Monthly Archives: March 2016

A parasite is an animal or plant that lives in or on another living animal or plant. The parasite obtains nourishment from the host without either benefiting or, at least in the short term, killing the host. An ectoparasite is just a parasite that lives primarily on the outer surface of its host.

The Bed Bug (scientific name Cimex lectularius) is one of several closely related species of parasitic bugs that feed on blood. All of these species are relatively host specific (that is, they feed from only one species of host), and the Bed Bug shows a strong preference for feeding on humans.

Bed Bugs are widely distributed, and have been found in association with man worldwide. They are believed to have evolved from a bug that preyed on cave dwelling bats or pigeons, and their association with man to be (relatively) recent.

The adult Bed Bug is brown, oval, flattened, and about 4-5 mm in length when unfed. Newly hatched nymphs are paler and somewhat translucent. After feeding the body becomes swollen and elongated, and the color becomes darker (a red or rusty brown). All stages are wingless.

The Bed Bugs life cycle is similar to that of cockroaches. Female Bed Bugs lay a single small, ovoid, milky white egg (under one mm in length) that has a cap at one end. The eggs are cemented to surfaces by the female (making them very difficult to dislodge by simple cleaning techniques). Females may lay up to five eggs per day, with a total production of about 500 during their lifetime. The eggs hatch after about ten days, with the nymph Bed Bug pushing open the cap.

Nymph Bed Bugs look like small versions of the adult, and progress through five molts before reaching the sexually mature adult stage. Development to adult takes about five weeks under average conditions. The nymphs require a blood meal prior to each molt, and the adult females require a blood meal in order to produce each batch of eggs.

Bed Bugs are nocturnal and cryptic, excellent survival characteristics for a parasite. They prefer to live in narrow cracks close to the hosts resting site (seeming to prefer horizontal cracks over vertical), and will rarely leave the protection of their harborage until the environment is both dark and quiet. They are gregarious, and like to be in contact with other Bed Bugs when resting.

Feeding usually takes place in the early hours of the morning when the host is immobile, with adults feeding on average about every three to five nights. They locate the host by using environmental clues such as warmth and respiratory signs, and exposed areas of the host are most likely to be selected as feeding sites. Feeding is usually completed within a few minutes.

Bed Bugs produce a sweet sickly odor from glands at their anal end as soon as they start to feed. This acts as a stimulant to other Bed Bugs, and causes them to increase their activity in search of food. Feeding causes considerable abdominal swelling of the insect in order to accommodate the blood. This increase in size would prevent the Bed Bug from returning to its harborage, and so it excretes the excess water, retaining only the nutrients and solids. This excreta causes black sticky marks to be left on surfaces near the resting sites.

Adult Bed Bugs usually have a lifespan of about nine months, but have been known to survive much longer during adverse conditions (they may enter a form of inactivity or hibernation if the temperature drops below 13 degrees Celsius for extended periods). Additionally, Bed Bug colonies have been shown to survive for very long periods without feeding, over a year in some cases. This is believed to be linked to certain altruistic feeding behaviors, and possibly an evolutionary development for exoparasites of migratory hosts such as birds.

The damage caused to the host by feeding is negligible, and the quantity of blood lost to feeding is not normally significant to well fed adults from developed countries (although this may not be the case for under-nourished hosts or young children).

(Video Credits: David Cain, Bed-Bugs.co.uk)

Bed Bugs are insects in the order Hemiptera (referred to as true bugs by scientists). All the members of this order have beak like piercing mouthparts which are used to suck a liquid diet. In most of the Hemiptera this is obtained from plants (they suck the plant sap), but in the parasitic bugs it is obtained from warm blooded animals (the blood of mammals and birds).

The saliva contains a number of important ingredients. They include an anticoagulant to ease feeding and ensure the hosts blood does not clot and block the mouthparts, an anesthetic to reduce the chances of a potentially fatal retaliation from the host, and enzymes to start the digestive process. This is significant, as these materials are all detected as foreign proteins by the host, and it is the hosts own immune reaction to these invading materials that causes the development of the itches and lumps associated with insect bites.

Bed Bugs, in common with many Hemiptera, possess a venomous bite that is quite distinct from their feeding bite. Bed Bugs are not normally aggressive and will not bite venomously unless seriously disturbed, but they have been known to do so when irritated by treatment with control chemicals. While rarely significant, the Bed Bugs venomous bite is described as very painful, and usually results in considerable swelling.

The common Bed Bug is not the only parasitic true bug that may be encountered. There are a few other relatives of the Bed Bug that have been described commonly biting man, and several others that do not feed on man but are found occasionally in human dwellings and may be confused with Bed Bugs.

Cimex hemipterus is very similar to the Bed Bug. C. hemipterus is confined to tropical regions (including Florida), but otherwise retains as much pest potential.

Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella are primarily parasites of bats. These species are sometimes found in structures where the host has taken residence (usually the roof space or a structural void), and may even be found entering the human areas of the structure if the host has vacated their roost. These species will not normally bite people, and the site of infestation is often a strong clue to the species.

Continue reading here: Biology & Life Cycle of a Bed Bug- BB ALERT

Excerpt from:
Bed bugs life cycle

This is the first in a series of which point you to local information. Most of what we have so far is on Cincinnati and Hamilton County, though this page will also include Northern Kentucky and Southeastern Indiana. I welcome additional tips and links to be added; please comment below if you have any. Thanks!

Bed bugs are a big problem in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Spring 2008 Greater Cincinnati Health Survey conducted by The University of Cincinnati Institute for Policy Research found that 14.5% of Cincinnati residents have had bed bugs (thats one in seven people, and that was the statistic in 2008 the numbers are likely greater now).

Self-treatment is common in Cincinnati, which is likely helping bed bugs spread there. The Greater Cincinnati Health Survey also found that 31% of Cincinnati residents with bed bugs had used only an over-the-counter spray to treat their problem. (This is unlikely to solve a bed bug problem.)

Attempting to get rid of bed bugs with alcohol or OTC pesticides, local residents have set their homes on fire in Cincinnati, and in Hamilton County, where fourteen people were displaced after someone tried to treat bed bugs using alcohol-based pesticides while smoking.

In 2009, Ohio requested an emergency exemption request for pest professionals to be able to use the pesticide Propoxur to treat bed bugs (under certain controlled conditions). This was denied in June 2010, and again in January 2011.

In January 2008, there was a tri-state (Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana) meeting about bed bugs. Also in 2008, Cincinnati and Hamilton County formed a Joint Bed Bug Task Force. You can download their Strategic Plan at New York vs. Bed Bugs.

We try to include correct and up-to-date local information where possible. However, we cannot be responsible for the accuracy of information on this website. Please double check local laws and regulations to be sure information is correct and has not changed. We are not lawyers and cannot give legal advice. If you have questions about the law and how it applies to your case, please consult a lawyer.

Note: for Ohio residents, the Ohio Department of Health will provide identification services for samples sent in by Ohio residents. You can download this form or call ODH at (614) 752-1029 and press Option 1 for information.

Jump to: Cincinnati, Hamilton County, Northern Kentucky

The City of Cincinnati has a two-minute Public Service Announcement video produced by the CHD Environmental Division on their bed bug page. (Click here to download and view it.) It suggests homeowners are responsible for their own treatment, while tenants must notify their landlords and cooperate with treatment.

However, the Strategic Plan of the JBBTF says,

The laws that govern the actions of the Cincinnati Health Department include Board of Health Regulations 00053-9(D), 00053-9(E) and 00053-11(D), as well as the Neighborhood Quality of Life Code, CMC 1601-17 (Title XVI), and Ohio state law. The Board of Health and city municipal code regulations assign responsibility for abatement of vermin to both the owner/ manager and the occupant of an infested building. This means that the Health Department may not be able to enforce abatement orders against owner/managers of large apartment buildings without also enforcing abatement orders against the tenants.

In other words, landlords do not have to pay for treatment in Cincinnati.

And tenants can no longer get their units inspected by the city. Even though requests for bed bug inspections went from 70 in 2007 to 750 in 2008, Cincinnati stopped funding bed bug inspection program in the 2009 budget, and bed bug inspections ceased there in January 2009. (More on this here). The Cincinnati PSA says that anyone can call the City of Cincinnati Customer Service at 513-591-6000 for more information about bed bugs, to receive informational materials, or to arrange pickup for infested furniture if needed. (Note: infested furniture can often be treated to remove bed bugs, and many experts recommend this instead of tossing it out.)

The PSA states that regulations may require that any insecticidal applications be made by a licensed pest control operator. (Note: I suspect this may relate to the number of units in the building, as appears to be the case in the case of Hamilton County; more below on the laws there.)

(The Cincinnati PSA is not bad but I am not sure about the suggestion that items should be washed on hot then placed in a hot dryer for only 5 minutes; we understand that Dr. Michael Potters research showed bed bugs were killed in dried clothing which was put in a hot dryer for 10 minutes; we do not know of research which shows 5 minutes is enough time in which to kill bed bugs in wet clothing. If someone has a reference, please share it in the comments below. More on how to kill bed bugs in clothing in this FAQ.)

Bedbugger stories about bed bugs in Cincinnati.

Hamilton County Public Health has a general brochure on bed bugs (PDF), which states,

If you rent a home or apartment within Hamilton County (excluding cities of Cincinnati, Norwood, Sharonville or Springdale) and you think you have bed bugs, please contact the Hamilton County Public Health at (513) 946-7832. Sanitarians will work with your landlord to eliminate the problem.

(This map shows the service area for HCPH.)

The JBBTF STrategic Plan notes,

The laws that govern the actions of Hamilton County Public Health are County code PHESR 1-67, Section 4.16, as well as Ohio state law. PHESR 1-67 allows citation of owners for abatement of vermin.

Renee Corea of New York vs. Bed Bugs interviewed Jeremy Hessel of HCPH and this provides additional insight on the laws and resources there,

Under Ohio Department of Agriculture pesticide rules, an owner of a building of three units or less is allowed to treat the building without an applicator license. Hessel considers this a significant challenge in Hamilton County. Nonetheless, building owners have started to come round to the idea of hiring competent pest management professionals to service bed bug complaints in their properties, and theyre starting to understand what is required for eradication.

Who pays for treatments in Hamilton County? When tenants were being charged for bed bug treatments, Hessel said, Hamilton County consulted Legal Aid attorneys on their behalf. Unless the landlord could prove that the tenant brought them in or that unreasonable destruction was caused by the tenant, the landlord was responsible.

Corea also cites Hessel encouraging homeowners to call HCPH for advice and guidance on bed bugs, saying:

Well try to give as much guidance as possible, and sometimes we even go to their homes.

You can contact HCPH here.

Hamilton County Public Health also provides guidelines for social workers and home health care nurses (PDF) and guidelines for schools (PDF).

Hamilton County residents can go here to file a Public Nuisance Complaint about bed bugs in public places or rental homes. You can file a complaint anonymously, but including your name, and street or email address means you can receive an update on the outcome of the investigation.

Bedbugger stories about bed bugs in Hamilton County.

Bed bugs have hit many Northern Kentucky homes, as well as other places as diverse as the IRS offices in Covington (in 2008), the Northern Kentucky University dorms, and the Burlington Library (note: Boone Co. libraries are now taking steps to avoid further problems).

The Northern Kentucky Health Department has a fact sheet you can read online (or download as a PDF).

It suggests that for more information about bed bugs, you can call the Northern Kentucky Health Departments Environmental Health and Safety office at 859.341.4151. Since we do not yet have information on laws regarding who pays for bed bug treatment in rented homes in the area, we suggest you also direct such questions to the Health Department, or ask them who to consult. (Please send us links to relevant information if you find it.)

Bedbugger stories about bed bugs in Northern Kentucky.

(You can view additional bed bug fact sheets, such as those from OSU and the U of Kentucky, as well as other resources such as manuals about bed bugs and treatment options look under Comprehensive Guides in our Resources page.)

Last updated 1/25/2011

Go here to see the original:
Bed bugs in Cincinnati (including regional area)