Bed Bugs: Effective Control

Introduction  Steve Peltier has over 35 years experience in Pest Management  Steve’s Pest Management has completed over 10,000 Bed Bug services since 2006  Steve’s is one of the largest Pest Management companies in Ontario  Our Technicians are professionally trained and certified on an ongoing basis.

Agenda  Bed Bugs in History  Current Pandemic News  Bed Bug Biology  Bed Bug Activity  Prevention  Inspection  Treatment

History of Cimex lectularius L

Bed Bugs Through History  First developed in Caves feeding on Bats, mammals and Humans in the ancient middle east  Mentioned in writings of ancient Greece/Egypt/Rome, like Socrates  First BB Exterminator John Southal 1700’s  1800 to early 1900’s estimated that 1/3 of all homes had BB’s and 100% of low- income housing

Bed Bugs in the NEWS!

Bed bug Biology  Adults are the size of an Apple Seed  Broadly oval & flat  Reddish Brown  Upto 1 year w/o feeding  Survive temps from 0-32 celcius & fahrenheit  Get in a Crack the width of a business card

Life Cycle

Life Stages Eggs  Survival Capsules  Laid in sheltered area  Hard to remove Nymphs  5 Instar Stages  Must feed to molt Adult  Live upto 2 years  10 BB’s can become 15,000 in 4 months

Bed Bug Activity  Nocturnal  Attracted to heat sources/CO2 upto 20 feet away  Not proven to transmit disease  CDN study that links MRSA with BB’s  Will travel hallways in search of hosts  Hitchhikers – will attach to you

Prevention Multi-Unit Dwellings  Second highest risk group for spread  Higher turnover = higher risk  Most buildings are not sealed well  DE or Silica Preventative Dusting  100% effective after 14 days*  Tenant Education Sessions/Packages  Kill rooms being installed  Liability for BB’s being written into leases.

Inspections Multi-Unit Dwellings  Look for: Live BB’s, Eggs, Casings, Fecal stains  Already infested in 1 unit, Inspect ALL  Untreated 10 BB’s become 15,000  Inspections widen until presence confirmed or inconclusive.  Weekly/Monthly ‘light’ inspections by maintenance staff  Time to treat is at low level, do NOT wait.

Treatments Multi-Unit Dwellings  Clear advantage in multi-layered defense  Steam, Heat, Bed encasement, Climb ups, DE dusting, education sessions  All current chemicals only kill on contact  Continual use High Heat Steamers  Total heat is most effective post-treatment  Use mechanical dusters, not DIY  Every layer provides more protection

Effective Tools