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With the widespread use of [[DDT]] in the 1940s and [[1950s|'50s]], bedbugs mostly disappeared from the developed world in the mid-twentieth century,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/28/real_estate/buying_selling/bedbugs_redux/index.htm }}</ref> though infestations remained common in many other parts of the world<ref name=Boase2001/>. Rebounding populations present a challenge because of developed resistance to various pesticides including DDT, and organophosphates.<ref>http://pct.texterity.com/pct/200707/?pg=50</ref><ref>Steelman, C.D., A.L. Szalanski, R. Trout, J.A. McKern, C. Solorzano, and J.W. Austin. 2008. Susceptibility of the bed bug ''Cimex lectularius'' L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) to selected insecticides. Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology 25:(1) (in press)</ref> DDT was seen to make bedbugs more active in studies done in Africa.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1677073.stm | work=BBC News | title=DDT and Africa's war on malaria | date=2001-11-26 | accessdate=2010-04-26}}</ref>
With the widespread use of [[DDT]] in the 1940s and [[1950s|'50s]], bedbugs mostly disappeared from the developed world in the mid-twentieth century,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://money.cnn.com/2005/11/28/real_estate/buying_selling/bedbugs_redux/index.htm }}</ref> though infestations remained common in many other parts of the world<ref name=Boase2001/>. Rebounding populations present a challenge because of developed resistance to various pesticides including DDT, and organophosphates.<ref>http://pct.texterity.com/pct/200707/?pg=50</ref><ref>Steelman, C.D., A.L. Szalanski, R. Trout, J.A. McKern, C. Solorzano, and J.W. Austin. 2008. Susceptibility of the bed bug ''Cimex lectularius'' L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae) to selected insecticides. Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology 25:(1) (in press)</ref> DDT was seen to make bedbugs more active in studies done in Africa.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1677073.stm | work=BBC News | title=DDT and Africa's war on malaria | date=2001-11-26 | accessdate=2010-04-26}}</ref>


When selecting a spray at a hardware store, read the directions and ensure that bed bugs are listed as a targeted pest. Effective sprays usually contain pyrethrins. If not, the product will probably not be effective; what works on fleas, ticks and other bugs will usually not kill bed bugs. Apply the spray carefully into crevices where the bugs live. If health concerns are an issue during treatment, sleep in other rooms while bedrooms are being treated. Leave windows open (if possible) to allow fumes to waft out.
Effective sprays usually contain pyrethrins. If not, the product will probably not be effective; what works on fleas, ticks and other bugs will usually not kill bed bugs.


Flea bombs, though effective agains fleas, have almost no effect on bed bugs since not enough of the airborn pesticide will reach into the crevices where bedbugs live.
Flea bombs, though effective agains fleas, have almost no effect on bed bugs since not enough of the airborn pesticide will reach into the crevices where bedbugs live.

Revision as of 07:26, 25 June 2010

Bedbug
Cimex lectularius
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hemiptera
Suborder:
Heteroptera
Infraorder:
Cimicomorpha
Superfamily:
Cimicoidea
Family:
Cimicidae

Latreille, 1802
Subfamilies, Genera & Species

Subfamily Afrociminae

Subfamily Cimicinae

Subfamily Cacodminae

Subfamily Haematosiphoninae

Subfamily Latrocimicinae

Subfamily Primicimicinae

Bedbugs (or bed bugs) are small, elusive, parasitic insects of the family Cimicidae. They live by feeding exclusively on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded animals.[1][2] The name 'bed bug' is derived from the insect's preferred habitat infesting houses and especially beds or other common areas where people may sleep. Bedbugs, though not strictly nocturnal, are mainly active at night and are capable of feeding unnoticed on their hosts.

Bedbugs have been known by a variety of names including wall louse, mahogany flat, crimson rambler, heavy dragoon, and redcoat.[3]

Largely eradicated as pests in the developed world in the early 1940s, bedbugs have been resurgent since about 1995.[4]

Biology

There are 6 recognized subfamilies of Cimicidae and up to 23 genera, while the number of species has been given as anywhere from 75 to 108.[citation needed] The common bedbug (Cimex lectularius) is the species best adapted to human environments. It is found in temperate climates throughout the world. Other species include Cimex hemipterus, found in tropical regions, which also infests poultry and bats, and Leptocimex boueti, found in the tropics of West Africa and South America, which infests bats and humans. Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily infest bats, while Haematosiphon inodora, a species of North America, primarily infests poultry.[5]

Adult bedbugs are reddish-brown, flattened, oval, and wingless. Bedbugs have microscopic hairs that give them a banded appearance. Adults grow to 4–5 mm in length and 1.5–3 mm wide. Newly hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in color and become browner as they moult and reach maturity.

Bedbugs use pheromones and kairomones to communicate regarding nesting locations, attacks, and reproduction.

The life span of bedbugs varies by species and is also dependent on feeding.

Feeding habits

Cimex lectularius, showing the insect’s skin-piercing mouthparts

Bedbugs are obligatory hematophagous (bloodsucking) insects. Most species only feed on humans when other prey are unavailable.[6][7][8] They are normally out at night just before dawn, with a peak feeding period of about an hour before sunrise,[citation needed] but have been observed feeding during the day.[citation needed] Bedbugs are attracted to their hosts primarily by carbon dioxide, secondarily by warmth, and also by certain chemicals.[9] They reach a detected host by crawling, or sometimes dropping from a height.[citation needed]

A bedbug pierces the skin of its host with two hollow feeding tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics, while with the other it withdraws the blood of its host. After feeding for about five minutes, the bug returns to its hiding place. The bites cannot usually be felt until some hours or even days later, as a dermatological reaction to the injected agents. The first indication of a bite usually comes from the desire to scratch the bite site. Because of their natural aversion for sunlight, bedbugs come out at night.[2]

Although bedbugs can live for a year without feeding,[10] they normally try to feed every five to ten days. When it's cold, bedbugs can live for about a year; at temperatures more conducive to activity and feeding, about 5 months.[11]

At the 57th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America in 2009, it was reported that newer generations of pesticide-resistant bedbugs in Virginia could survive only two months without feeding.[12]

Predators

Natural enemies of bedbugs include the masked hunter (AKA "masked bedbug hunter"),[13] cockroaches,[14] ants, spiders, mites, and centipedes. The Pharaoh ant's (Monomorium pharaonis) venom is lethal to bedbugs. Rodents eat bedbugs, but bats do not, due to their distaste for the bedbug alarm pheromone, which is released when they are attacked. Biological control is not very practical for eliminating bedbugs from human dwellings.[15]

Reproduction

A bedbug (Cimex lectularius) traumatically inseminates another.

All bedbugs mate via traumatic insemination.[1][16] Instead of inserting their genitalia into the female's reproductive tract as is typical in copulation, males instead pierce females with hypodermic genitalia and ejaculate into the body cavity.

The "bedbug alarm pheromone" consists of (E)-2-octenal and (E)-2-hexenal. It is released when a bedbug is disturbed, for example, during an attack by a predator. A 2009 study demonstrated that the alarm pheromone is also released by male bedbugs to repel other males who attempt to mate with them.[17]

C. lectularius and C. hemipterus will mate with each other given the opportunity, but the eggs then produced are usually sterile. In a 1988 study, 1 egg out of 479 was fertile and resulted in a hybrid, C. hemipterus x lectularius.[18][19]

Life stages

Slide of Cimex lectularius
Bedbug (4 mm length 2.5 mm width), shown in a film roll plastic container. On the right is the recently sloughed skin from its nymph stage

Bedbugs will shed their skins through a molting process (ecdysis) throughout multiple stages of their lives. The discarded outer-shells look as clear, empty exoskeletons of the bugs themselves. Bedbugs must molt six times before becoming fertile adults.[citation needed]

Bites

Depending on individual sensitivity, bites can cause a raised red bump or flat welt, sometimes accompanied by very intense itching caused by an allergic reaction to the anesthetic in the bedbug's saliva.[citation needed] Reactions to bedbug bites may look like mosquito bites, though they tend to last longer.[citation needed] Bites may not be visible and can take up to nine days to appear.[citation needed] Bedbug bites tend not to have a red dot in the center as is characteristic of flea bites.[citation needed] As with flea bites[citation needed], bedbug bites are sometimes sequential, often in rows of three.[citation needed]

Individual responses vary greatly. In about 50% of cases,[citation needed] there is no visible sign of bites, greatly increasing the difficulty of identifying and eradicating infestations. This means that itchy welts cannot be used as the only indicator, and that initial infestation can be asymptomatic and go undetected.[citation needed]

Serious bed bug infestations and chronic attacks can cause anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Development of refractory delusional parasitosis is possible, as victims develop an overwhelming obsession with bedbugs.[20] Individuals may also develop skin infections and scars from scratching the bedbug bite locations.[citation needed]

Cimicosis (also known as "Bedbug bites") is a cutaneous condition caused by an infestation of bedbugs.[21]: 446 

A bedbug nymph feeding on host

Patients given systemic corticosteroids and antihistamines for the itching associated with bites will still have visible signs of bites. Topical corticosteroids, such as hydrocortisone, can reduce lesions and decrease itching.[22]

The application of hot water may relieve symptoms.[23] The water temperature should be about 50 °C (120 °F), or this procedure may aggravate the symptoms. Disagreement exists as to why heat causes symptoms to abate. Heat might overwhelms the nerve endings that signal itch; it might neutralize the chemical causing inflammation, or it might trigger a large release of histamine, causing a temporary histamine deficit in the area. Another theory is that the heat denatures the proteins in the bedbug saliva, changing their composition enough so that they no longer trigger the body's defensive mechanisms.[citation needed]

Disease transmission

Bed bugs would seem to have all the prerequisites for passing diseases from one host to another, and at least twenty-seven known pathogens (some estimates are as high as forty-one) are capable of living inside a bed bug or on its mouthparts, yet there are no known cases of such transmission. Extensive laboratory testing indicates that bed bugs are unlikely to pass disease from one person to another.[24][25]

Other effects on health

The salivary fluid injected by bed bugs can cause skin to become irritated and inflamed, although individuals can differ in their sensitivity. A few cases of bullous eruptions have been reported[26][27] Anaphylactoid reactions from the injection of serum and other nonspecific proteins are observed and the saliva of the bedbugs may cause anaphylactic shock, though rarely.[28] In rare cases of intense and neglected infestation, sustained feeding by bedbugs may lead to anemia.[29] Secondary bacterial infection (i.e., infections from scratching itchy skin too much) are possible.[citation needed] Systemic poisoning may occur if the bites are numerous.[30]

History

An 1860 engraving of parts of a bedbug. A. Intestines.—B. Antenna of the Male.—C Eye.—D. Haustellum, or Sucker, closed.—E. Side view of Sucker.—F. Under Part of Head.—G. Under Lip.—GG. Hair of the Tube, and outside Cases.—H. Egg-Bag.—I. Worm emerging from the Eggs

Middle East

C. lectularius may have originated in the Middle East, in caves inhabited by bats and humans.[7]

Europe

Prior to the mid-twentieth century, bedbugs were very common. According to a report by the UK Ministry of Health, in 1933 there were many areas where all the houses had some degree of bedbug infestation.[31]

Bedbugs were mentioned in ancient Greece as early as 400 BCE (later mentioned by Aristotle). Pliny's Natural History, first published c. 77 CE in Rome, claimed that bedbugs had medicinal value in treating ailments such as snake bites and ear infections. (Belief in the medicinal use of bedbugs persisted until at least the 18th century, when Guettard recommended their use in the treatment of hysteria.[32]) Bedbugs were first mentioned in Germany in the 11th century, in France in the 13th century, and in England in 1583,[7] though they remained rare in England until 1670. It was believed by some in the 18th century that bedbugs had been brought to London with supplies of wood to rebuild the city after the Great Fire of London (1666). Scopoli noted their presence in Carniola (present day Slovenia and Italy) in the 18th century.[33][34]

Eighteenth and 19th century Europeans believed bedbugs to feed on the sap of certain trees (especially fir), paste (which may have included tree sap), other insects, and Acari.[35][36]

Americas

Bedbugs were known at least as early as 1726 in Jamaica.[37]

Bedbugs were originally brought to the United States by early colonists from Europe. Bedbugs were believed to be altogether eradicated 50 years ago in the United States and elsewhere with the widespread use of DDT.

Global resurgence

Bedbug cases have been on the rise across the world since the mid-1990s. Figures from one London borough show reported bedbug infestations doubling each year from 1995 to 2001. There is also evidence of a previous cycle of bedbug infestations in the U.K. in the mid-1980s.[38] The U.S. National Pest Management Association reported a 71% increase in bedbug calls between 2000 and 2005.[39] The Steritech Group, a pest-management company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, claimed that 25% of the 700 hotels they surveyed between 2002 and 2006 needed bedbug treatment. The resurgence led the United States Environmental Protection Agency to hold a National Bed Bug Summit in 2009.[40][dead link]

The rise in infestations has been hard to track because bedbugs are not an easily identifiable problem. Most of the reports are collected from pest-control companies, local authorities, and hotel chains.[31] Therefore, the problem may be more severe than is currently believed.[22]

The cause of this resurgence is still uncertain, but it is thought to be related to increased international travel,[41][42], the use of new pest-control methods that do not affect bedbugs,[43] and increasing pesticide resistance.[44]

One recent theory about bedbug reappearance involves potential geographic epicentres. Investigators have found three apparent United States epicentres at poultry facilities in Arkansas, Texas, and Delaware. It was determined that workers in these facilities were the main spreaders of these bedbugs, unknowingly carrying them to their places of residence and elsewhere after leaving work.[45]

Blood-fed Cimex lectularius (Note the differences in color with respect to digestion of blood meal)

Bedbug pesticide-resistance appears to be increasing dramatically. Bedbug populations sampled across the U.S. showed several thousands of times greater resistant to pyrethroids than laboratory bedbugs.[39] New York City bed bugs have been found to be 264 times more resistant to deltamethrin than Florida bedbugs due to nerve cell mutations.[46] Another problem with current insecticide use is that the broad-spectrum insecticide sprays for cockroaches and ants that are no longer used had a collateral impact on bedbug infestations. Recently, a switch has been made to bait insecticides that have proven effective against cockroaches but have allowed bedbugs to escape the indirect treatment.[31]

In 2003, Burl and Desiree Mathias, a brother and sister staying at a Motel 6 in Chicago were awarded $372,000 in punitive damages and $10,000 in actual damages after being bitten by bedbugs during their stay.[47][48][49] These are only a few of the reported cases since the turn of the 21st century.[50]

Once thought of as mainly afflicting the poor[citation needed], bedbug infestations have also affected the rich. Many of Manhattan's Upper East Side home owners have been afflicted, but they tend to be silent publicly in order not to ruin their property values and be seen as suffering a blight typically associated with the lower classes.[51]

Traditional control methods

Plants traditionally used as bedbug repellents include black cohosh (Actaea racemosa), Pseudarthna hookeri, and Laggera alata (Chinese yángmáo cǎo | 羊毛草), though information about their effectiveness is lacking.[15] Eucalyptus saligna oil was reported by some Zairean researchers to kill bedbugs, among other insects.[52][53]

In the 18th century, turpentine was used in combination with henna (Lawsonia inermis, aka camphire) flowers and alcohol, as an insecticide that also reputedly killed bedbug eggs.[54]

Other items that were believed to kill bedbugs in the early 19th century include "infused oil of Melolontha vulgaris" (presumably a kind of cockchafer), fly agaric (Amanita muscaria), Actaea spp. (e.g. black cohosh), tobacco, "heated oil of Terebinthina" (i.e. turpentine), wild mint (Mentha arvensis), narrow-leaved pepperwort (Lepidium ruderale), Myrica spp. (e.g. bayberry), Robert Geranium (Geranium robertianum), bugbane (Cimicifuga spp.), "herb and seeds of Cannabis", "Opulus" berries (possibly a kind of maple, or European cranberrybush), masked hunter bugs (Reduvius personatus), "and many others."[55] In the mid-19th century, smoke from peat fires was recommended.[56]

The use of black pepper is attested in George Orwell's 1933 non-fiction book Down and Out in Paris and London.

Dusts have been used to ward off insects from grain storage for centuries, including "plant ash, lime, dolomite, certain types of soil, and diatomaceous earth (DE) or Kieselguhr"[57] Of these, Diatomaceous earth in particular has seen a revival as a non-toxic residual pesticide for bedbug abatement. When it attaches to a bedbug, it abrades the waxy cuticle that covers its exosekeleton, causing it to die of dehydration[citation needed]. Insects exposed to diatomaceous earth may, however, take several days to die.[57]

Basket-work panels were put around beds and shaken out in the morning, in the UK and in France in the 19th century. Scattering leaves of plants with microscopic hooked hairs around a bed at night, then sweeping them up in the morning and burning them, was a technique reportedly used in Southern Rhodesia and in the Balkans.[11]

Infestations

File:DSCF0005.JPG
Bedbug (shown on writing paper)

There are several ways in which dwellings can become infested with bedbugs and their eggs.

  • bugs and eggs can hitchhike in, on clothing and luggage;
  • infested items (e.g., furniture, clothes) might be brought home;
  • bugs might move from a nearby dwelling or infested item, if there are easy routes
  • wild animals and pets can bring them in[58]
  • infestations can restart from any viable eggs that remain, even if all live bugs have been killed.

Infestations can range from a few bugs up to (in rare cases) tens of thousands. With smaller infestations, sometimes people are not aware of the insects and do not notice the bites.

Bedbugs can infest nursing homes, furniture rental stores, hospitals, jails, homeless shelters, movie theaters, cruise ships, public housing, moving vehicles, and public transportation.

Nesting locations

An engorged female bedbug (Cimex lectularius) with eggs, discovered in the screw hole of a wooden bed frame

Bedbugs travel easily and quickly along pipes and boards, and their bodies are very flat, which allows them to hide in tiny crevices. In the daytime, they tend to remain hidden. Bedbugs can be found on their own but often congregate once established. They usually remain close to hosts.

Exact nesting locations can vary greatly. Bedbugs are easier to find once an infestation has become concentrated. It is very common for bedbugs to nest in or near beds or couches. Bedbugs will also infest and nest in clutter that is often scattered around a sleeping area.

Complete disassembly and subsequent treatment of entire bed frames may be necessary to reveal all nesting spots.

Although bedbugs show a clear preference for hiding amongst certain materials such as wood or fabric, the nesting sites of a bedbug's choosing can literally be in any location that might allow them to remain nearest to their host and meal supply undetected.

Bedbugs may also take refuge in unsuspected areas such as cars, luggage, moving vans, RVs, etc. Bedbugs may also nest near other intruding animals that might be living within the house structure (such as near the roosting sites of bats, rodents, or birds, etc.).

Detection

Bedbugs are elusive and usually nocturnal, which can make individual bugs difficult to detect. Bedbugs often lodge unnoticed in dark crevices, and eggs can be nestled in fabric seams.

Signs of bedbugs often appear before bugs are seen. These include fecal spots, crushed bedbugs and/or blood smears on sheets, moults, itchy welts from their bites (in those that react), etc. Patterns of bites in a row (marking the paths of blood vessels near the surface of the skin) or in a cluster (on skin areas left exposed during sleep) are typical of bites, as the insects may be disturbed while feeding.[citation needed]

Defecations will smear if rubbed with a wetted finger or bleed if moistened.[citation needed] Defecations might be seen anywhere between a feeding site and a nesting location. White bed-clothes and upholstery make it easier to spot bedbugs and their defecations.

Frequent (even daily) checking for bedbug signs is recommended up to several months after an infestation has treated.[citation needed] Using a flashlight to search for signs of bedbugs or for the bugs themselves can help in detection. LED night vision lights are specially useful.[citation needed]

Canine detection teams can pinpoint infestations. Bed bug detection dogs are trained to find the bed bugs through smell, often in a matter of minutes, where a (human) pest control practitioner might take an hour, and with an accuracy rate of 90%.[15] In the United States, about 100 dogs are used to find bed bugs as of mid-2009.[59]

Control and elimination

Pesticides

With the widespread use of DDT in the 1940s and '50s, bedbugs mostly disappeared from the developed world in the mid-twentieth century,[60] though infestations remained common in many other parts of the world[11]. Rebounding populations present a challenge because of developed resistance to various pesticides including DDT, and organophosphates.[61][62] DDT was seen to make bedbugs more active in studies done in Africa.[63]

Effective sprays usually contain pyrethrins. If not, the product will probably not be effective; what works on fleas, ticks and other bugs will usually not kill bed bugs.

Flea bombs, though effective agains fleas, have almost no effect on bed bugs since not enough of the airborn pesticide will reach into the crevices where bedbugs live.

Controlled atmospheres

Experiments with high concentrations of carbon dioxide have succeeded in killing bedbugs within 24 hours.[64][dead link] Higher concentrations kill faster.[65] Exposure to nearly-pure nitrogen atmospheres appears to have relatively little effect even after 72 hours.[65]

Mattress Sanitization

A suspect mattress is sometimes protected by wrapping it in a disposable plastic sheeting, sealing all the seams and putting it on a bed. Encasing mattress and box springs in impermeable bed-bug bite-proof encasements after a treatment for an infestation is an alternative treatment which works better and is more comfortable whereas wrapping bedding in plastic causes sweating.

Once a bed is disinfected and isolated, care should be taken to avoid reinfesting the bed by not sleeping or resting on the bed in clothing that has been potentially contaminated. Preventing the bed from touching the walls, as well as preventing bedding from draping the floor, or not allowing objects to lean against the bed frame will help to stop bedbugs from being reintroduced onto the bed.

Direct spraying of rubbing alcohol kills affected bedbugs and eggs.[citation needed]

Physical Removal

Frequent vacuum cleaning can aid by physically removing some bugs from the areas in and around furnitue, but other means must be employed as well.

To drive bed bugs out of crevices, a hair blow dryer can be used to blow hot air into the cracks of wood and furniture. Have a vacuum cleaner running to immediately suck up the emerging bugs.

Heat

Bedbugs show strong resistance to dessication, surviving low humidity and a 35–40°C range even with loss of one-third of body weight; earlier life stages are more susceptible to drying out than later ones.[66] The thermal death point for the common bedbug (C. lectularius) is high: 45 °C (113 °F), and all stages of life are killed by 7 minutes of exposure to 46 °C (115 °F).[15] However, in heating buildings, to ensure that no bedbugs survive in cooler locations, the US Department of Defense recommends using a temperature of at least 49 °C (120 °F), at 20-30% relative humidity, for at least 20 minutes.[64][dead link]

The use of a fabric steamer on the infestations will kill the eggs and the bugs instantly.[citation needed] Since steam will penetrate the pores of a mattress, it can reach deep into the corners of beds.[citation needed] Individual items can be treated with heat. Oven-like devices have been designed specifically for this purpose and are available on the market.[citation needed] Clothing can be sanitized by a 120 °F (49 °C) laundry dryer.

Enclosing a mattress in a black plastic bag and placing it in the sun on a hot day is not considered effective, because temperatures won't necessarily be high enough everywhere.[67][dead link]

Cold

Moderate low temperatures can extend bedbug life; very low temperatures can be lethal. Below 16.1 °C (61 °F), adults enter semi-hibernation and can survive longer.[68] Bedbugs can survive for at least five days at −10 °C (14 °F) but will die after 15 minutes of exposure to −32 °C (−25.6 °F)[15] Storing infested items below −19 °C (0 °F) for at least four days will kill them.[citation needed] Carbon dioxide deployed in the form of "snow" may kill bedbugs by rapid freezing.[64][dead link]

Barrier strategy

An example of duct tape curled over lengthwise to create a sticky barrier
Improvised duct tape barrier (over protective masking tape) around the leg of a bed

It is possible to create a temporary barrier around furniture that will help prevent bedbugs from crawling onto it. A successful barrier assumes the entire piece of furniture has been disinfected of all bedbugs beforehand. Nevertheless although bedbugs cannot fly, they have been observed falling from ceilings.

Bedbugs cannot cross petroleum jelly and have difficulty climbing metal or glass, hence furniture legs can be put in a tin can, the bottom of which is thickly coated with petroleum jelly. Furniture can also be isolated by applying a layer of duct tape that has been curled lengthwise over on itself with the sticky side out. This creates a sticky barrier that will prevent bedbugs from crawling up. Double-sided duct tape can also be used.

Vermin and pets may complicate a barrier strategy.

Traps

Traps have been devised using a combination of heat, carbon dioxide and kairomones to attract bedbugs into a container from which they cannot escape.[9]

Glue traps placed in strategic areas around the home, sometimes used in conjunction with heating pads or balloons filled with exhaled breath offering a carbon dioxide source, may be used to trap and thus detect bedbugs.[citation needed] There are also commercial traps like 'flea' traps whose effectiveness is questionable except perhaps as a means of detection.[citation needed] Perhaps the easiest trapping method is to place double-sided carpet tape in long strips near or around the bed and check the strips after a day or more.[citation needed] However, bedbugs can simply walk across the sticky surface of tape, which, while slowing them down, will not stop them from crossing.[citation needed]

Some traps placed around furniture legs use a combination of petroleum jelly and slippery surfaces to catch bedbugs.[citation needed]

Suddenly turning on a light or torch may startle bugs and ease their catching.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Reinhardt, Klaus; Siva-Jothy, Michael T. (2007). "Biology of the Bed Bugs (Cimicidae)" (PDF). Annual Review of Entomology. 52: 351–374. doi:10.1146/annurev.ento.52.040306.133913. Retrieved 26 May 2010. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b "What Are Bed Bugs? How To Kill Bed Bugs". Medical News Today. MediLexicon International Ltd. 20 Jul 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  3. ^ Capinera, John L. (17 Sep 2008). Encyclopedia of Entomology, Volume 1 (2nd ed.). Springer. pp. 405–417. ISBN 1402062427. (Article: "Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae: Cimex spp.", Dini Miller, Virginia Tech University, VA
  4. ^ Kilpenen, O.; Vagn Jensen, K-M.; Kristensen, M. "Bed Bug Problems in Denmark, with a European Perspective" (PDF): 395–399. Retrieved 27 May 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) In Robinson, WH; Bajomi, D. (eds) (2008). Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Urban Pests. Hungary: OOK-Press Kft. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)
  5. ^ Cranshaw, W.S.; Camper, M.; Peairs, F.B. (2009). "Bat Bugs and Bed Bugs". Colorado State University Extension. Retrieved 27 May 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  6. ^ Storey, Malcom. "CIMICIDAE (bed bugs)". BioImages: The Virtual Field-Guide (UK). bioimages.org.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  7. ^ a b c Mullen, Gary R.; Durden (8 May 2009). Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Second Edition. Academic Press. p. 80. ISBN 0123725003. {{cite book}}: More than one of |last1= and |last= specified (help)
  8. ^ "Family CIMICIDAE". Australian Biological Resources Study: Australian Faunal Directory. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (Australia). 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  9. ^ a b Anderson, J.F.; Ferrandino, F.J.; McKnight, S.; Nolen, J.; Miller, J. (2009), "A carbon dioxide, heat and chemical lure trap for the bedbug, Cimex lectularius" (PDF), Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 23 (2): 99–105, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00790.x, retrieved 2010-05-27
  10. ^ Loye, Jenella E. (1985). "The life history and ecology of the cliff swallow bug, [[Oeciacus vicarius]] (Hemiptera : Cimicidae)" (PDF). Ent med. et Parasitol. 32 (2). Cah. OSTROM: 133–139. ISSN 0029-7224. Retrieved 26 May 2010. {{cite journal}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help) N.B. This paper reports an abandoned swallow colony with Oeciacus vicarius surviving three consecutive years. However, that does not preclude the availability of other species (e.g., bats, other mammals, other birds) to fall back on for occasional feeding.
  11. ^ a b c Boase, C. (2001), "Bedbugs - back from the brink", Pesticide Outlook, 12 (4): 159–162, doi:10.1039/b106301b, retrieved 2010-05-27
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Further reading

  • David Cain, Richard Strand. Bed Bug Beware: An easy to understand guide to bed bugs, their prevention and control. Loughborough, United Kingdom: Foxhill Publishing, March 2009. ISBN 978-0-9562617-0-0
  • Larry Pinto, Richard Cooper, Sandy Kraft. Bed Bug Handbook: The Complete Guide to Bed Bugs and Their Control. Mechanicsville, Maryland: Pinto & Associates, December 2007. ISBN 978-0-9788878-1-0
  • Forsyth, Adrian. A Natural History of Sex: The Ecology and Evolution of Mating Behavior. Richmond Hill, Ontario: Firefly Books, 2001. ISBN 1-55209-481-2.
  • MacQuitty, Miranda, and Lawrence Mound. Megabugs: The Natural History Museum Book of Insects. New York: Random House Children's Books, 1995. ISBN 1-898304-37-8, ISBN 1-85868-045-X.
  • Goddard, Jerome A. The Physician’s Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance (second edition).
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cimicidae.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Bug (insect)".

Generic information

Health and control aspects

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