Monthly Archives: September 2022

Bed bugs

Bed bugs are small wingless insects that feed solely upon the blood of warm-blooded animals. Bed bugs and their relatives have evolved as nest parasites. Certain kinds inhabit bird nests and bat roosts and await the return of their hosts; others have adapted well to living in the '˜nests' (homes) of people. Hatchling bed bugs are about the size of a poppy seed, and adults are about 1/4 of an inch in length. From above they are oval in shape, but are flattened from top to bottom.

Their color ranges from nearly white (just after molting) or a light tan to a deep brown or burnt orange. The host's blood may appear as a dark red or black mass within the bug's body. Because they never develop wings, bed bugs cannot fly. When disturbed, bed bugs actively seek shelter in dark cracks and crevices. Cast skins of bed bugs are sometimes discovered. Although such a finding confirms that bed bugs had been present previously, it does not confirm that any continue to infest the residence. Thus, inspect carefully for live crawling bed bugs. Because many other kinds of small brown bugs may be discovered, it is critical to ensure that the bugs are correctly identified.

They will usually bite once a week or so, and they can actually live for a long time without feeding - usually six months, but sometimes over a year.

Bed bugs can infest all kinds of different places in your bedroom. Most often they're in the mattress - in the seams, the box springs, or sometimes the linens. However, they can really be anywhere near where people sleep - furniture within crawling distance, carpet, books, phones - they've been found in all kinds of random things, because they don't create a nest, they just hide somewhere.

Bed bugs used to be nearly completely eliminated in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe - largely because of DDT and because of certain chemicals used against roaches. In recent years, however, there have been rising levels of infestations because

Can bed bugs hurt me?

No, they aren't actually dangerous. However, the bites are annoying and they can cause skin irritation and rashes, especially if you've got a lot of them in the mattress. So it's always a good idea to get rid of them - because each bug can lay four or five eggs a day, leading to a pretty big batch of them if you leave things alone.

Bed bug infestation complaints in New York City have been on the rise, and are expected to continue to rise, if drastic preventative measures are not taken! Did you know that NY bed bug infestations have been reported in public housing, shelters, daycare centers, and even upscale hotels? And did you know thatover 80% of bed bug infestations are found in the mattress or box spring?

Over 80% of bed bug infestations are found in the mattress or box spring! You can be pro-active and take preventative steps to avoid bed bug infestations in your home by protecting your bedding. The problem with bed bugs is that they infiltrate every aspect of your family's life. Even the most basic necessity, a good night's rest, can no longer be taken for granted. With the rapid increase in bed bug infestation, bed time is now fraught with anxiety. Read the tips below and learn what steps to take to protect your home and family.

Bed bug infestations are on the rise in New York City.

New York is known for many things'“it's known for its nightlife, great food, winning sports teams, and Broadway plays, to name but a few NY attractions. NYC is known as the city that never sleeps... but with SecureSleep'„¢ anti-bed bug encasement products, now they can! Watch this space as this page will keep you informed andhelp you stayclear of bed bug infestations. New York Pest Control Professionals are very busy these days, with a variety of treatments for bed bug infestations '“ some effective, some not. But statistics show that 52% of U.S. pest control firms routinely utilize bedding encasements in bed bug treatment protocols. Bed bugs arenocturnal parasites that have resurfaced in New York City. Theycan be hard to detect, but once you have them you will need an exterminator to get rid of them. Find out what you need to know.

And in cities like New York, where neighbors are often separated only by bricks and mortar, one person's infestation is everybody's problem, since bed bugs can crawl through walls and along wiring and pipes, and hitchhike on clothing, furniture, luggage and more. In this city of 8.3 million, it seems as if everyone has a bed bug story.  Just ask Gale A. Brewer, a self-appointed bed bug evangelist and a City Council member from the Upper West Side. She prodded the Mayor's office to convene a bed bug advisory committee last fall, after years of what she and others felt were woeful public policy inadequacies in the face of the relentless advances of what some have called 'œthe pest of the century.' (The committee '” entomologists, civic policy experts and advocates for children, the elderly and others '” will issue its recommendations next month.)

Copyright 2009, 2010 - 2022 © The Bed Bug Treatment and Registry Database

Leg Protectors

Due to the difficulty in eliminating the bugs from the room or dwelling, the (suspected) bed is isolated, thus removing the insects' food source'”humans. Bedbugs cannot crosspetroleum jellyand have difficulty climbingmetalorglass, hence each of the bed legs is put in atincan(the bottom of which is thickly coated with petroleum jelly) to avoid movement from the bed to the hiding places. Although bedbugs cannot fly, they have been observed climbing a higher surface in order to then fall to a lower one, such as climbing a wall in order to fall onto a bed. They can also jump a few centimeters, and so could jump from the wall onto the nearby bed. Hence alternatively, a double-sided stickytape(such as carpet tape) is applied around each bed leg, or to keep each leg on a plastic furniture block in a tray of water. However, this does not prevent bugs from biting you on your couch or in other areas of your dwelling.

Each bed leg will be placed in these containers. Around the middle of each container, I'll tape a ring of super sticky fly tape or specialized insect tape. Thus, when they come out of hiding around 4am to 6am, bed bugs will try to climb up the leg of the bed to reach me. What they wont know is that they are climbing up a yogurt container and are going to be stuck in sticky tape. This bedbug will have a one way trip to his destiny. His little friends can come looking for him by all means!

I got some carpet tape and some empty yogurt containers. I put some masking tape over the containers incase the bed bugs can't climb up the bare plastic. I also sprayed a bit of hair spray on the masking tape to ensure some traction for the bed bugs. Then if you look at the far container, you will notice a white solid ring of carpet tape near the top. This is where I am hoping they will get stuck. Each bed leg on my bed (4 of them) will be inside one of these container trap thingies (see image).

A disinfected bed can be isolated and protected by applying a layer of duct tape around each leg of the bed'”using regular duct tape that has been curled lengthwise over on itself with the sticky side out. This creates a simple yet sticky barrier that will prevent most bedbugs from being able to crawl up the legs and onto the bed. This barrier technique may also be used in multiple strips or rows placed side by side to create an even stronger barrier (in areas where an infestation is heavy or where there exists a higher chance that bedbugs will attempt to crawl over the sticky tape). However, in using duct tape as a barrier, it is usually necessary to first place down a protective layer of some sort to prevent the duct tape from damaging the surfaces adhered to as well as to the prevent the duct tape barrier from leaving behind a sticky residue once it is finally removed. This protective layer, if used, can be created by placing a layer of painter's tape (also called masking tape) around the legs of the bed first'”before placing the duct tape. The painter's tape will help protect the surfaces wherever the 'curled duct tape' barrier is placed as the duct tape is adhered only directly over top the protective layer of painter's tape. Also, as a substitute to masking tape, plastic wrap can be wrapped tightly around the legs of a bed and used as the initial protective layer instead (where the curled duct tape is then placed over the plastic wrap).

Copyright 2009, 2010 - 2022 © The Bed Bug Treatment and Registry Database

Pesticides

With the widespread use ofDDTin the 1940s and'50s, bed bugs mostly disappeared from North America in the mid-twentieth century .Infestations remained common in many other parts of the world and in recent years have also begun to rebound in North America. Thanks to rises in rampant hoarding around the United States,[clarification needed]bed bugs are able to hide and reproduce without immediate detection. Reappearance of bed bugs has presented new challenges for pest control due to their developed resistance to various pesticides including DDT, and organophosphates.In fact, using DDT on today's bed bug makes it more active.

Another reason for their increase is that more pest control services use gel-based pesticide baits for control of cockroaches and ants, the most common pests in structures, instead of residual sprays. When residual sprays were used to kill the more common insect pests, they resulted in the collateral control of bed bug populations. The gel-based insecticides primarily used today to control cockroach and ant populations do not have any effect on bed bugs, as bed bugs are not attracted to baits.

Available in the market are several pesticides to control bed bugs. The list of pesticides for the purpose can be a long one, and you may easily access them or buy them in the market. But professional help from pest control operators are necessary because small failures and mistakes in applying pesticides to control bed bugs may cause more serious problems. The list of pesticides to control bed bugs is ever growing. Every year a handful of additional insecticides make the list longer. This acknowledges how people are concerned with the increasing annoyance and discomfort from having bed bugs at home.

One theory is that the source of current bed bug populations is from other countries without bed bug pesticides that have made their way through air travel, and another theory is that the surviving bed bug populations were forced to switch hosts to birds such aspoultry, andbats.

The most common pesticides and insecticides, from the long list of available ones in the market, for controlling bedbugs usually are classified as:

1. Contact insecticides. These substances have their own long list. Most bed bugs pesticides contain a number of contact insecticides that have the ability to kill bed bugs instantly when they come or get into direct contact with surfaces with the pesticide or its residues.

2. Contact insecticides are normally made up of pyrethoids, which are formulated synthetically or from natural extracts from chrysanthemum flowers. These substances tend to emit smell that instantly knocks out bed bugs. However, bed bugs may develop repelling properties or characteristics against the substance. Hence, using contact insecticides may not mean killing bed bugs, but preventing them from getting into surfaces applied with the pesticide.

3. Insect growth regulators or IGR. These insecticide is also common among the long list of pesticides for controlling bed bugs. The pesticide does not directly target adult or crawling bed bugs. The pesticide's attack on bedbugs is based on the principle that the youngsters are more vulnerable. IGRs affect and directly exterminate eggs or bed bugs that have just hatched. The eggs' and the young bed bugs's development are hindered and stalled, thus, no new generation of bed bugs will follow the current one. IGR application is not a quick way to control bed bugs. From among the other pesticides in the currently existing list, IGR is the slowest, or the insecticide that will have results in the longest time.

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List of pesticides that control bed bugs

The list of pesticides to control bed bugs is ever growing. Every year a handful of additional insecticides make the list longer. This acknowledges how people are concerned with the increasing annoyance and discomfort from having bed bugs at home. The most common pesticides available in the market are: Pyrethrins, Tempo, Allethrin, Delta Dust Flee/ Dragnet, Malathion, Drione Dust and Suspend SC. The list is very incomplete, but the above mentioned are the most common and easily purchasable in the market today. The short listed pesticides are commonly sprayed into areas suspected of being habitat for bed bugs.