Bed Bugs

Prior to Treatment Inspection

A detailed inspection by a qualified pest management professional is the first component of a successful bed bug control program. An inspection of the premises must be performed to identify that bed bugs are indeed the problem, and to obtain a visual estimate of the population to better judge how much time it will take for the treatment. The inspection should focus on:

1. The sleeping areas and objects near the sleeping areas such as headboards, bed frames, night tables, and mattresses.
2.  Inspect the entire dwelling

•  Look for eggs on baseboards, walls, wall outlets, pictures on walls, and luggage.
• Complete a diagram of each room to be treated, and record what was found and where. Note live bugs, staining, eggs and caste skins, record the number found and location.
•  All rooms/apartments adjacent (sides, top and bottom) to the infested room/apartment should be inspected to determine if they too are infested with bed bugs and require treatment.

The process of inspecting and then treating is labor intensive and may require 2 to 3 hours for a typical bedroom. Because eggs are not affected by most insecticides (sprays, dusts, etc) the treatment may need to be repeated in about 2 weeks to kill any newly hatched nymphs. Monitoring devices should be placed in areas where bed bugs were found for at least 1 night prior to treatment in order to obtain a population estimate. Remove and kill any trapped bugs. Leave the monitoring devices in place for future counts. It is important to note that these devices do not reduce bed bug populations. Instead, they will give a relative estimate of the population level. Lack of bed bugs trapped in a monitoring device does not necessarily indicate the premises are pest free.

Preparation for Treatment

1.  Nothing should be removed from the infested room(s) following inspection, to do so might cause the spread of bed bugs to other areas of the structure.
2. Bed frames should be disassembled. Clothing, stuffed animals, and linen (and anything that can be laundered in hot, soapy water and then put in a hot dryer for 30 minutes) should be securely bagged and laundered. Laundering may not kill bed bugs, but high heat from a dryer most likely will.
3.  Remove objects from closets, drawers and under beds and treat if appropriate.
4. Vacuum all areas possible to remove bed bugs, cast skins and possibly eggs. Besides carpets or floors vacuum visible bed bugs from furniture and cracks, crevices and drawers. Vacuuming may also cause any remaining bugs to disperse, making them more susceptible to treatment. Once finished, remove the vacuum bag and place it in a resealable plastic bag, treat with an insecticidal aerosol, such as CB-80 ® , and then discard it.
5. Infested items such as computers, televisions, radios, clocks, books, plastic plants, DVD players and telephones may be treated within a dry heat chamber or bagged and discarded. Any discarded items should be marked to indicate that they are bed bug infested.
6. Mattresses and box springs may be discarded if heavily infested. If treatment can clear these articles of bed bugs, they should be placed in a bed bug encasement and kept in service. Pillow encasements are also commercially available. Before encasing pillows, place them in the dryer for 30 minutes to kill any bed bugs. If the mattress or box spring is discarded, wrap the items in plastic to seal in any bed bugs and eggs and place in dumpster. Permanently mark them to indicate that they are infested with bed bugs.
7. Furniture and all other items must be pulled away from the walls. Stand mattresses and box springs on end if not discarded. Remove the cotton dust cover on the underside of the box spring to expose the internal springs/framing for treatment.

Treatment of Sleeping Areas

1. Once all preparatory work is done, such as stripping the linens off the mattress, use an appropriately labeled insecticide for treatment of mattress tufts or folds such as Transport ® Mikron or GHP Insecticide, D-Force ® or CB-80 aerosols.
2. Treat the bed frame, headboard and box spring with an appropriately labeled insecticide, such as Transport Mikron or GHP Insecticide, D-Force or CB-80 aerosol.
3. Once the mattress is treated and cleared install an appropriate size, bed bug specific mattress encasement. Encasements should be left in place indefinitely.

Treatment of Non-Sleeping Areas

Couches or recliners should be inspected and treated if bed bugs are found. Use CB-80, or Transport GHP insecticide to treat corners, folds, screw holes and other tight cracks and crevices where wood and fabric areas attach to the furniture.

Other areas to be treated include the inside framework of furniture, as well as the back of pictures on the wall, wall outlets, luggage, the attachment points for window treatments, the carpet edge and tack strip, on and under carpeting, inside closets, closet shelve edges and peeling wallpaper. Pay close attention to wood and fabric surfaces which bed bugs prefer.

Attention to detail in treatment is critical for the control of this pest. Every conceivable potential harborage point, down to the space above recessed screws, should at least be inspected and treated as needed. Residual insecticides, such as Transport Mikron or GHP or D-Force should be used to treat cracks, crevices.

Use a dust insecticide in voids where a liquid insecticide is not appropriate, including behind electric switch cover plates, the floor-carpet junction, cracks in baseboards, recessed light fixtures and wall joints.

Monitoring devices can be installed in areas of infestation to help identify the success of treatment and areas in need of more attention.

Treatment Checklist

If bed bugs or evidence of bed bugs are found during inspection, do not remove any items from the room. Preparation

• Disassemble bed frame, remove box spring dust cover and move furniture away from the walls before treatment.
• Securely bag and launder any items that can be laundered (washed in hot, soapy water and then put in a hot dryer).
• Vacuum carpets, floor and furniture to remove any visible bed bugs. When finished, seal vacuum bag, treat with an insecticidal aerosol and discard.
• Inspect couches, chairs, luggage, inside closets, picture frames, carpet edges, recessed screws, and other potential harborage areas. Identify infested items for treatment. • Remove all electrical plates, phone jack covers and light switches.
• Cover fish tanks and turn off pumps.
• Remove all domestic pets from the structure being treated.

Treatment

• Infested electronics, books, plastic plants, etc. should be treated with dry heat, bagged with a DDVP strip, or bagged and discarded
• Mattresses and box springs should be either treated with insecticide or defaced (so no one else will take them) and discarded. If treated, cover with encasements to prevent re- infestation. If treating the mattress, use either CB-40 or CB-80 to flush out insects from hiding spaces, such as tufts, fold and edges.
• Treat other suspected hiding places, such as the box spring, headboard, bed frame, chairs, luggage, inside closets, picture frames, carpet.
• Use insecticide dust or Borid dust to treat behind electric switch and outlet cover plates, recessed light fixtures, voids and other harborage areas where a liquid spray is not appropriate.
• Once you have completed the treatment of the infested room and the items in it move to the adjacent rooms for inspection/treatment.
• Schedule a follow up inspection/treatment