BED BUGS

IN THE
WOODWORK

By

Dr. George Felfoldi, D.D., Ph.D.

2012, Dr. George Felfoldi

 BED BUGS
IN THE
WOODWORK
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Copyright ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

NO PART of this book may be reproduced or

Transmitted in any form or by any means,
Electronically or mechanically, including
Photocopy, recording or any information
Storage or retrieval system known or
To be invented, without permission in
Writing from the author or from the
Publisher.

ALL OTHER copyrights belong

To their respected
Owners.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Sub Title Page
Copyright Information
Dedication
Special Thanks
About The Author
More Books By The Author

Chapter One

What Are Bed Bugs?

The Origins Of Bed Bugs
Tracing The Bed Bugs
The Business Of Bed Bugs
Eternal Vigilance: The Price Of Freedom
From Bedbugs
Why Baby Bedbugs Turn Red
Sucking Up The Suckers
Making The Bed Bug Problem Worse

Chapter Two

Brief History And Life Cycle

Bed Bugs Are Blood-Feeding Insects
In The Past Five Years
Bed Bugs Can Not Fly
Each Bed Bug Feeds About Once Week
Bed Bugs Are 5-7 MM In Length
Chapter Three

How To Move And Leave The Blood-Suckers Behind

Free Bed Bug Travel Tips
In A Prominent Ontario Resort Dog Sniffs Out Bed
Bugs

Chapter Four

Other Bed Bug History Information

Effective Control Of Bed Bugs
Introduction
Why Have Bed Bugs Returned
Why Are Bed Bugs A Problem?
Identifying Bed Bugs
Lifecycle
Eggs
Nymphs
Adults

Chapter Five

What You Can Do Around Your Home

Controlling Bed Bug Breeding Bites
Chemical Control Methods
Note:
Remember
Before Purchasing A Pesticide Product
When Using A Pesticide
After Handling A Pesticide
 In Case Of Accidental Poisoning
When Disposing Of Pesticides
Use Common Sense

Chapter Six

Bed Bug Biology

Causal Agent:
Life Cycle

Chapter Seven

What Can Bed Bugs Do?

How Can I Manage Them?
Bed Treatment Information
Treatment Of Other Items Information
More Products Information

Chapter Eight

Can I Get Sick From Bed Bugs?

What Do Bed Bug Bites Look Like?
Four Types Of Rashes
How Do I Treat Bed Bug Bites?
Note:

Chapter Nine
Bed Bug Checklist
Note:
Your Bed Bug Checklist
Now To Naturally Get Rid Of Bed Bugs
Instructions Made Easy
Things You Will Need
Note:
Myths About Bed Bugs

Chapter Ten

Bed Bug - Cimex Lectularius

Scientific Classification
Description
Physical
Feeding Habits
Reproduction
Life Stages
Infestation
Cause
Detection
Management
Predators
Epidemiology
History
Society And Culture
Naming
 DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book to my

family and friends.
 SPECIAL THANKS
I would like to thank all the people, my family, friends,
Companies, and Organization, and Governments that
made this book possible. Also all the people
that I failed to mention in
this listing.
__________________________________________________

The Toronto Public Library System

Toronto Public Health - City Of Toronto
Health Canada
Erno Felfoldi
The Wikipedia Foundation
Bed Bugs Info
Medicine Net
Bad Bed Bugs
N. Park
Dr. Paul Fung, M.D.
Andre Skipton ( The Orkin Man )
Ken Alister ( Property Manager)
The Massachusetts Health Officers Association
The Center For Disease Control (U.S.A.)
Margaret MacPhee
Canada Bedbugs
Pest Control Canada
Bruce Watson
Michigan Government
 NJToday
Inspector Koby
Michael Goldman
Province Of British Columbia
University Of Minnesota
Night Bugs
Government Of New Brunswick
Alpha Ecological
Dr. Melissa Conrad Stoppler, MD
Dr. William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR
Leap Frog Pest Control Ltd.
Leons Furniture Ltd.
Sears Canada
Mark Orwell
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DR. GEORGE FELFOLDI,

Is an Independent Baptist Minister,
A musician and song writer, and an
Author, who is a native to Toronto, Ontario,
Canada. George holds several doctors degrees
In various fields of study and has written several
Books on different subjects such as Occult,
Health, Vision Care, Religion, Animals, Herbals,
Ships, and also Poetry and Lyrics.
George is married and has four
grown children.
 MORE BOOKS BY
THE AUTHOR
HERE IS A LIST of other
Books of interest by the
Same Author.

________________________________________________

Year 2006

The Powers Of Garlic

The Complete Book On Angles

Year 2007

The Book Of Spells: White Magic Vs Black Magic

Experimenting With The G-Spot
Sex Magic
The Complete Book On Herbal Magick
The Magic Of Having Great Sex
Changing The Way We Look At Wolves
Cooking With Eggs Cookbook

Year 2008

The State Of Man (In Relationship To The Bible)

The Healing Powers Of Tomatoes
The Schooner, The Bluenose II
The Healing Powers Of Mushrooms
A Modern Look At ParaPsychology: Exploring Psychic
Reality And Psychical Research

Year 2009

The Science Of Mind Transformation

A New Look At Scheuermanns Disease
Loch Ness Mystery
In Search Of, Mysterious Primates (Facts, Evidence,
Sightings)
The Healing Powers Of Pineapples
The Healing Powers Of Limes
The Scottish-Hungarian Cookbook
Cooking With Friends Cookbook
Spirit Orbs Photography
The Secret Of Healthy Living
The Healing Powers Of Mr. Garlic
The Complete Book On Herbal Magick
Spellcasting White & Black Magick
The Healing Powers Of Kiwi Fruit
A World Of Food Cookbook
A Psychic Connection To 2012
Paranormal Phenomenon Levitation
Aliens Are Among Us

Year 2010

The Devil And His Demons, Activities, Facts &

Evidence
Year 2012

Bed Bugs In The Woodwork

CHAPTER ONE

1
 WHAT ARE BED BUGS?
Here in Canada bed bugs are making a comeback. People
are traveling more than ever before world wide, and bed
bugs are hitching rides on clothing and luggage. These tiny
insects can also be found everywhere from homeless
shelters to high class hotels to single family dwellings to
public transportation, in schools, apartments, and shopping
malls. They are moved from room to room on infected
objects. Anyone can also get an infestation of bed bugs and
this not mean (a lack of cleanliness).

Adult bed bugs are about the same size and shape as an
apple seed. These insects have an oval, broad, flat body and
a short, broad head. Bed bugs cannot easily climb metal or
highly polished surfaces and they cannot fly or jump.

Prior to feeding, these adult bed bugs are about inch

long and flat as paper. Unfed adults are approximately 6 to
10 mm long, they are brown and wingless. After they feed,
they swell slightly in size and they darken to a blood-red
colour. The nymphs are shaped like the bigger adults, but
they are yellow-white in colour.

The bed bugs eggs are white, pear-shaped and about the
size of a pinhead and is about 1 mm long or (1/25 inch),
and they are most impossible to see on some surfaces. The
female lays at lease 200 to 400 of these eggs in her
lifetime, depending on food supply and temperature at a
rate of about 2 to 4 per day. The bed bug eggs have a sticky
coating on them and they are placed in cracks and crevices,
behind woodwork and any other hiding place that they
find.

They usually hatch between 6 to 17 days.

Newly hatched nymphs feed as soon as food is available. A

bed bug goes through five different moults or (shedding its
skin) before they can reach full maturity. These adults
actually live for around 10 months, but they also can live
for a year or longer and can breed year round in a home
where the environment is good for reproduction (they like
temperatures between 21 degrees and 28 degrees C). Bed
bugs can live from several weeks up to roughly a year and
a half without feeding.
 THE ORIGINS OF
BED BUGS

Bed bugs are tiny, wingless creatures that are scientifically

labeled as Cimex Lectularis. These insects are very small
that you can hardly look at them with your bare eyes.

These creatures are organisms that come from the world of

insects. There are millions of species of insects, both large
and small, and it is a wonder how each has its own
noteworthy attribute or its own characteristics.

In the United States and Canada, statistics and pest control

authorities claim that the bed bugs ceased to exist after the
World War II in the 1940s. Before the World War, cases of
bed bugs were so rampart, but peoples cooperation and
breakthroughs in controlling these pests helped curtail bed
bug infestation post war.

Some people and experts might be asking the question, if

the bed bugs did not exist in this country during that time,
where do our modern bed bugs come from?
I found this a good and logical question. Some theories
have it that modern-day bed bugs might have come from
Asia, Africa or Europe. If these tiny insects can only crawl,
they are very tiny and with only one-year lifespan, how did
they cross borders and come into this country?

Because these tiny bugs can thrive in furniture, clothing

and on baggages, it is believed that American and Canadian
travelers during the time have contributed to the current
spread of these bugs.

Several travelers might have traveled to one country and

stayed in a hotel that was unknowingly infested with bed
bugs. These tiny insects might have figured out a way to
get inside the luggages of these unsuspecting travelers and
hitched a free ride. Thus thats how they crossed the
borders from one country to another.

When these unsuspecting travelers unpack his or her

baggage, that is the time the bed bugs might have come out
and spread out.

Also one other theory also tells us that these Bed buds were
living back in dark caves in Europe and were carried on the
back of bats and that since they were so tiny they werent
detected earlier. Because people in older times could not
see them with their bare eyes.

Today every country around the world have some type of

bed bug problem, some more serious that others.
 TRACING THE BED BUGS

( Hotel Room Infestation )

There are a number of reported cases of bed bugs in hotels,

schools, motels, cruise ships, dormitories, shelters for the
homeless, homes, movie houses, public libraries, subway
systems, busses, streetcars and in apartments are rising.
And the authorities in Canada and the United States are
somehow already alarmed and concerned over the issue.

In the United States alone, it is reported that six out of ten

apartments have these tiny insects. Because bed bugs are
not known to transfer or spread out any form of disease, the
alarm is somehow flamed down.
 THE BUSINESS OF
BED BUGS
Here below is a great article by Bruce Watson, a feature
writer of the DailyFinance.Com

Over the past summer, North America has been gripped by

bedbug fever - and not in a good way. The minuscule pests
have gotten out of control: In New York, they forced the
closure of several high-end retailers, bedeviled Bill
Clintons Harlem headquarters, and were recently
discovered in Googles offices.

While New York is officially the most bedbug-ridden city

in the country, as the emergence of pesticide-resistant
strains of the bugs have made them harder and harder to
fight. In 2002, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
declared them a public health pest and, in 2009, it held a
national summit to work on the problem.

A vast industry has sprouted up to fight infestation: from

bug-sniffing dogs (particularly Beagles) to portable fabric
steamers to undercover exterminators, the front lines of the
bedbug battle are jammed with all manner of measures,
including pricey and high-and low-tech options.
Prevention, meanwhile, is the most effective form of
bedbug treatment - and its largely an open market.
Currently, theres one proven method for preventing an
infestation: mattress encasement. Priced between $75 and
$180, a well-made cloth encasement ensures that bedbugs
inside a mattress or box spring cannot come out to bite.
And, if new bedbugs come into the home, encasement
make it much harder for them to hide.

Part of the reason for the general lack of bedbug prevention

services is that prevention for the little monsters is not
easily packaged, marketed or sold: It requires significant
lifestyle changes and a great deal of thought. Barring the
unlikely development of new pesticides or an EPA
decision to permit the use of banned chemicals, bedbugs
are here to stay, which means that fighting them will either
require a bottomless wallet or a vastly different perspective
about cleanliness and prevention.
 ETERNAL VIGILANCE: THE
PRICE OF FREEDOM
FROM BEDBUGS
Mattress enclosures are helpful for protecting against
bedbugs, but careful, constant observation is the greatest
weapon in the bedbug arsenal. The best way to save money
on the cleanup and experimentation is by watching
carefully for signs of the bloodsuckers and responding
quickly when they show up.

There are two useful early warning signs of a bedbug

problem: bite and blood spots.
Unfortunately, while itchy bug bites may draw attention to
the problem, they arent the best indicators. To begin with,
between 30% and 50% of people arent allergic to bedbug
bites, and they often remain blissfully unaware that they
even been bitten. Of the remaining 50% to 70%, most will
only show small welts that are indistinguishable from
mosquito bites. In fact, the main difference between
mosquito and bedbug bites is that the little redcoats often
leave a line of two or three bites - a formation that some
experts refer to as breakfast, lunch and dinner.

An even better indication that the critters have arrived is

brown or black spots on bedding. Bedbugs often defecate
while eating, leaving behind smears of partially digested
blood. Later, when they return to their lairs, they excrete
even more, depositing telltale collections of dark spots. If
either dark spots or the three-bite formation show up,
chances are good that bedbugs are nearby.
 WHY BABY BEDBUGS
TURN RED

Dealing with bedbugs requires integrated pest

management, a mix of techniques that attack the tiny
bloodsuckers on a variety of fronts. In addition to killing
the bugs that have already taken over an area, its important
to protect against future infestations. This involves
completely and thoroughly cleaning the infected space, as
well as making changes to reduce the chance of future
visits.

After finding bites or blood spots, the next step is to find

the culprits. Unfortunately, bedbugs are extremely hard to
detect. Fully grown specimens are about the same size as
an apple seed and have a dark brown color. Younger bugs,
or nymphs, are almost transparent, except when they are
feeding - the victims blood can be seen through their skin,
giving them a translucent red appearance.

Bedbug clusters in dark, confined spaces. According to

Mike Simpson, director of marketing for mattress enclosure
manufacturer Protect-a-Bed, a University of Kentucky
study found that 65% of bedbugs live in or around the bed.
They often hide in the seams of a mattress, around the edge
piping, or in the box spring. Susan Jones, an associate
professor of entomology at Ohio State University, notes
that they can move in behind baseboards or picture frames,
in electrical sockets or in furniture. To clear them out, its
vital to search - and vacuum - every nook and cranny of the
home.

Bedbugs also love to hide in clothing. In order to protect

against an infestation, its important to clean and - most
crucially - dry every garment that could be infected.
Clothes need to be left in the dryer for at least a half hour at
the highest possible temperature; afterwards, they should
be sealed in plastic containers until the entire living space
is cleaned, as they can be easily re-infected.
 SUCKING UP THE SUCKERS

Another problem is bedbug eggs. Even after all bedbugs

are cleared out of a home, any eggs that are left behind can
quickly mature, leading to a fast re-infestation.
Unfortunately, getting rid of eggs is complicated: they are
tiny - about the size of a speck of dust - and light colored.
Also, as Jones notes, they have a sticky coating that glues
them in place. Removing them requires a stiff-brush or
vacuum attachment and a lot of scrubbing.

Bedbugs can also live inside vacuum cleaner bags, hoses

and attachments, re-infesting a home even after they are
cleaned out. To protect against survivors, Jones suggests
vacuuming up a half cup of corn starch or talc: the
atomized powder will asphyxiate any hangers-on.
Afterwards, to insure against re-infestation, its important
to quickly and thoroughly dispose of any vacuum bags by
sealing them in a plastic bag and immediately dumping
them in trash receptacles that are located outside the home.

Jones highlights the importance of cleanliness for fighting

bedbugs, noting that, You can be the best housekeeper in
the world and get bedbugs, but if youre not a good
housekeeper, youll keep bedbugs. The filthy suckers love
to hide in piles of clothing, dirty laundry, old newspapers,
or other clutter.

Jones noted that dumpsters diving, thrift-stores, shopping,

and buying things from eBay are all potentially dangerous
invitations to an infestation. Before bringing used items
into a home, its important to make sure that they are clean.
 MAKING THE BEDBUG
PROBLEM WORSE

Some companies have used the bedbug epidemic as a way

to make a quick buck. Jones note that many natural pest
fighting alternatives have questionable value. For example,
diatomaceous earth, a popular nonpoisonous insect killer,
may days to work, while lavender-and cedar-based bug
killers are unproven.

Even worse, some companies are offering products that

will actually make bedbugs issue worse. For example,
foggers or bug bombs - common tools in the insect fighting
arsenal, can turn a small bedbug problem into a major
infestation. Jones warns that, while these insecticides may
kill a few bedbugs, they will encourage most of the bugs to
scatter to other areas. Instead of being limited to the
bedroom, the bugs will spread all over the house, making
the problem bigger - and harder to control.

With the EPA bans on most types of insecticides and

bedbugs rapidly becoming immune to the remaining
poisons, it seems likely that the evil little bloodsuckers are
here to stay. While exterminators and scientists may
develop new treatments to fight them, chances are good
that - like our ancestors - we will need to learn how to live
with the occasional bedbug, bite. In the meantime, with
vigilance and a new lifestyle changes, we can make it
much harder for bedbugs to get a (super small) toehold in
our home.

Cimex Lectularius
CHAPTER TWO

2
 BRIEF HISTORY AND
LIFE CYCLE

The bed bug is an old pest that was common in homes prior
to World War II. For the past 50 years, these creatures have
been rarely seen outside of cramped living space and less
than sanitary conditions in jails and other homeless
shelters. Not anymore. In the past five (5) years there has
been a resurgence. Bed bugs world wide has become a
particular problem in hotels, motels, hostels where there is
a higher rate of occupant turnover. Even five star hotels are
having problems with these critters.
 BED BUGS ARE
BLOOD-SUCKING INSECTS

Like I mentioned earlier bed bugs are a light tan color but
they turn dark-reddish brown once they have fed on blood.
Before feeding, the adult bed bug is about inch long and
flattened.

Once engorged with blood, it swells or get bloated in size.

Bed bugs can be easily seen with the naked eye, but its not
easy to find these insects in rooms.

The bed bug is an old pest that was common in the homes
prior to World War II. For the last 40 to 50 years, the bed
bugs have rarely been seen or noticed outside of cramped
living quarters and less than sanitary conditions in jails and
other homeless shelters. Not anymore.
 IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS

In the past five years there has been a resurgence. The bed
bugs have become a particular problem for motels, hotels,
and hostels where there is a greater rate of occupant
turnout. Even for five star hotels, the bed bug problem is
constant.
 BED BUGS CAN NOT FLY

Im very sorry to say that bed bugs can not fly, so they
either crawl or they are carried from one place to another
place.

Bed bugs or their eggs can hitchhike in a travelers suitcase

or on their clothing. Many business people who routinely
travel to and from other countries where the bed bugs are
common, even in good hotels can pick them up.

The offspring of one pregnant female bed bug that crawls

out of a suitcase can infest a hotel room as well as the
whole hotel.

The tiny critters usually feed at night and spend the day
hidden. Their flattened shape lets them squeeze into narrow
places in bed frames, headboards, in beside room furniture,
behind pictures and light switch plates, behind baseboards,
under buttons on mattresses, and in box springs, and in
other cracks and crevices.

Speckles of dried blood excrement can be found on

bedding or places where the bed bugs like to hide.
 EACH BED BUG FEEDS
ABOUT ONCE A WEEK

Bed Bug Bites (1)

Each bed bug feeds about once a week, usually for several
minutes. It most often feeds on a sleepers exposed skin.

The bite is nearly painless and is not felt by most people.

Some people have no reaction afterwards, but most
individuals develop a hard bump with a whitish center
which can itch for days. Although bed bugs suck blood like
many other human parasites, there has been no evidence
here in Canada that they spread disease.

These tiny insects can survive for several months between

blood meals if there is no person or animals for them to
feed on.

Bed Bug Bites (2)

Bed Bug Bites (3)
 BED BUGS ARE 5-5 MM
IN LENGTH
In the previous chapter, I have mentioned briefly that bed
bugs are about 5-7 mm in length with reduced wings.

The Mouth parts

The mouthparts are modified for piercing and sucking.

They live between wooden floorboards (like in the olden
days) and/or in furniture, bed frames, mattresses, or behind
peeling paint.
The bed bug sneaks out to grasp human skin with its
forelegs, piercing the skin, and injects anticoagulant - and
anesthetic - containing saliva. Bed bugs normally feed at
night while a person is sleeping and are out usually about
an hour before dawn, but if the conditions are favorable,
they also feed during the day.

Bed Bug Bite On Finger

Feeding time takes from 3 to 12 minutes depends on the

adults. Adult bed bug can survive starvation in proper
conditions for a year or little bit more. Each female lays
about 300 to 400 small eggs in her lifetime.

The eggs hatch within 10 to 14 days. The mynph stage lasts

6 weeks, undergoing five (5) molts.
CHAPTER THREE

3
 HOW TO MOVE AND LEAVE
THE BLOOD-SUCKERS
BEHIND

Many people think that moving will automatically eliminate your

bed bug problem, think again!

Unless you take the right precautions, your bed bugs are likely to
move with you, causing more trouble in your new living space.
However, if you must move to a new location or into a new home
before your bed bugs infestation has been eliminated, you can take
these measures to avoid bringing bed bugs with you.

Packing:

1). Place all belongings in a clear plastic bags and seal it tight

Sort items by type such as (clothes, towels, sheets and blankets)

and keep things that are known to be infested away from all the
clean items.

1. Wash and dry all your fabric items on the hottest recommended
setting and seal them in a clear see through plastic bags and lable
them clean.

2. Put all items that cannot be sanitized inside a sealed clear plastic
bags such as (electronics, appliances, books, etc.) and ask a
professional pest manager how these items should be treated.

3. Purchase bed bug proof mattress covers for the beds of each
member of your household. And also cover all your box springs.

4. If you decide to throw away infected furniture or mattresses,

wrap them in plastic and clearly paint or write, Bed Bugs on
them, so neighbors wont bring the items into their homes. You
may want to go even further and physically slash or destroy the
items as well.

Moving Day:

1. Have each person shower and change into clean clothing and
shoes and bag up the current, (possible infested) clothes for
laundering.

2.Give all your pets a bath to ensure that they are bed bug free
before taking them to a new location or into a new home.

3. All furniture should be sanitized. Furniture such as night tables

and bookshelves can be most effectively sanitized and treated
when they are all empty. If you are moving furniture items that may
be infested, you should first remove and pack the contents of the
furniture. The empty furniture should then be treated by a licensed
pest management professional before moving into your new
residence.

Unpacking:

1. Before the persons belongings can be accessed in the new home,

they must be bed bugs free, or the new home will likely become
infested as well.
2. Launder any items not labeled clean before using them.
3. If you acquire any new or used furniture, inspect it carefully
before bringing it into your home to make sure it is bug free.

4. Educate yourself about bed bugs and what to look for.

5. Contact your building manager immediately if you notice any

signs of bed bugs in your new dwelling. The earlier an infestation
is detected, the easier it will be to treat.
 FREE BED BUG
TRAVEL TIPS

Bed Bug Clusters (1)

NJToday.net published an great article on tips for traveling

to prevent bed bugs. With summer approaching, the prime
traveling season, the number of bed bug cases are on the
rise.

Here are some tips that will help you stay bed bug free
when youre traveling:

Tips:
1. Before you leave your house, encase your mattress with
a protective cover. This will ensure that while you are away
from home, the bed bugs will not make their way into your
mattress.

2. When you arrive, do a brief inspection of the room.

Carefully look all around the mattress, bed frames,
windows, and drawers. If you even are a little suspicious of
some activity, contact the manager right away. Youd rather
be safe than sorry.

3. Keep your clothes in your suitcase and keep it closed as

often as you can.

4. Upon arrival back to your home, make sure you watch

and wash your laundry immediately in hot water. Heat will
kill the bed bugs in any stage and it will prevent them from
getting out of your suitcase, (if by chance you pick up one
or two).

5. If you do have a bed bug case, call a professional. When

people try to do it themselves they usually end up spending
much more than they have to, and the bed bugs will likely
come back.
 IN A PROMINENT ONTARIO
RESORT DOG SNIFFS
OUT BED BUGS

This is Inspector Kody (the bed bug

Sniffing dog)

IN TOTONTO - Vaughn based Purity Pest Control Limited

was asked to bring in Inspector Kody, one of the only 3
or 4 dogs in the world that is specially trained to sniff out
bed bug problems at a well known central Ontario resort.

The pest control company who has the contract for the
resort was having a real problem locating the source of the
infestation and it was spreading to more rooms. says
Michael Goldman, owner of the Purity Pest Control
Limited. Bed bugs are very difficult not to find but to
control and sometimes we as PMPs need specialized
equipment. Our equipment happens to walk on all fours.

The treatment being performed by the pest control

company was thorough. Dusting behind wall plates, wall
voids, treating behind baseboards, pictures, cracks and
crevices spraying with a residual insecticide where ever
possible.

Spraying by a professional

Even going far as to dust behind smoke detectors on the

ceiling. Mattresses and drapes were wrapped and removed.
The rooms were stripped down to empty furniture and the
bed frames but the problem persisted. The owner of the
P.C. company finally convinced the resort management to
bring in a consultant who uses his nose to detect the bed
bugs.

A progressive and proactive move on the part of both the

P.C. company and the resort. Inspector Kody went through
100 rooms and found bed bug activity in 12 of them. Most
were in the main cluster of problem rooms but he detected
some in rooms unknown to management at that time. By
identifying the rooms with bug activity, the hotel averted
potential embarrassment and other legal action.

So other than Kody finding the hot spots, how did Kody
help solve the problem? In a number of rooms that Kody
averted to, his alerts were both in the bathroom and along
the adjoining wall between the bathroom and the bed room.
Because of Kodys incredible sense of smell, it was
determined that the bed bugs were using the pipe chases
and plumbing conduits to move from room to room. Once
this piece of the puzzle was determined, treatment in the
bathroom wall void was carried out and the problem was
controlled.

Our inspection service isnt for every situation. Pest

management professionals can control many bed bug
situations with their own training and skills but for those
cases where the PMP cant solve the problem and the client
is ready to hire another company, Inspector Kody can be of
help.
CHAPTER FOUR

4
 OTHER BED BUG HISTORY
INFORMATION

Bed bugs are on a long list of animals that has evolved

strategies to live in the shadows of human civilization - an
inventory that includes everything from the Norway rat to
head lice. They have been with us as far as we can tell,
since Australopithecus took their first steps on two legs
more than four million years ago. And, as with modern
insects, bed bugs likely appeared in more or less their
present from about 60 to 50 million years before that.

Bed bugs lack wings and the ability to fly and these insects
are often confused with ticks because of their round, flat
appearance. However, ticks have eight (8) legs and are
arachnids, a close relative of the spider. Bed bugs on the
other hand have six (6) legs and they are insects.

Bed bugs remains were found among Egyptian artifacts

that was dated back to more than 3,500 years. The ancient
Greeks and Romans complained about them, and Pliny the
Elder included them in his 77 AD book on natural history.
The ancient Chinese recorded their presence also.
 EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF
BED BUGS
Introduction

Long considered eradicated in most metropolitan areas, the

bed bugs are making their comeback. They are being found
in cities across the country, everywhere from homeless
shelters to all five star hotels. Contrary to popular belief,
the presence of these bugs does not indicate a lack of
cleanliness.

Why Have Bed Bugs Returned?

In the past, insecticides such as DDT helped to keep the

bug population at bay with residues that continued working
after the product was sprayed. Now, with the increase in
use of bait traps instead of broad spectrum sprays, specific
pests such as ants and cockroaches are being targeted, and
bed bugs are no longer being eliminated.

In addition, people now travel more than they did before.

Places that see a great deal of turnover such as hotels give
bed bugs the opportunity to travel to new locations on
luggage or on peoples clothes.
Why Are Bed Bugs A Problem?

Bed bugs are nuisances and are generally out-putting to

people, but they do not pose any major health risks
according to the Canadian Government. As with
mosquitoes, people can be allergic to their bites, which can
cause swelling, itchy welts and in some cases infections.
However, they are not known to carry any blood-borne
diseases. Bed bugs are mainly active at night. As they
typically feed when people are sound asleep, their bites
may not be detected immediately. One species of bed bug
feeds primarily on humans, but there are other species
that feed on other mammals and on birds. Bed bugs are
moved into and around a dwelling through infested
furniture and bedding.

Infested bedding.
They can also enter a home or hotel by being carried in a
luggage or on a persons clothing.

Identifying Bed Bugs

Bed bugs have an oval body and a short, broad head.

Adult Female Bed Bug.

The body as a whole is broad and flat. Unfed adults are

around 6 to 10 mm long, brown and wingless. After
feeding, these insects swell slightly in size and darken to a
blood-red colour. The nymphs are shaped like the adults,
but are yellow-whitish in colour.

Itchy welts on skin, blood spots on the bed sheets and/or

black or brown spots on mattresses, bed frames or walls
often indicate that there is a bed bug infestation.
Bed bugs are also known by several other names:

1. Wall louse
2. House bug
3. Mahogany flat
4. Red coat
5. Crimson ramblers

As well as a few other names.

Lifecycle

Eggs

The full grown adult bed bud can lay about 200 to 400 tiny
white transparent eggs in her life time. Which is roughly
about 3 to 4 per day. These eggs are coated with a sticky
substance and is placed in cracks and crevices, and also on
backs of headboards.

Nymphs

The newly hatched eggs (nymphs) feed as soon as food is

available to them. These small insects goes through five (5)
molts before they reach full maturity.
Adults

The adults usually live for around 10 months, but can live
for a year or more. In a home,

New Home (1)

Where the environment is conductive to their reproduction

(their ideal breeding temperature is between 21 to 28
degrees C), bed bugs can breed year round. These insects
are wingless and so they can not fly and they cannot jump,
but are able to enter into extremely small locations in the
home because of their small flattened bodies. Bed bugs can
live for several weeks to several months without feeding,
depending on the temperature. They can go without feeding
for 80 to 140 days; older bed bugs can go without feeding
longer than younger ones. Adult have been known to
survive for as long as 550 days (over a year and a half!)
without feeding.
CHAPTER FIVE

5
 WHAT TOU CAN DO
AROUND YOUR HOME

Bed bugs are small and they can hide in a myriad of places,
under wallpaper, behind picture frames, in electrical
outlets, inside furniture, bed headboards, inside box
springs, inside mattress pads, in night tables the list is
endless. You must be very thorough in order to properly
address the bed bug infestation. As these insects can travel
up to 30 meters and can be transported in clothing, luggage
or other household items, you may have to treat nearby
rooms to prevent the infestation from spreading.

If you suspect that you have a bed bug infestation, you can
either choose to treat them yourself or you can call in a
professional Pest Control Operator. Most of the time, bed
bug infestation will require more than one treatment as well
as physical means of control.

Infested areas should be vacuumed carefully with a brush

attachment and the vacuum bag should be disposed of right
away. When inspecting your bed, examine the mattress
seams, tufts and crevices of the mattress, box springs
should be steam-cleaned. Mattresses can be wrapped in
zippered bed encasements or covers, that are available from
allergy supply companies, or wrapped and sealed in plastic
film. Mattress pads and sheets should be washed in hot
water and dried on the high setting.
 Set The Dryer On The Highest Setting.

You may have to remove the cloth underside of the box

spring to determine if there are bed bugs inside.

Bed bugs cannot easily climb metal or any polished

surfaces, they also cannot fly or jump, so treat the legs of
beds will keep them away. Coat the legs with double-sided
carpet tape or petroleum jelly. You can also place the legs
of the bed inside glass jars or in metal cans.

Treating a bed effectively can be quite challenging. Holes

or worn spots in the fabric may allow these insects to lay
small eggs in areas that cannot be easily reached, and there
are restrictions on how insecticides can be used on beds.
Carefully examine all your:

1. night tables,
2. baseboards,
3. dressers,
4. headboards, (especially any that are padded),
5. electrical outlets,
6. any items stored near or under the bed,
7. any nearby carpeting or rugs,
8. picture frames,
9. wall switch plates,
10. inside clocks,
11. phones,
12. Televisions,
13. and smoke detectors

- in short, anything and everything that is in the room

where the infestation has been noted. Upholstered chairs
and sofas can also harbour bed bugs and should be treated
with careful vacuuming and laundering of all possible parts
such as:

1. cushions,
2. slipcovers,
3. skirts, etc.
 CONTROLLING BED BUG
BREEDING SITES

Bed Bug And Eggs In Mattress Holes.

Any clutter must be reduced or better removed entirely.

Bed bugs hide in miniscule areas, and any belongings that
are left lying around provide a perfect opportunity for them
to hide and continue to breed in. Affected bedding and
other clothing should be bagged and laundered on the high
dryer setting, or discarded, as these products cannot be
treated by the application of insecticides.

Some smaller items that cannot be laundered can

sometimes be treated through heating, (temperatures
greater than 50 degrees C) or freezing. Some items can be
wrapped in plastic wrap and placed outdoors on a hot,
sunny day, or in sub-freezing sub-zero temperatures in the
winter. However, the freezing temperatures must be
maintained for a prolonged period of time (e.g., 2 days of
cold exposure at 0 degree C) to ensure that the bed bugs are
killed. Trying to raise or lower the temperature in your
entire house or apartment will not work to kill the bed
bugs.

Vacuuming can also be helpful in removing bed bugs and

their eggs from:

1. Carpets,
2. Mattresses,
3. Box springs,
4. And the outer edge of wall-to-wall carpeting.

Steam cleaning carpeting can also be effective in killing

bugs and eggs that is not picked up by regular vacuuming.

While these insects prefer to feed on humans, they can also

and will feed on other mammals and birds. Some bed bug
species are parasites of bats or birds and may bite people if
the wild hosts are not available. If bat bugs or bird bugs are
involved, roosting and nesting sites should be treated, and
the animals excluded from the buildings.

In addition, be cautious about taking in second-hand

furniture, bedding, mattresses or other beds. At the very
minimum, these items should be carefully inspected before
brought into the home in order to protect you and your
family.

DO NOT BRING
IN
FURNITURE
WITHOUT
INSPECTING
THE ITEMS
 CHEMICAL CONTROL
METHODS

Domestic class products are available to homeowners will

generally contain the active ingredients pyrethrin or
diatomaceous earth. Always read the label carefully and be
certain that the product purchased is registered for use
against your particular pest problem. Care should be used
when using pesticides, as many may not be suitable for
fabrics, wallpaper, woods or other surfaces due to staining
or potential contamination.

Also, several commercial class products are available to

professional Pest Control Operators (PCO). The may
include low-odour sprays, dusts or aerosols; your Pest
Control Operator will select the best product for your
particular situation or problem.

Note:

Note that bed bug infestation can be challenging to treat,

and repeat applications may be required. So always follow
the label directions on the pesticide to minimize exposure
and maximize efficacy of the product. Between
applications of pesticide products, use integrated pest
management techniques to physically control ongoing or
future infestations.
These techniques can be used that are listed here below:

REMEMBER

Before Purchasing A Pesticide Product

1. Identify the pest correctly.

2. Use physical control methods and alternatives to

pesticides.

3. Read the label directions and safety precautions before

buying the product. The label must include the name of the
pest to be controlled and the treatment location, (example,
indoor, outdoor, garden uses, pet treatment).

4Purchase only the quantity of products needed for the bed

bug treatment.

5. Alternatively, you may choose to hire a licensed

professional control operator.

When Using A Pesticide

1. Carefully read all label instructions and precautions

before using pesticides.
2. Do not drink, eat or smoke while applying pesticides.

3. Persons and pets should vacate the area during treatment.

Cover or remove aquaria.

4. If kitchen area is to be treated, cover or remove all food,

dishes and utensils.

After Handling Pesticides

1. Always wash your hands thoroughly after handling any

pesticide products.

2. DO NOT permit persons or pets to contact treated

surfaces until residue has dried completely.

3. Provide adequate ventilation of treated areas after use.

4. Wipe clean all surfaces that come in direct contact with

food, such as counters, tables and stovetops, including
indoor and outdoor surfaces.

5. Always store pesticides out of reach of children and

pests and away from food and beverages.

In Case Of Accidental Poisoning

1. Call a poison control center right away and seek medical
help.

2. Take the pesticide container or label with you to the

emergency facility or physician.

3. Follow the first aid statements on the label.

4. In case of accidental poisoning of pets, seek veterinary

attention right away.

When Disposing Of Pesticides

1. DO NOT reuse empty pesticide containers. Wrap and

dispose of in household garbage.

2. Unused or partially used pesticide products should be

disposed of at provincially or municipally designated
household hazardous waste disposal sites.

Use Common Sense

1. These are general recommendations.

2. Consult the label for specific instructions.

3. When in doubt, contact a professional.

CHAPTER SIX

6
 BED BUG BIOLOGY

BIOLOGY

Causal Agents:

The two species of the bed bug (Insecta: Hemiptera:

Cinicidae) usually implicated in human infestations are
Cimex Lectularius and C. hemipterus. Although rare,
humans may become incidental hosts of Cimex species of
bats and birds.

Life Cycle

Adult and all nymphal stages of Cimex spp. need to take

blood meals from warm-blooded hosts, which are typically
humans for C Lectularius and C. hemipterus, although
other mammals and birds can be utilized in the absence of a
human host. Female bed bugs lay about five eggs (1) daily
throughout their adult lives in a sheltered location
(mattress, seams, crevices in box springs, spaces under
baseboards, etc).
Eggs hatch in about 4 to 12 days into first instar nymphs
(2) which must take a blood meal before molting to the
next stage. The bugs will undergo five nymphal stages.
( (2), (3), (4), (5), (6) ), each one requires a blood meal
before these bugs molt to the next stage, with the fife stage
molting into an adult (7).

Nymphs, although lacking wing bugs, resemble smaller

versions of the adult. Nymphs and adults take about 5 to
10 minutes to obtain a full blood meal. The adults may take
several blood meals over several weeks, assuming a warm-
blooded host is available.

Mating occur off the host and involved a unique form of

copulation called traumatic insemination whereby the
male penetrates the females abdominal wall with his
external genitalia and inseminates into her body cavity.

Adults live 6 to 12 months and may survive for a long

period of time without feeding.
Bed Bug Cycle Picture
CHAPTER SEVEN

7
 WHAT CAN BED BUGS DO?

The professionals at Health Canada tells us that bed bugs

are not known to transmit disease from one person to
another.

Bed bugs can go undetected because they are small and can
easily hide in many tiny cracks and crevices and they
usually come to feed at night. Itchy welts on the skin
and/or black or brown spots on mattresses, sheets, bed
frames or walls are all signs of a bed bug infestation.

Reactions to bed bug bites vary from person to person.

Some people dont react to bed bug bites while other
people can have allergic reactions like itchy welts. Allergic
sensitivity in a person may increase the more they are bit.
Bed bug bites may not be noticed right away because these
insects usually feed at night when most people are asleep
and there may be a delayed reaction to the bites.

Welts On Arm.

It can also be hard to identify a bed bug bite compared to

other insect bites or other skin conditions.
 HOW CAN I MANAGE
THEM?

Bed bugs are very hard to get rid of. Because they are so
difficult to completely eliminate, it is strongly
recommended that you hire a pest control operator that is
experienced in bed bug control. They may suggest
chemical, heating or freezing treatments.

Usually more than one treatment is needed, and must be

done in addition to the control treatments that you can do
yourself.

Early detection of bed bugs infestation is very important.

The larger the infestation, the more difficult getting rid of
the insects will be. Because bed bugs travel easily and for
free, you may also have to treat nearby rooms.

Remove or reduce any clutter where the bed bugs can hide.
These insects may fall off infested items when moved.
Securely seal items in an enclosed bag, plastic wrap or
plastic containers to prevent them from spreading to non-
infested areas of the building or home.
 BED TREATMENT
INFORMATION

Steam can be used to control bed bugs on infested

mattresses. Take care to use steam that is hot enough, and
avoid excess moisture, which could lead to mold.

Inspect your bed thoroughly by checking the seams and

tufts on the mattress as well as on the box spring, bed
frames and headboard. You may have to remove the cloth
underside of the box spring to see if there are bugs inside.

Mattress pads, sheets and other bedding should be washed

in hot water and dried on the highest setting.
Create a barrier to stop bed bugs from crawling up from the
floor and walls of the room to the bed. Keep all items on
the bed from touching the floor and walls (example, bed
skirts).

Commercially available devices are now available which

prevents bed bugs from crawling up the legs of beds to the
mattress. You can also place the legs of the bed inside glass
jars or metal cans with a bit of talc (baby) powder. Then
treat the legs of the bed with double sided tape to keep the
bed bugs from reaching the bed.

Infested areas can be vacuumed carefully with a brush

attachment. Afterwards, throw the vacuum bag out right
away and check the entire vacuum for any bed bugs.

You may have to throw your bed out or purchase a mattress

encasement. Holes or worn spots in the fabric may let bed
bugs lay eggs in areas not easily reached.

NOT ALL pesticides can be used on mattresses and bed

frames. Carefully read the label to ensure that the pesticide
is approved for use on mattresses and on bed frames.
 TREATMENT OF OTHER
ITEMS INFORMATION

Check items carefully for bed bugs before moving them

from one location to another. Bed bugs like to rest and hide
in dark places and undisturbed areas. Carefully examine all
your night tables, baseboards, dressers, headboards
especially padded ones, electrical outlets, any items stored
near or under the bed, any nearby carpeting or small rugs,
picture frames, switch plates, inside clocks, phones,
televisions and smoke detectors: in short, anything and
everything that is in the room where there is an infestation.
Bed bugs can hide in upholstered chairs and sofas that
should also be treated with careful vacuuming, steaming or
freezing and laundering of all possible parts such as,
cushions, slipcovers, skirts, etc.

Small items that cannot be laundered can sometimes be

treated by heating, (temperatures greater than 50 degrees
C), or by freezing.

Some items can be wrapped in plastic wrap and placed

outdoors in the sun on a very hot day, or in sub-zero
temperatures in the winter. However, the freezing
temperatures must be kept for a prolonged period of time
(e.g., 2 to 4 days of consistent cold at 19 degrees C) and
may not kill all the bugs.

Be very cautious about taking in second-hand items such as

furniture and mattresses. Inspect and clean them before
bringing them into your home or dwelling.
When you travel, carefully check the hotel room for bed
bugs. Dont bring your pillow from home; and do not put
your suitcase and other items on the bed where you sleep.

Zippered mattress and box spring encasements designed for

bed bug control will prevent these insects from hiding in
the seams and in the tufts of mattresses and in the box
spring as well. However, bed bugs are capable of crawling
between the teeth of zippers and not all encasements are
able to keep bed bugs out. In these cases, duct tape can be
placed over the zipper.

Check encasements often for tears and holes where bed

bugs could get in and hide.
 MORE PRODUCTS
INFORMATION

Pesticides are just one part of bed bug control. A variety of

chemical and non-chemical methods are usually needed to
get rid of bed bugs.

Products that are available to homeowners will generally

contain the active ingredients pyrethrin or other
parathyroid or diatomaceous earth.

Several commercial class products and techniques are

available to professional pest control operators. These may
include low-odour sprays, dusts, aerosols, canine detection,
heat and freezing devices. Your pest control operator will
choose the best method and the best approach for your
particular situation.

PLEASE NOTE:

1. Bed bug infestation are extremely hard to treat, and

repeat applications may be needed.

2. Between treatments, keep monitoring the situation to

control ongoing infestation and prevent future ones.
3. Always follow the pesticide label directions to protect
yourself and maximize how well the product works.

4. Never use, or allow anyone else to use, a pesticide

indoors that is meant for outdoor use. Using the wrong
pesticide or using it incorrectly to treat bed bugs can make
you, your family and your pets sick. It can also make your
home unsafe to live in - and may not solve the bed bug
problem.
CHAPTER EIGHT

8
 CAN I GET SICK FROM
BED BUG BITES?

Bed Bug.

As far as I can tell, here in Canada there are NO KNOWN

CASES of infectious diseases transmitted by bed bug bites.
Most people are not aware that they have been bitten but
some individuals are more sensitive to the bite and may
have a localized reaction.

Scratching the bitten areas can lead to infections.

 WHAT DO BED BUGS
BITES LOOK LIKE?

I have previously indicated in Chapter 2, Section Bed Bugs

Are Blood-Sucking Insects (see for more information).

When these bed bugs / insects bite people, they inject their
saliva into the biting area, causing the skin to become
irritated and inflamed.

Individuals responses to bed bug bites will vary from

person to person. The skin lesion from bed bug bites may
go unnoticed, or be mistaken for a flea or a mosquito bite
or other skin conditions.

Four Types Of Skin Rashes

Four types of skin rashes have been described in literature,

which are as follows:

1. The most common rash is made up of localized red and

itchy flat lesions. The classical bed bug bites could be
presented in a linear fashion in a group of three, which is
called by some people, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
2. Small raised red swelling lesions are also common.

3. In rare cases, people may develop large raised, often

itchy, red welts.

4. In individuals with high sensitivity to bed bug saliva,

people may develop a lump that is filled with blood or
fluid.

Bed bug bites most commonly occur on exposed areas of

the body, including:

1. face,
2. neck,
3. hands,
4. arms,
5. Lower legs
6. or all over the body.

So try to cover some of these areas when you are going to

sleep.
 HOW DO I TREAT BED
BUG BITES?

Typically, NO treatment is REQUIRED for bed bug bites.

Most bed bug bites go away by themselves and they DO
NOT need any special treatment. Keep the skin clean and
try not to scratch.

If the bites are very itchy, your medical doctor may

prescribe some type of cream (steroid cream), or
antihistamines to relieve the itchiness.

Oral antibiotics may also be prescribed for any secondary

skin infection from excessive scratching.

NOTE:

TRY NOT TO SCRATCH THE

BITTEN AREA OF THE SKIN, SO
THAT YOU DO NOT MAKE IT
WORSE.
CHAPTER NINE

9
 BED BUG CHECKLIST

Here are some tips to make sure your room (hotel rooms,
bedrooms, living areas, etc) isnt infested with bed bugs!
Most people who end up having their home infested with
bed bugs could have prevented it by looking for the signs
below. If you have bed bugs (rather than looking for them),
then check out this page.

The first thing that you can do is find reviews of the hotel
that you are staying at by searching the InterNet.

Keep in mind that a report about one hotel does not mean
the issue wasnt isolated to one room, or that hotel
management hasnt since exterminated the insects.

When staying at a hotel, hang clothing in the closet that is

farthest from your bed, and place luggage on the folding
rack usually that is found at hotels and always place your
luggage in a plastic bag (hotel provided dry cleaning bags
works great).

Note:

When you inspect a room for bed bugs, make sure that you
wear disposable medical gloves! Bed bugs gorge on the
blood of humans (like tiny vampires), so much that they
can easily pop with very little pressure. When the bed bugs
pops, it will splatter blood and you may be exposed!

Your Bed Bug Checklist

1. After you arrive at your hotel, the first thing that you
should do is to spot check the bed. Peel back the bed sheets
and check the mattress, by running your fingers along the
upper and lower seams. Make sure that you check the
mattress tag and plastic around the edge; bed bugs often
hide there.

2. Check for tiny black spots (smaller than the size of a

poppy seed) behind the headboard, translucent skins or
actual bed bugs. Bed bug spots (fecal matter) are dark
brown and black in colour and stick to the surface. If it falls
off, than its not a bed bug spot. You can also take a wet
towel to wipe the spot to see if it smears and if so, than it
may be fecal matter.
3. Check the bedside table or any other furniture or fixtures
that are near the bed. Bed bugs do not like the light, so they
will be hiding in areas that are usually dark or have very
little light.

4. Are there shed skins - as the bed bug develops, it sheds

the skin which looks like a bug. Also look for tiny white
eggs (like rice) along the edge of the mattress.

5. During the early stages of infestation (if you or someone

has brought one home), the bug/bugs usually hide out in
the mattress and headboard. If this is your home and youre
concerned that you might have a few in bed with you, it
would be wise to buy a mattress cover; this will seal in the
bugs and over time, they will die as long as there is no
holes on/in the covers.

6. Utilize the luggage stand in the hotel room to keep your

bags off the floor where bed bugs can easily get into your
things and end up hitching a ride home with you.

7. If you see powder in the drawers or on the headboards, it

is likely that the room has already been treated for bugs by
an exterminator.

8. If you do see a bed bug or signs of one, inform the hotel

manager right away. You may request another room but
remember the bud bugs could easily be in other parts of the
hotel as well. Personally, I would leave and find another
hotel if there is any sign at all of bed bugs.
9. Other signs of bed bugs may include itching or a foul
smell. The odor has been described a number of ways, most
people say it resembles spoiled raw beef , musty odor or a
sweet odor such as fresh red raspberries.

10. Just because the room or hotel is new does not mean it
is free from bed bugs; bed bugs find rooms by riding on the
cloths or luggage of others and may have been, been
hitching a ride on the first occupant.

11. When you are ready to leave the hotel double check
your luggage as well as individual items within your
suitcase. This may seem cumbersome, but preventing a bed
bug infestation is a LOT easier than dealing with one.

12. If you spot a bed bug within your luggage, wash the
item in hot water and blow dry on high heat for about 30
minutes. Than place the item into a zip lock bag, which
should keep any bed bugs out.

THIS IS NOT an exhaustive list by any means, but it

covers the basics and should help you sleep bed bug free.
HOW TO NATURALLY GET RID
OF BED BUGS

Youve probably heard the phrase, Dont let the bed bugs
bite, more than a few times. It is actually a really good
advice, because bed bugs are very real and very disturbing.
These tiny black bugs can be seen with the naked eye, but
they do a good job of hiding from you on your bed when
you are awake. At night, though they latch on and drain
blood from their host, which is usually you if youre in
your bed. Here is an all-natural way to get rid of these tiny
pests.

INSTRUCTIONS MADE EASY

Things You Will Need

. Boric acid
. Black walnut leaf tea
. Mattress sealant
. Eyedropper
. Spray bottle
1. Make sure you have a bed bug infestation first. The first
signs of this will be red, swollen bite marks across your
body. These will come up apparently overnight. Give your
bed a good look over, checking in the crevices and in the
folds of the bed for bed bugs. Once you have found them,
continue.

2. Spread around some boric acid, in powder form, near

your bed. Boric acid is natural and it is not dangerous to
small animals. To insects, though, it is a powerful chemical
that will prevent more bed bugs from finding refuge in
your mattress and sheets.

3. Black walnut leaf tea is easy to make and is fairly easy

to come by. It is a natural astringent and has been used as
an insecticide against bed bugs for many years. Just apply
some where you have seen bed bugs, and they will die.
Since you dont want to soak your mattress, use an
eyedropper to apply the liquid to the crevices on the sides
of your mattress and other small places. Go over the
mattress, pillows, pillowcases and sheets with a spray
bottle, lightly misting everything.

4. Clean your sheets and any clothes that you have come
into contact with your bed with hot water if you have used
them during your bed bug infestation. This will help
disinfect them. Though they may not have bed bugs, they
may have traces of blood from bed bug bites or fecal matter
from the bugs that can be seen.
5. Change your mattress, if you can, to get rid of any bed
bug or eggs that may be still around. If you cant, clean it
as best as you can and apply a sealant.

NOTE:

DO NOT LIE IN A BED

WITH BED BUGS,
AS THEIR BITE
CAN BECOME INFECTED
 MYTHS ABOUT BED BUGS

Knowing the facts about bed bugs will help you understand
what you need to do to control them. Here below are some
common bed bug myths and the real facts.

Myths #1

You cant see bed bugs.

Adult bed bugs are easily spotted. Adult bed bugs are 3mm
to 5mm in size - about the size and shape of an apple seed -
and a reddish brown in colour.

Myths #2

Throw out your bed and youll be rid of bed bugs.

They may called bed bugs but they dont just live in your
bed. They can occupy almost any dark crack or crevices in
a room. Almost everything including clothing, bedding,
furniture and electronics can be treated to remove bed
bugs. By disposing of infested furniture prior to it being
inspected and treated, you can actually spread bed bugs. If
you need to dispose of furniture or a mattress, make sure it
is sealed with plastic and mark to indicate it has been
infested by bed bugs. If possible, destroy items prior to
disposal to make then unusable.

Myths #3

You only get bed bugs if you live in a low-income

neighbourhood .

Bed bugs are an exposure pest and are not necessarily

associated with living conditions. Bed bugs can happen to
anyone, anywhere. You get bed bugs by coming into
contact with them. Increasingly, people who frequently
travel become exposed to bed bugs and bring them back
home.

Myths #4

You need to wash your clothes for a bed bug treatment

to be effective.

Yes as a general rule washing it in hot water and drying it

on the hottest setting can help destroy bed bugs in clothes.
But you might not have to wash all your clothes. The first
thing that you need to do is to have your home or
apartment inspected by a professional pest control expert.

Myths #5
Its too cold for bed bugs in Canada.

Even with our cold winters bed bugs continue to survive in

all parts of Canada. Bed bugs can be found in almost every
country and region around the world, because bed bugs are
a global pest.

Myths #6

You cant get bed bugs from a neighbour as long as he

doesnt visit you and keeps his door shut.

Migration of bed bugs from a neighbour is a lot more

common than people believe. In apartments or condos the
risk of migration is much greater because bed bugs can
travel through cracks, vents, or spaces in a shared wall. If
you think your neighbour has an issue with bed bugs, check
your bed and living area on a weekly basis to make sure
bed bugs are detected at the earliest stages. Speak to your
landlord or condo association. A building-wide effort to
control bed bugs is needed.

Myths #7

You cant have bed bugs when you have not traveled
anywhere.
Travel, whether overseas or in Canada and the United
States, is not the only possible source of bed bugs. We find
it hard to imagine where we might have picked up bed
bugs. Yet situations such as a trip abroad, riding public
transit, having a houseguest or purchasing a piece of
second hand furniture can offer bed bugs a free ride into
your home or condo.

Myths #8

It cant be bed bugs because you get bitten but your

partner does not.

The simple fact is that two people sleeping in the same bed
may both be bitten by bed bugs but react in a different way.
Some individuals right away have a reaction to the bites
while others show little or no sign at all.

Myths #9

Bed bugs are resistant to all pesticides.

Bed bugs are not resistant to all pesticides, but they are
becoming increasingly resistant to overused pesticides.
Home pesticide sprays or foggers do not work on bed bugs.
Pest control companies continue to develop new ways to
treat bed bugs. It is best to let a trained and licensed bed
bug pest control expert select and apply the right pesticide.
Myths #10

There are over the counter bug sprays or remedies that

will get rid of bed bugs.

Over the counter bug spray, rubbing alcohol, and kerosene

are some home remedies that are being used to try to
eradicate bed bugs. However, such remedies are considered
to be ineffective and some are fire hazards. The best way to
get rid of bed bugs is to hire a professional licensed pest
control expert and follow their instructions.

Myths #11

If you sleep in a metal bed you dont have to worry

about bed bugs.

Although it is true that metal beds are less hospitable to bed

bugs, simply replacing all beds with metal ones will not
solve a bed bug problem. In some cases, metal beds may
cause the bed bug to hide in less obvious areas of the bed,
making the matter worse. And throwing out your metal bed
will not simply solve the problem, but it could also expose
others to an infestation.

Myths #12
You can get sick from bed bug bites.

Bed bugs (according to Health Canada experts) do not

spread disease among humans. Bed bug bites can get
infected if you scratch them excessively. Some people can
develop allergic sensitivities to bed bugs infestation.

The most significant health effects appear to be:

1. the psychological, induced stress,

2. anxiety,
3. depression,
4. and fatigue,

that can be caused by the presence of bed bug in the home

or in the condo.
CHAPTER TEN

10
 BED BUG - CIMEX
LECTULARIUS

Bed Bugs are parasitic insects that prefer to feed on human

blood. The term is used loosely to refer to many species of
the genus Cimex, and even more loosely to refer to many
members of the family Cimicidae (cimicids). The common
bed bug, Cimex Lectularius, is the most famous species of
the family. The name of the bed bug is derived from the
insects preferred habitat of houses and especially beds or
other areas where people sleep. Bed bugs are mainly active
at night and are rarely seen during the day but are not
exclusively nocturnal and they are capable of feeding on
their host without being noticed.

A number of adverse health effects may occur due to bed

bug bites, including skin rashes, psychological effects, and
allergic symptoms. Diagnosis involves both finding bed
bugs and the occurrence of compatible symptoms.

These insects have been known as human parasites for

thousands of years. At a point in the early 1940s they were
mostly eradicated in the developed world but since 1995
have recently increased in prevalence. Because infestation
of human habitats has been on the increase, bed bug bites
and related conditions have been on the rise as well.
 SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION

BED BUG

Cimex Lectularius

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hemiptera

Suborder: Heteroptera
 Infraorder: Cimicomprpha

Superfamily: Cimicoidea

Family: Cimicidae

Latreille, 1802

Subfamilies, Genera And Species

Subfamily Afrocimex

Constrictus

Subfamily Cimicinae

. Genus Bertilia

. Genus Cimex

. Cimex adjunctus

. Cimex antennatus

. Cimex brevis

. Cimex columbarius
 . Cimax incrassates

. Cimex latipennis

. Cimex Lectularius

.Cimex hemipterus

(C. rotundatus)

. Cimex pilosellus

. Cimex pipistrella

Genus Oeciacus

. Oeciacus hirundinis

. Oeciacus vicarious

Genus Paracimex

Genus Propicimex

Subfamily Cacodminae

. Genus Aphrania
 . Genus Cacodomus

. Genus Crassicimex

. Genus Leptocimex

. Leptocimex boueti

. Genus Loxaspis

. Genus Stricticimex

Subfamily Haematosiphoninae

. Genus Caminicimex

. Genus Cimexopsis

. Cimexopsis nestles

Genus Haematosiphon

. Haematosiphon inodorus

. Genus Hesperocimex

. Hesperocimex coloradensis

. Hesperocimex monogenesis
 . Genus Ornithocris

. Ornithocoris pallid us

. Ornithocoris Toledo

. Genus Psitticimex

. Genus Synxenoderus

. Synxenoderus comosus

Subfamily Latrocimicinae

. Genus Latrocimex

Subfamily Primicimicinae

. Genus Bucimex

. Genus Primicimex

. Primicimex cavernis
 DESCRIPTION

Physical

Adult bed bugs are light brown to reddish-brown, flattened,

oval shape and these bugs have no hind wings but front
wings are vestigial and reduced to pad-like structures. The
bed bugs have segmented abdomens with microscopic hairs
that give them a banded appearance. The adults also grow
to 4 to 5 mm in length and 1.5 to 3 mm wide. Newly
hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in colour and
become browner as they moult and reach maturity. Bed
bugs may be mistaken for other insects such as booklice
and carpet beetles.

Bed bugs use pheromones and carmines to communicate

regarding nesting locations, feeding and reproduction.

The life span of these insects varies by species and is also

dependent on feeding.

Bed bugs survive a wide range of temperatures and

atmospheric compositions. Below 16.1 degrees C., adults
enter semi-hibernation and can survive longer. Bed bugs
can survive for at least five days at -10 degrees C., but will
die after 15 minutes of exposure to -32 degrees C. They
show a high desiccation tolerance, surviving low humidity
and a 35 to 40 degrees C. range even with loss of one-third
of body weight; earlier in life stages are more susceptible
to drying out than later ones. The thermal death point for C.
Lectularius is high: 45 degrees C., and all stages of life are
killed by 7 minutes of exposure to 46 degrees C.

Bed bugs apparently cannot survive high concentrations of

carbon dioxide for very long periods; exposure to nearly
pure nitrogen atmosphere, however, appears to have
relatively little effect even after 72 hours.

Feeding Habits

In the above picture taken by (SEM) or Scanning electron

micrograph of Cimex Lectularius, digitally colorized with
the insects skin piercing mouthparts highlighted in purple
and red.
Bed bugs are obligatory hematophagous (blood-sucking)
insects. Most species feed on humans only when other prey
are unavailable to them. Bed bugs are attracted to their
hosts primarily by carbon dioxide, secondarily by warmth,
and also by certain chemicals.

A bed bug pierces the skin of its host with what is called a
stylet fascicle. This is a unit composed of the maxillae and
mandibles which have been modified into a elongate
shapes from a basic, ancestral style. The right and left
maxillary stylet are connected at their midline and a section
at the centerline forms a large food canal and a smaller
salivary canal. The entire maxillary and mandibular bundle
penetrates the skin. The tips of the right and left maxillary
stylets are not the same: the right is hook-like and is
curved, the left one is straight.

The right and left mandibular stylets extend along the outer
sides of their respective maxillary stylets and do not reach
anywhere near the tip of the fused maxillary stylets. The
stylets are retained in a groove in the labium and during
feeding they are freed from the groove as the joint labium
is bent or folded out of the way: its tips never enters the
wound. The mandibular stylet tips have small teeth and
through alternately moving these stylets back and forth, the
incest cuts a path through tissue for the maxillary bundle to
reach an appropriate size blood vessel. Feeding by sucking
for about three to five minutes or sometimes even more, the
insect then withdraws the stylet bundle from the feeding
position and retracts it back into the labial groove, folds the
entire unit back under the head, and returns to its hiding
place. This takes between five and ten minutes for the bed
bug to become completely engorged with blood.

Although bed bugs can live for a year without feeding, they
normally try to feed every five to ten days. In cold weather,
bed bugs can live for about a year, at temperatures more
conductive to activity and feeding, about five months.

At the 57th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society

of America in 2009, newer generations of pesticide-
resistant bed bugs in Virginia were reported to survive only
two months without feeding.

DNA from human blood meals from bed bugs can be

recovered for up to 90 days, which may allow them to be
used for forensic purposes for identifying on whom the bed
bugs have been feeding on.
Reproduction

All bed bugs mate by traumatic insemination.

Bed Bugs Mating.

Female bed bugs possess a reproductive tract that functions

during ovipositor, but the male doesnt use this tract for
sperm insemination. Instead, the male pierces the females
abdomen with his hypodermic genitalia and ejaculates into
the body cavity. In all bed bugs species except Primicimex
cavernis, the sperms are injected into the mesospermalege,
a component of the spermalege, a secondary genital
structure that reduces the wounding and immunological
costs of traumatic insemination. Injected sperm travel via
the haemolymph (the blood) to sperm storage structures
that is called the seminal conceptacles, with fertilization
eventually taking place at the ovaries.

Male bed bugs sometimes attempt to mate with other males

and pierce the latter in the abdomen. This behavior occurs
because sexual attraction in bed bugs is based primarily on
size, and males will mount any freshly fed partner
regardless of their sex.

The bed bug alarm pheromone consists of (E)-2-octenal

and (E)-2-hexenal. It is released when a bed bug is
disturbed, as during an attack by a predator.

A 2009 study demonstrated that the alarm pheromone is

also released by male bed bugs to repel other males who
attempt to mate with them.

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 mix.

Life Stages
All bed bugs have six life stages, (five are immature and an
adult stage). They will shed their skins through a molting
process called Ecdysis, throughout multiple stages of
their lives.
The discarded outer shells look like clear, empty
exoskeletons of the insects themselves. Bud bugs must
molt six times before becoming fertile adults.

A slide of Cimex Lectularius

Bed bug (4 mm in length; 2.5 mm width), shown in a film
roll plastic container, on the right is the recently sloughed
skin from its nymph stage.

A bed bug nymph that is feeding on a host (human).

Blood fed Cimex Lectularius (Note the difference in the

colour with respect to digestion of the blood meal).
Here is a picture of a bed bug. If you take a closer look you
will see hunger bubbles that are visible in its gut.

Infestation

Bed bugs can cause a number of health effects including

skin rashes, psychological effects and other allergic
symptoms. They are able to be infected by at least 28
human pathogens, but no study has clearly found that the
insects is able to transmit the pathogen to a human being.

Bed bug bites or cimicosis may lead to a wide range of skin

manifestations from no visible effects to prominent blisters
on the skin.

Diagnosis involved both finding bed bugs and the

occurrence of compatible symptoms. Treatment involves
the elimination of the insect but is otherwise symptomatic.
They have been found with methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus MRSA and with vancomycin-
resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) but the significance
of this is still unknown.
 INFESTATION

Cause

Dwellings can become infested with bed bugs in a variety

of different ways, such as:

1. Bed bugs and eggs inadvertently brought in from another

infested dwellings by visiting pets, or on a visiting persons
clothing or luggage.

2. Infested items such as furniture or clothing that is

brought into the home.

3.Nearby dwellings or infested items, if there are easy

routes that the bugs may travel, (through the duct works or
through false ceilings).

4. Wild animals such as bats and birds, that may also

harbour bed bugs or related species such as the bat bug.

5. People or pets visiting an infested area, (apartments,

subways, movie theater, or hotels) and carrying the bug to
another area on their clothing, luggage or body.
Detection

Bed bugs are elusive and are usually nocturnal, which can
make them a bit harder to spot. They often lodge unnoticed
in small dark crevices, and eggs can be nestled in fabric
seams. Aside from bite symptoms, signs include fecal
spots, blood smears on sheets, and molts.

An engorged female bed bug with eggs,

Discovered in a screw hole of a
Wooden bed frame.

Bed bugs can be found singly, but often congregate once

established. They usually remain close to the host (which is
you), commonly in or near the beds or couches. Harborage
areas can vary greatly, however, including luggage,
vehicles, furniture and bedside clutter. Bed bugs may also
nest near animals that have nested within a dwelling, such
as bats, birds, or rodents. The eggs of the bed bugs are
found in similar places where the bed bugs themselves are
found, and are attached to surfaces by a sticky substance.

Attractant devices for detection use heat and/or carbon

dioxide.

Bed bugs can be detected by their characteristics smell of

cilantro, coriander, almonds or over ripe raspberries. Bed
bug detection dogs are trained to pinpoint infestations, with
a possible accuracy rate of 97.5%, based upon tests
conducted under controlled conditions by researchers.

The success rates in these tests may not reflect real world
success rates of a pest companies dogs, operating with
many more variables in the field. Dog detection can often
occur in minutes where a pest control practitioner might
need an hour. In the United States alone, about 100 dogs
are used to find bed bugs as of mid-2009. A few companies
are experimenting with high speed gas chromatography to
detect bed bugs and other insect vermin.

Management

Eradication of bed bugs frequently requires a combination

of pesticides and non-pesticide approaches. Pesticides that
have historically been found to be effective include:

1. Parathyroid
2. Dichlorvos,

3. And malathion.

Resistance to pesticides has increased greatly over time and

there are concerns of negative health effects from their use.
Mechanical approaches such as vacuuming up the insects
and treating or wrapping mattresses has been
recommended.

The carbamate insecticide propoxur is highly toxic to the

bed bugs, but in the United States the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has been reluctant to approve
such an indoor use because of its potential toxicity to
children after chronic exposure.

Predators

The natural enemies of bed bugs include:

1. The masked hunter (also known as the masked bed bug

hunter,

2. Cockroaches,

3. Ants,

4. Spiders (particularly Thanatus flavidus),

5. Mites,

6. Centipedes,

7. The Pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis).

The Pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis) venom is

lethal to bed bugs. Biological pest control is not very
practical for eliminating bed bugs from human dwellings.
 EPIDEMIOLOGY

Bed bugs occur around the globe. Rates of infestation in

developed countries, while decreasing from the 1930s to
the 1980s, had increased dramatically since the 1980s.

Previously, these insects were common in the developing

world, but rare in the developed world. The increase in the
developed world may have been caused by increased
international travel, resistance to insecticides, and the use
of new pest-control methods that do not affect bed bugs.

The fall in bed bug populations after the 1930s in the

developed world is believed to be partly due to the use of
DDT to kill cockroaches. The invention of the vacuum
cleaner and simplification of furniture design may have
also played a major roll. Other people believe that it might
simply be the cyclical nature of the organism. The exact
causes of this resurgence remains unclear; it is variously
ascribed to greater foreign travel, more frequent exchange
of second-hand furniture among homes, a greater focus on
control of other pests resulting in neglect of bed bug
countermeasures, and increasing resistance to pesticides.

The common bed bug (Cimex Lectularius) is the species

best adapted to human environments. It is found in
temperate climates throughout the globe. Other species
include Cimex hemipterus, which are found in the tropical
regions, which also infests poultry and bats, and
Leptocimex boueti, that are found in the tropics of West
Africa and South America, which infests bats as well as
humans.

Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily infest

bats, while Haematosiphon inodora, a species of North
America, that primarily infest poultry.
 HISTORY

C. Lectularius may have originated in the Middle East, in

caves inhabited by bats and humans.

An 1860 engraving of parts of a bed bug. A. Intestines. - B.

Antenna of the Male. - C. Eyes. - D. Haustellum, or
Suckers, closed. - E. Side view of Suckers. - F. The under
Part of the head. - G.. Under Lip. - GG. Hair of the Tube,
And outside case. - H. Egg-Bag. - I. Worm
Emerging from the egg.
The bed bugs were mentioned in ancient Greece as early as
400 BC, and were later mentioned by Aristotle. Plinys
Natural History, first published circa 77 AD in Rome,
claimed bed bugs had medicinal value in treating ailments
such as snake bites and ear infections. (Belief in the
medicinal use of bed bugs persisted until at least the 18th
century, when Guettard recommended their use in the
treatment of hysteria.) Bed bugs were first mentioned in
Germany in the 11th century, in France in the 13th century
and in England in 1583, though they remained rare in
England until 1670.Some people in the 18th century
believed that bed bugs had been brought to London in
1666. Giovanni Antonio Scopoli noted their presence in
Carniola, (roughly equivalent to present-day Slovenia) in
the 18th century.

Traditional methods of repelling and/or killing bed bugs

included the use of:

1. plants,

2. fungi, and other insects (or their extracts). Such as black

pepper,

3. black cohosh (Actaea racemes),

4. Pseudarthria hookeri,

5. Laggera alata (Chinese yangmao cao),

6. Eucalyptus saligna oil,

7. Henna (Lawsonia inermis or camphire).

8. infused oil of Melolontha vulgaris (presumably

cockchafer),

9. Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria),

10. Actaea spp. (e.g. black cohosh),

11. Tobacco,

12. heated oil of Terebinthina (e.g. true turpentine),

13. Wild mint (Mentha arvensis),

14. Narrow-leaved pepperwort (Lepidium ruder ale),

15. Myrica spp. (e.g. bayberry),

16. Robert geranium (Geranium robertianum),

17. Bugbane (Cimicifuga spp.),

18. herb and seeds of Cannabis,

19. opulus berries (possible maple or European cranberry

bush),
20. Masked hunter bugs (Reduvius personates),

21. and many others.

In the mid-19th century, smoke from peat fire was

recommended.

Dusts have been used to ward off insects from grain storage
for centuries, including the plant ash, lime, dolomite,
certain types of soil, and diatomaceous earth (DE) or
Kieselguhr. Of these, diatomaceous earth in particular has
been a revival as a nontoxic (when in amorphous form)
residual pesticide for bed bug management. Insects
exposed to diatomaceous earth may take several days to
die.

Basket-work panels were put around beds and shaken our

in the morning, in the United Kingdom and in France in the
19th century. Scattering leaves of plants with microscopic
hooked hairs around the bed at night, then sweeping them
up in the morning and burning them, was a technique that
was reportedly used in southern Rhodesia and in the
Balkans.

Prior to the mid-twentieth century, bed bugs were very

common insects. According to a report by the UK Ministry
of Health, in 1933 there were many areas where all the
houses had some degree of bed bug infestation
Bed bugs were a serious problem during World War II.
General MacArthur commented that bed bugs are the,
greatest nuisance insect problem .. At bases in the
United States.

With the arrival of potent pesticides, famously DDT in the

1940s, bed bugs almost disappeared in Western countries.
However, bed bug infestation have resurged in the recent
years, for reasons which are not yet clear, but contributing
factors may be complacency, increasing resistance, bans on
pesticides and increased international travel. The current
wave of bed bug infestation across North America has
spawned an industry for bed bug prevention, eradication
and the reporting of infestation.
 SOCIETY AND CULTURE

The saying, Good night, sleep tight, dont let the bed bugs
bite. is common for parents to say to young children
before they go to sleep.

Naming

The term bed bug or bedbug may also be spelled bed-

bug. They have been known by a various of other names
including wall louse, mahogany flat, crimson rambler,
heavy dragon, chinche bug, and redcoat.
THIS IS
A FREE
BOOK

Enjoy.