary in 1 to 2 weeks. Examples of such pesticides can be found in the NC Agricultural Chemicals Manual . Always read the label and follow directions and safety precautions.

  • Wash bed linen in hot soapy water and dry in a clothes dryer set to the highest setting that will not damage the items.
  • If you're concerned about stuffed toys concealing bed bugs, they can be put in the clothes dryer for 30-45 minutes. Do not apply pesticides to children's toys.
  • For infested mattresses and boxsprings, a possible non-chemical alternative is to have the mattress sanitized. Contact your county health department office to find out if there is a certified mattress sanitizer located in your vicinity.
  • Treated/sterilized mattresses and box springs can be encased.
  • Keep bed headboards away from the wall.
  • Don't allow bed linen and covers touch the floor providing bed bugs with additional access points to the bed.
  • Put double-side adhesive tape or a one-inch band of petroleum jelly around the legs of beds (about 2" up). These barriers will help trap bed bugs that might crawl up the bed legs from nearby areas and may indicate that you need to do further investigation of nearby areas.
  • If you decide to discard your mattress, wrap it in plastic first so you can prevent bed bugs from crawling onto you while you carry it. Take the mattress and boxspring to a landfill or make sure that they are picked up quickly by your trash collection service. Mattress sets that are left next to dumpsters or out on lawns to be picked up may actually be picked up by someone else who then inherits your problem. In situations where the mattresses can't be removed from the property quickly, cut them open to discourage other people from using them.


Information and the bed bug image used in this publication were taken from Insects and Related Pests of Man and Animals
(AG-369, North Carolina State University).

Pest information and control recommendations presented here were developed for North Carolina and may not be appropriate for other states or regions. Any recommendations for the use of chemicals are included solely as a convenience to the reader and do not imply that insecticides are necessarily the sole or most appropriate method of control. Any mention of brand names or listing of commercial products or services in the publication does not imply endorsements by North Carolina Cooperative Extension nor discrimination against similar products or services. All recommendations for pesticide use were legal at the time of publication, but the status of pesticide registrations and use patterns are subject to change by actions of state and federal regulatory agencies. Individuals who use chemicals are responsible for using these products according to the regulations in their state and to the guidelines on the product label. Before applying any chemical, always obtain current information about its use and read the product label carefully. For assistance, contact the Cooperative Extension Center in your county.

Distributed in furtherance of the acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914. North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation. North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments cooperating.


Last updated - January 2006
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