Cynthia C. Gilmour Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Edgewater, MD 21032 Robert P. Mason
Resurgence the Resurgence BedBugs of Bed Bugs, their Basic Biology and Control Suggestions Harold J....
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Transcript of Resurgence the Resurgence BedBugs of Bed Bugs, their Basic Biology and Control Suggestions Harold J....
the ResurgenceResurgence
of BedBed BugsBugs, 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 ResurgenceSnetsinger: “. 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
BiologyFeed 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)
FumigationFumigation1. “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 ?