Bed bugs belong to the family of insects known as Cimicidae. All members of this family of insects feed exclusively on blood which they require in order to develop and reproduce. There are a number of closely related species in this family that feed on birds, bats and other animals. However, the species most adapted to living with humans is the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, which is found world wide. The immature bugs go through five developmental stages before reaching maturity. A blood meal is required between each stage. As the immature bed bugs develop they continue to become larger and darker until reaching adulthood. Under favorable conditions (70-90°F), bed bugs can complete development (from egg to adult) in one – two months. Cool temperatures or limited access to a blood meal may extend the development time. Adults will typically live for just under a year. The adult females typically deposit up to 5 eggs per day depositing them in a wide variety of locations, both on and away from the bed. An adult female may lay up to 500 eggs during her lifetime.
Bed bugs are nocturnal insects and lead a very cryptic lifestyle. As a result, bed bugs are often present for weeks or even months before a single bug is ever seen by the occupants of an infested structure. They live in cracks and crevices associated with bed frames, head boards, mattresses and box springs. However they also will disperse away from the bed and can live between or beneath floorboards, carpeting, under decorative moldings, in or under furniture, behind picture frames, inside wall voids, etc. There is virtually no crack too small for this insect to occupy. It is from these secluded cracks and crevices that the bugs emerge during the nighttime hours to feed on their sleeping host. The bites are typically painless and go undetected.

Bed bugs differ from many other blood feeding pests such as mosquitoes, fleas, etc. in that both adult males and females, as well as all of the immature stages, feed on blood. Once they have fed they return back to their hidden resting places. In the absence of a host, bed bugs can continue to survive for many months without a blood meal. In fact it has been reported that in some cases bed bugs can survive a year or more without feeding.

The thought that bed bugs are the result of poor sanitation and/or poverty is a big misconception. Bed bugs do not discriminate based on one’s social status or the cleanliness of their home. The fact is that cleanliness has nothing to do with getting bed bugs. Bed bug infestations can occur in the most expensive hotels, multi-million dollar estates as well as homeless shelters and everything in between regardless of the existing sanitary conditions. In order for a bed bug infestation to begin they must be introduced by bringing bugs from an infested environment and introducing them to a previously un-infested one. Some examples include staying in a bed bug infested environment, having a guest visit that brings bugs with them, purchasing an item or accepting delivery of an item that has bugs or eggs on it. As a result, bed bug infestations can affect anyone, anywhere, and are occurring in hotels, apartments, single family homes, upscale commercial office buildings, school classrooms, laundromats, public transportation and the list goes on and on.
While sanitation may not have anything to do with the onset of an infestation, it can have a tremendous impact on the ability to control or eliminate an infestation. Crowded and cluttered living conditions are one of the more challenging obstacles to overcome in an eradication effort. Bed bugs hide and lay their eggs virtually everywhere. As a result clutter provides an unlimited number of areas where bed bugs can harbor and remain well-protected from control efforts.

Although over 28 disease pathogens have been found in bed bugs, transmission of these pathogens to humans has never been documented and is considered highly unlikely. For this reason, they are not considered a serious disease threat. Their medical significance is mainly limited to the itching and inflammation associated with their bite. Not everyone reacts to bed bites in the same fashion, some people have reactions that are delayed for several days or more while others do not react at all. Reactions to bites can also vary significantly between individuals from a mild itchy welt to a more severe rash like symptom. The most common reactions appear as a raised reddened welt similar to a mosquito bite. Bites tend to be very itchy and often appear in rows of 3-4 welts or more. There are currently a couple of explanations for why bites often appear in rows. The first explanation is based on the sensitivity of bed bugs to motion. A single bug may withdraw its mouthparts while feeding in response to the slightest disturbance (i.e. person twitches during sleep). After removing their mouthparts, the bug will move a short distance and then begin feeding again, resulting in several bites in a row caused by a single bug. The second explanation involves numerous bugs that are lined up one next to the other (typically along a fold in a bed sheet) all feeding at the same time, similar to cattle at a trough. The important point is that number of welts does not always correlate with the number of bugs that bit the individual. Thus just a few bugs can be responsible for many welts in a single evening.

It is also very important to realize that bed bugs cannot be diagnosed by the bite alone. While a medical professional can examine the bites, they can only conclude that the bite symptoms are consistent with those produced by bed bugs. This is not a confirmation however it does provide the grounds for suspecting that bed bugs may be present and that a professional should be called in to perform an inspection for the presence of bed bugs in the structure where the bites occurred.

The first part of the answer to that question is that bed bugs are as new to today's generation of pest management professionals as they are to the American public. As a result many of the pest management firms are still trying to figure out how to effectively deal with bed bug infestations. In fact most pest control technicians have never even seen a bed bug, let alone treated for them. It is difficult to find a company that is very experienced and really understands how to effectively manage bed bug infestations. Companies that are quick to offer a guarantee that they will eliminate or "solve" the problem in one or two visits may not really understand what they are up against. Of course consumers are likely to prefer a company that is confident that they can solve the problem in one or two visits compared to a company that explains that elimination cannot be guaranteed, and that it may take three to four visits or possibly more to resolve the problem. However, the later company probably has a better understanding of the pest and in the long run is probably better equipped to deliver a higher level of control. The consumer really needs to be very aware that it is very difficult, and sometimes impossible to eliminate 100% of the bed bugs in a dwelling.

Clutter is probably the single biggest obstacle that stands in the way of control. Closets that are filled with belongings, items stored beneath beds or furniture, piles of clothing or other items on the floor, etc. all provide an unlimited number of hiding places for bed bugs. In addition, clutter creates areas that cannot be effectively treated by your pest management professional. The more clutter, the longer it will take to gain control. In the case of very cluttered conditions, control may be impossible. For this reason control is much more easily achieved in a hotel room which is not permanently lived in as compared to an apartment or single family home.

The time required to achieve control can vary greatly. It is best to view bed bug control as an ongoing effort that may require numerous visits to inspect and re-treat the infested areas. In most cases, bed bugs infestations can be resolved in three to four visits. In most situations, the bed bug populations should be dramatically reduced following the initial visit. Some bugs may continue to persist and it is these smaller populations that require a dedicated and persistent follow up effort to eliminate. The number of bugs and bites experienced by the homeowner should be minimal during the remainder of the management program. To date there are no effective monitoring tools available for bed bugs. Many companies will place insect glue boards or sticky traps out to monitor for bed bugs. There is nothing wrong with this practice, however, it should be understood that this is not a reliable monitoring method and the absence of bed bugs on these traps does not accurately reflect if bed bugs are present or not. The only true indicator that bed bugs are no longer present is the absence of bites. However, it is risky to assume that the bed bugs have been eliminated after only a few weeks of "bug-free" or "bite-free" time. Instead, a period of approximately 60 consecutive days of "bug-free" and "bite-free" time will provide a much greater level of confidence that the problem has truly been eliminated.

Can bed bugs ever be eliminated once they infest an environment? The simple answer is yes, it is possible to eliminate a bed bug infestation in most situations particularly if the bed bugs are detected shortly after they have been introduced into the environment and client cooperation is not an issue. The longer the bed bugs exist without being detected, the greater their opportunity to disperse within the environment, thus making it harder to find and eliminate 100% of the reproducing adult females. Another factor which plays a major role in how readily a bed bug infestation can be eliminated is the amount of available harborages for bed bugs to use as a safe haven from control efforts. Crowded and/or cluttered conditions, as well poorly sealed baseboards, chair and/or crown moldings, window frames, door frames, paneled walls, etc. offer an environment with virtually unlimited harborages. There are also situations, where bed bugs are coming from a connected structure (i.e. row homes, condominiums, etc) that is under ownership by another party and is not being treated. In situations such as these, elimination may not be possible until a cooperative effort is achieved.

In many cases two or three services may be all that is necessary to eliminate the problem. However, there are also many cases that require a greater number of visits before the problem is resolved. Finally, there are some infestations where it can be difficult if not impossible to achieve 100% elimination.

Regardless of how severe the infestation or how complex the environment, there is one way that bed bug infestations can be eliminated with absolute certainty. Structural fumigations, while an extreme and costly method, will effectively eliminate bed bugs from an infested environment. Structural fumigations are often confused with fogging applications but are in fact very different. Fogging applications or "bombing", as it is often referred to, typically involves the application of a natural pyrethrin and requires that the area being treated be vacated for one to several hours. The process of structural fumigation on the other hand, typically involves tarping the entire structure, and vacating it for several days while a fumigant gas is released into the tented structure. These types of applications are common in the Southern United states and on the West Coast for the control of drywood termites. Structural fumigations are an extremely expensive approach and may not be practical or even possible in many situations. In many parts of the country, it may be difficult to locate a pest management firm that is licensed in fumigation services. Thus while this technique will guarantee elimination of the existing infestation, in most cases it is not likely to be economically practical or feasible. Structural fumigations may not be available in all parts of the country and may be restricted by regulatory agencies in some states.

To better understand what is involved in a true structural fumigation, the following website details the process for structural fumigation for the control of dry wood termites. This will give you a very good understanding of this type of control measure.

Bed bugs will readily move between units in multi-occupancy settings such as hotels, apartments, hospitals, dormitories etc. As a result, bed bug management efforts in multi-occupancy structures should that are limited to the infested unit only are often prone to failure. Often property or facility managers are reluctant to expand the bed bug management effort to other units whose occupants have not yet complained about bed bugs. By notifying other occupants of the facility there is the risk of creating alarm and panic among residents not to mention the damage that could be caused to the reputation of the facility. Notifying occupants of surrounding units is a sensitive and sometimes difficult proposition however; the reality is that failure to do so end up being very costly in the long run.

One or more of the surrounding units may have well established infestations that have not been reported by the occupants. In situations like this it will be difficult, if not impossible, to eliminate bed bugs in a unit if one or more of the surrounding units are serving as primary source and are not also addressed.

Another reason to investigate the surrounding units is so that you can identify bed bug infestations that may exist at low levels and have not yet been identified by the occupants of the unit. It is not uncommon for people to suffer from a bed bug infestation for several months or more before they finally realize that they have a problem with bed bugs . If not identified, these low level populations may become very well established and prove to be much more difficult to control had they been identified sooner.

Even if no evidence of bed bugs is found in any of the units that are surrounding the infested unit, the risk of infestation of the surrounding units will continue, and may even increase until the infestation in the neighboring unit has been eliminated. As a result, continued inspection of surrounding units is advised until the original infestation has been eliminated.

One pro-active measure that can be considered is the installation of a mattress and box spring encasements for the beds in surrounding units. A proper encasement can serve as an early detection tool as well as prevent the mattress and box spring from becoming infested.

This is a very common question. Often specific products are mentioned in a news article or on the Internet. The fact is that there is very little research on the efficacy of the products available for the control of bed bugs. Presumably, EPA registered products that are labeled for bed bugs should be effective. However, to comment on which product is more effective than another is purely speculation at this point and is not based on current scientific data. For this reason, no specific products are mentioned on this web site.

Another area that is hotly debated is whether or not fogging applications are advisable. Many companies fog structures as part of their management effort. Other companies argue that fogging is not advisable, as it will cause the bed bugs to disperse throughout the structure and drive them deeper into their harborages. Again, comments one way or the other are purely speculation as no scientific data exist to demonstrate exactly what the effect of a fogging application is on a population of bed bugs. Despite the fact that no data exist on this subject, the position that is most likely to be correct is the one that argues against fogging for bed bugs. The reason that this is the case is that Pyrethrum (the chemical that is typically used to fog) is known for its ability to flush or displace insects from their harborages. For this reason it seems likely that the same may be true for bed bugs as well. In addition, the pesticide fog will not effectively penetrate into the tiny cracks and crevices where bed bugs hide.

Rather than debating which product is most effective, greater attention should be placed on the ability of the pest management professional that is implementing the control program. The quality of the bed bug management effort and the level of consumer cooperation will ultimately determine the level of control that will be achieved.

Another concern that arises in association with the use of chemical application is the potential for resistance to the insecticides being applied. The ability of bed bugs to exhibit resistance to pesticides was recently demonstrated by Dr. Michael Potter, Extension Entomologist for the University of Kentucky.

Chemical methods are not the only way to control bed bug infestations. In fact some non-chemical measures are among the most effective in reducing bed bug populations. Vacuums play a major role in bed bug management efforts. Vacuums are used to physically remove as many bed bugs from the mattress, box spring, bed frame, head board, furniture etc. While vacuums are extremely effective, care must be taken to dispose of the contents of the vacuum immediately after use. Bed bugs can live quite happily inside even the dirtiest of vacuums. Vacuum bags should be placed into trash bags, tied shut, and disposed of outside of the home. Bagless vacuums should have the contents of the canister disposed of and the canister washed. Steam is another very effective tool in bed bug management and can be implemented very effectively in a variety of situations to include mattresses and box springs.

High quality mattress and box spring encasements are also very effective and serve two purposes: a properly fitting encasement can be very effective at sealing in any bugs that may have escaped all of the other management efforts as well as protecting the mattress and box spring from becoming re-infested. Bugs trapped inside the encasement will eventually die from starvation and bugs on the outside of the encasement can easily be removed with mechanical methods such as vacuums. It is critical to use high quality encasements that have been specifically designed and tested for use against bed bugs. When purchasing mattress encasements, it is important that the encasements are both bed bug "bite proof" and "escape proof". It is important that encasements are installed correctly so that they are sealed completely, preventing the escape or entry of bugs. If the encasements become ripped or torn they must be replaced. Once installed, the encasements should not be opened or removed in order to insure that any bugs inside do not escape and are eventually starved. Remember, bed bugs can easily survive several months or more without food and in some cases have been observed surviving over a year without a blood meal.