Bed bugs are back and are making the lives of many people a living nightmare. The number of bed bug cases in the United States and Utah is growing at alarming rates. Few pests are as difficult to detect and control as bed bugs. They are hard to find, persistent, and increasingly pervasive, and thus require considerable professional expertise and significant client cooperation.

An adult bed bug is about 1/4 inch long and less then 1/8 inch wide, although sizes vary depending on the environment. They are brown to reddish-brown in color. Bed bugs are flat and oval in shape. A female can lay 1-5 eggs per day. Those eggs can hatch in 7-10 days.

They feed almost exclusively on human blood. They are typically nocturnal and very cryptic in nature. They feed at night and then return to their hiding places for a week or more. Bed bugs can survive several months without feeding. For the most part, the public is not well-educated on the growing bed bug problem and signs of an infestation. So, since they are difficult to detect, bed bugs go a long time without identification and treatment. Typically bed bugs will be in a home, apartment, or hotel for several months before they are even noticed.

Bed bugs are not just found in mattresses but can be found anywhere including box springs, bed frame,s popcorn ceilings, power outlets, headboards, couches, dressers, and virtually anywhere.

Bed bugs are difficult to control. Some of the reasons they are difficult to eliminate include:

1. They are difficult to detect early in an infestation.
2. Monitoring tools are ineffective.
3. Bed bugs may re-infest or disperse to new areas.
4. Bed bug eggs pose special difficulties.
5. Bed bugs have long periods of inactivity.
6. Bed Bugs are showing great resistance to pyrethroid chemicals.
7. Cooperation from managers, staff, or residents is often lacking.

How do bed bugs Spread?

Bed bugs can spread by simply walking and spreading to adjacent areas, but most of the time they hitchhike. Bed bugs hitchhike on clothing, luggage, used furniture, and other items. Bed bugs can even crawl onto someone while seated on an infested couch or bed and then fall off when they arrive home later.

Children playing together or having sleep overs can spread bed bugs from one home to another. They are also spread frequently in hotels. If a hotel room is infested they can crawl onto luggage, bags, or clothing and take a ride back to your home.

Be cautious when purchasing used furniture and never pick up furniture that has been discarded on the street!

Bed Bug Prevention

1. Being Educated
2. Removing Clutter
3. Do not store things under bed
4. Mattress Encasement
5. Isolate bed where possible (ie. Keep bed a few inches from the wall and nightstand)
6. Preventive insecticide barriers using phantom
7. Be careful purchasing used furniture
8. Act Immediately if you suspect bed bugs

What you can do to help eliminate bed bugs

Remove Clutter – Clutter provides bed bugs limitless hiding places and makes finding and treating them a nightmare. If clutter is not eliminated, treatment is sometimes impossible.

Remove things from under bed – Items stored under a bed provide great hiding places for bed bugs that are close to their source of food, you.

Wash bedding – Wash bedding regularly in hot water and dry on a hot cycle to kill any bed bugs or eggs. Eggs are very difficult to detect, and females deposit them as they roam.

Vacuum – Vacuum bed bugs as you see them. Every bed bug you kill helps eliminate the population. Vacuuming also gives you an opportunity to inspect the mattress and box spring, as well as baseboards and carpet, couches, furniture, and all other infested areas. Bed bugs may survive a ride in a vacuum, so be sure to immediately dump contents of the vacuum into a bag, seal the bag, and take it outside.

Wash clothing – Wash any clothes that may be infested or stored in infested dressers in hot water and dry on a hot cycle. Do not store clean clothes with clothes that have not been laundered and may be infested.

Kill bed bugs when found – Squish bed bugs as you see them. Be careful as this may stain some surfaces. Picking them up and squishing them in a paper towel works well.

Install proper mattress encasement – Install mattress encasements that are labeled to protect against bed bugs. Not all bed bug encasements are built the same and they must be escape proof to work so cheap encasements may not be a wise investment. Proper encasements will trap bed bugs inside mattresses and will allow for easy inspection on the outside of the encasement.

Do not change where you sleep or leave your home – This is a very hard thing to do when you are being bit, but if you change where you are sleeping, the bed bugs will follow. They can travel across a home for a blood meal. This will only spread the infestation to other areas of the home and might make treatment more difficult and more costly. If you leave home, you run a very high risk of bringing the bed bugs with you on your belongings.

Contact a professional – Do not try and treat for bed bugs by yourself. Most health risks from pesticides are caused by homeowners over-applying their own chemicals. Chemicals can be very dangerous if not applied correctly. Professional pest control technicians go through tests and constant training to make sure they properly know their chemicals and where to treat. Also, you can drive the bed bugs deep into hiding or spread the problem making it harder to eliminate the bed bugs. Bed bugs are very difficult to treat and should be left to an experienced professional.

How to choose a professional for bed bug control

• A pest control company should be able to answer all your questions on bed bugs.
• They should spend several hours inspecting the home or use a bed bug detection canine along with visual inspection.
• They should have a strict protocol on what will be done during treatment and have a plan for follow-up treatments.
• They should have clear communication with you on what they are doing and what the future plan is.
• They should use a variety of treatment techniques and chemicals including steam, heat, vacuuming, encasements, and insecticides. If they are using one product, be concerned.
• Treatment should take several hours. Every last bed bug must be found and killed or treatments will not yield the results you are hoping for.