1. Bedbugs: A Growing Concern
Presented by: Kandace L. Fisher-McLean, PhD, HHS
Housing and Environmental Design Specialist
National Coordinator Healthy Homes Partnership
University of Missouri – Extension

2. Bedbugs How did they become a problem? Why are they a problem?
What do they look like?
What are their habits?
How do I prevent bringing bedbugs home with me?
How do I know if I have bedbugs?
How do I inspect for them in my home? Where would I find them?
How do I eliminate bedbugs from my home?

3. Bedbugs
IDENTIFICATION
PREVENTION
DETECTION
TREATMENT

4. A Brief History…..
In Medieval Times, bedbugs mostly troubled rich people
They became a problem for everyone when the quality of homes improved
Populations decreased after WWII
Use of DDT, changes in home design, and vacuum cleaner upgrades
Globalization related to their return
People and goods travel extensively
Reduced use of indoor pesticides

5. Identification Bedbug (cimex lectularius)
Immature stage bedbug (nymph) – 1 millimeter long (smaller; lighter in color)
Adult stage – Size of an adult tick
Small, flat, reddish-brown, oval-shaped, about ¼” long
Non-flying and don’t jump; rely of humans to transport them……”hitchhikers”
Rapid crawlers

6. Identification – Bedbug bite
Painless and usually occurs at night
Sensitivity to bites varies by individual
Exhaled Carbon Dioxide, body heat, body chemistry
Mainly feed on exposed skin
Face, neck, arms
Bites usually appear as 3 to 4 welts
Not known to transmit diseases to humans
Pose less of a risk than mosquitos!

7. Identification
At degrees Fahrenheit, bedbugs fully mature in 1 month
Can produce multiple generations per year
Feed (on your blood) at night (nocturnal) and return to shelter in daylight
Can live for 6 months without feeding; unusual for most insects

8. Preventing Bedbugs Who are the groups most “at-risk?”
Travelers frequenting hotels, motels, hostels, B & B’s, etc. (any place that has lots of frequent turnover in guests).
Anyone who visits various homes as part of their job
Social workers, emergency workers, pest professionals, inspectors, construction estimators, realtors, etc.
Schools and daycares

9. Preventing Bedbugs Who are the groups most “at-risk?”
Low-income (those who can’t afford a pest-professional)
Those living in multi-family housing, dorms, shelters, prisons, etc.
Buildings/homes in close proximity to one another
Trains, planes, ships, and buses!

10. Tips for Travelers
Bedbugs hitchhike in luggage, purses, computer bags, coats, linens, etc.
Check the room BEFORE you bring your luggage in and unpack!!!
Keep a small flashlight in your suitcase for inspection of hard to see hiding places
Check it out:
Bed seams
Between mattress and box spring
Along and behind headboard of bed
Behind pictures
Inside drawers
Luggage rack

11. Returning Home from Traveling
Particularly if you suspect bedbugs (but a good habit in general)
Wash and dry clothing items immediately upon returning home from a trip
If you suspect bedbugs (complaints about bedbugs or bites/welts after stay), don’t bring clothes inside.
Immediately, transport to plastic bag outside and directly into washer/dryer
Wash in hot water and dry on high heat
Inspect suitcase with a flashlight before storing away

12. Workers Entering Homes
Remember! Bedbugs are nocturnal and remain in hiding during the day!
Transporting bedbugs during the day is minimal
Bring in only what you need
Leave purse, coat, etc. in your vehicle
Do not place coats, purses, computer bags or sit on beds, couches, or floors

13. Workers Entering Homes
Place your items on a hard surface away from sleeping area
Sit on a hard chair, rather than an upholstered couch or chair
Avoid leaning or brushing up against beds or upholstered furniture
Launder clothing in hot water and dry on high heat when returning home

14. Bedbugs in School Settings1.
Bedbugs in School Settings
Hitch-hike on student’s belongings or faculty and staff who have infestations at home
Bugs fall off clothing or back-packs and discovered on desks, in lockers, and on other items from home
Transfer from one student to another is unlikely but possible

15. Bedbugs in School Settings1.
Bedbugs in School Settings
Students may need a clean set of clothes and back-pack for use at school
Place articles from home in air tight containers or double bagged large capacity plastic storage bags
Students with bed bugs should not be excluded from school, bed bugs take months to remediate and some families do not have the resources to ever eradicate them
Students may bring or be provided with clean clothing and a back- pack for use in school, thus avoiding bed bug issues in class

16. Bedbugs in School Settings
Discourage bedding and articles from home being brought in
Students changing at school should do so in an area that can be cleaned daily
Washing does not kill bed bugs, drying in a clothes dryer does
Items that can not be washed may be placed in a freezer for 4 days
Normal hard surface cleaning and vacuuming should be undertaken
Bed bugs, head lice and scabies mites are all killed in a clothes dryer – Robert LaMorte, University of Arizona

17. Detection 85-90% of bedbugs are found in bedroom
mattress, box spring, or within 15 feet of the bed
Dark and isolated = ideal for bedbugs!
Early infestation = found around seams of bed
Spread to cracks in bed frame, gaps in baseboards, window and doors, wall paper, picture frames, drawers, books, magazines
Look for the insects, their cast skins, and eggs near crevices.

18. Detection
Check pillowcases, sheets, and mattress for bloodstains, smears, or flecks (the sign of their feeding).
When populations are high: pungent, sweet odor like raspberries.
Small rust stains on mattress and box spring from bedbugs excreting liquid fecal drops after ingesting blood.

19. Detecting Bedbugs: Hiding places
Seams, creases, tufts, and folds of the mattress and box spring
Cracks in the head board and bed frame
Underneath chairs, couches, beds, and dustcovers
Between the cushions of upholstered furniture

20. Detecting Bedbugs: Hiding places
Underneath area rugs and the edges of carpet
Between the fold of drapery or curtains
In the drawers of night stands and dressers
Behind the baseboards
Around door and window casings

21. Detecting Bedbugs: Hiding places
Behind electric switch plates
Under loose wallpaper, paintings, posters, etc.
In cracks in the plaster
In telephones, radios, clocks, televisions, etc.

22. Detecting Bedbugs: Hiding places
Inspect NEW and USED furniture before bringing into your home; launder clothing and upholstered items from resale shops immediately
Look in narrow spaces, along the seams, under folds of cloth, and under cushions
Books, magazines, junk mail
Don’t bring home “abandoned furniture”

23. Treating a Bedbug Infestation
RELAX! Bedbugs are not known to transmit any diseases to humans
They actually pose less of a risk to humans than mosquitos!
BUT….Bedbugs are a nuisance and difficult/expensive to eliminate
Don’t immediately resort to the use of pesticides!
Could be dangerous to health is improperly applied
No “magic” chemical potion exists
Best strategy: Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
variety of practical techniques and products (chemical and non-chemical) that pose the lowest risk to our health and to the environment.

24. What is Integrated Pest Management? (IPM)
Integrated: Uses multiple approaches that work together
Pest: What the multiple approaches work to fight
Management: Use of the most economical means with the least possible risk to people, property, and the environment.

25. Treatment: Clean and De-Clutter
Cluttered homes give bedbugs a place to hide and make insecticide treatments impossible
Seal clothes in bags for laundering
Clean under the bed
Don’t move items to other rooms because you could spread infestation

26. Treatment: Clean and De-Clutter
Bag and throw away items you no longer use
Throw away items of no value (junk mail, magazines, boxes, broken items, etc.)
Laundry bags that dissolve in the washer
Pack clothes in bags and throw directly in laundry
Also reduces risk of throwing away an infested bag and spreading to someone else
Price: Approximately $1.00 a piece or 100 bags for $ (Amazon Marketplace).

27. Treatment: Bedbug Detection Devices
Past technique: tuna cans full of water under legs of bed!!! 
Modern devices include the ClimbUPTM insect interceptor
Move bed away from wall
No bedding or dust ruffle touching floor
Place device under each leg
Device is rough on outside and coated with talc on inside
Bugs crawl up, fall in, and cannot escape
Will no eliminate infestation, but will significantly reduce population size

28. Treatment: Vacuuming
A high powered vacuum will help remove not only live bedbugs, but dead bugs, molted skin, egg shells, and feces.
No vacuum is powerful enough to remove all bedbug eggs
Throw away infested vacuum bag outside of house

29. Treatment: Steam Bed bugs don’t like HEAT!
Thermal death point: degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat can be used to kill them and their eggs in furniture and carpeting
Professional steam cleaner is excellent method of treatment
Mattresses, couches, and other places where chemical treatments are undesirable.

30. Treatment: Diatomaceous Earth
Desiccant dust made of the silica-based skeletons of microorganisms called diatoms
Dust kills bed bugs by sticking to the outside of their bodies and dehydrates them.
DE is very safe to use and has a broad label allowing the product to be applied in many locations where insecticidal dusts cannot (bed frames, carpeting, pet bedding).

31. Treatment: Mattress Encasements
Mattress encasements = quality bed bug management
Encasement is intended to seal mattress so no bugs can infest your mattress, and any bed bugs currently infesting your mattress can never bite through or escape.
Extremely important that the mattress encasement be placed on both the mattress and the box spring.
If you cannot afford to encase both, make sure that the box spring is put into the encasement
Not all encasements are created equal! Be sure to purchase one that is designed for bedbug management and that has a quality zipper!

32. Treatment: Heating Systems
Super heating infested rooms
ThermaPureHeat and Temp-Air Heat Remediation System
Propane heat or electric heaters used to raise the temperature inside the room to 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat is blown into room for several hours
Temperature is monitored with several sensors
Once thermal death point is reached on all sensors, heating process is continued for 60 minutes to kill bugs and their eggs
Can kill bedbugs in a single treatment and do not have to remove belongings

33. Treatment Other DIY techniques: Sticky traps Glue boards
Double sided tape
Caulk
Make your bed an island
Personal freezer

34. Treatment: Insecticides
To completely eliminate a bed bug infestation usually need at least some form of insecticide.
Insecticide treatments that are conducted thoroughly and correctly by a licensed PMP can be a very effective way of controlling bed bugs.
A thorough insecticide treatment should involve 2-3 visits from the PMP, as it is unlikely all the bed bugs will be killed in the initial treatment.  

35. Treatment: Insecticides
Most insecticides that can be purchased by the public in hardware stores are ineffective
Foggers are ineffective in killing and controlling bedbugs

36. Educating Parents About Bed Bugs
Educating Parents About Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are showing up in schools and talking about it may be a challenge
Parents and staff will panic less if they hear about the possibility of it happening before it actually does
Let parents know that your school district is aware that an increasing number of families are battling bed bugs at home
A well communicated school district bed bug policy is extremely important
Communicating instructions on how to send students to school free of bed bugs is extremely helpful

37. Educating Parents About Bed Bugs
Some states require notifying parents and staff if an infestation is found (multiple bed bugs reproducing in an area), a single bed bug is not an infestation
References and Resources
Bed bug training presentation 2.pdf
Action Plan for schools schools1.pdf
Bed bug resources for schools disease/epi/bedbugs/
Bed bug information kit for schools bed-bug-info-kit-feb-2011.pdf

38. Bedbugs in School: What to Avoid
Try not to overreact
Do not close the school
Do not send a student home
Immediately applying pesticides
Stigmatizing the student

39. Bedbugs in School: Code of Practice
How would you respond to a single bedbug that is found?
How would you respond to one or more bedbugs that are found?
Develop policies and procedures and educate parents, faculty, and staff
Be PROACTIVE, not REACTIVE

40. Educate Parents School has an action plan in place
Anyone can get bedbugs
Bedbugs are not a sign of sanitary issues
School will not close unless necessary
Parents and school officials have a proactive role to play
Notify school if bedbugs are found in the home
Send a bedbug awareness flier home

41. Students Found with Bedbugs
Remove student from classroom
Check student’s clothing and belongings
Contact parents
Educate parents
Do not exclude students from school and do not close school
Prevent bedbug hysteria

42. Hotspots in Schools
Closets and lockers where hats, coats, books, backpacks etc. are stored
Any areas with upholstered furniture (faculty lounge, etc.)
Childcare facilities with sleeping facilities or dormitories

43. Inspecting Schools Inspect area where bedbug was found
Inspect desks, floors, walls, lockers, etc. particularly where personal items are stored
Contact an integrated pest management professional for an inspection
Map out sights of confirmed sightings

44. Additional Tips for Schools
Separate student backpacks and coats
Provide enough space so that students belongings are not touching
Empty and clean lockers and storage facilities, and cubbies regularly

45. Questions?

46. Contact Information
Kandace L. Fisher-McLean, PhD, HHS
Housing and Environmental Design Specialist
National Coordinator – Healthy Homes Partnership
University of Missouri Extension
132 E. Monroe Ave., Kirkwood, MO 63122

47. References
Entomology at the University of Kentucky; Michael Potter, Urban Entomologist
Understanding Bedbug Treatments: University of Minnesota
tenants/understanding-treatments
Bedbugs are Back! An IPM Answer: Cornell Cooperative Extension
Non-Chemical Bedbug Management: Dini M. Miller, Ph.D., Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech

48. References
Taking the Bite Out of Bedbugs: North Dakota State University
Janet J. Knodel, Extension Entomologist and Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, NDSU
Patrick B. Beauzay, Reserch Specialist, Department of Entomology, NDSU
G.A.S.M. Ganehiarachichi, Department of Zoology, University of Kelaniya, Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
omology-insect-ecology/BedBugs/NDSUFactSheet.pdf

49. References Bedbugs Stop School Pests
Dawn Gouge, Shujuan Li, Shaku Nair, Tim Stock, Sam Bryks, Carrie R. Ross, Alvaro Romero, Deborah J. Young, Aimee Code
/files/pubs/az pdf
Stop School Pests