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Treatment and Removal

America is facing a bed bug outbreak of explosive proportions - and the resistance of the blood suckers to commonly usedpesticidesmeans there is no magical cure, public health and pest control experts warned today.

Bed bug outbreaks in the US have tripled since 2005, a conference put on by the Environmental Protection Agency was told.

"It's become a trajectory. We are at the point similar to the Aids virus where everyone knows someone who has had bed bugs or have had it themselves," said Dini Miller, the urban pest management specialist for the state of Virginia.

"Right now we are kind of at a loss at what the best answer is," she said. "We didn't realise how tough they would be."

The EPA gathered experts in entomology and pest control as well as government officials to a two-day conference designed to chart a new strategy for dealing with a sudden and bewildering rise in bed bug infestations that has cut across class and region, affecting poor urban neighbourhoods and luxury resort hotels from New York City to Honolulu.

Bed bugs were once thought eliminated in the US. The conference - or summit as billed by the EPA - was told their return after nearly half a century was due to changes in pesticide use and increased resistance to pesticides by the bed bugs, as well as increased travel.

There are many insecticides that are available in both dust and spray applications. Some of the primary ingredients to look for when choosing something proven to combat bed bugs include permethrin, propoxur, chlorpyrifos, cyfluthrin, fencalerate, benseneacatate, and resmethrin. Most of these products are available in retail and hardware store. Hydoprene is an insecticide that does not actually get rid of bed bugs outright, rather it works to sterilize adult bed bugs. While the process may take a bit longer it tends to ensure the eventual end of the infestation. For a more organic approach you might consider the use of non-residual pyrethrin. This form of insect control is derived from the chrysanthemum flower and routinely kills insects on contact.

General housecleaning measures, such as vacuuming floors and surfaces, seldom reaches the places where bed bugs hide. Targeted vacuuming of infested harborages, however, can help remove some of the bugs before treatment with insecticides. Bed bugs and especially the eggs can be difficult to dislodge. Optimum results will be achieved by moving and scraping the end of the suction wand along infested areas such as seams and fabric folds of beds and sofas, and the perimeter edge of wall-to-wall carpets. Afterward, dispose of the vacuum contents in a sealed trash bag. You must first locate where the bed bugs live. Remember, just because they are called bed bugs, doesn't mean they can't live in other areas of the home. Once the bed bugs are located, there are many control methods that may be used to combat the bed bugs. Vacuuming all visible bed bugs from the mattresses and box springs and their other known dwellings is an effective removal option. Ensure the vacuum bag is removed, sealed, and disposed of immediately after the vacuuming process. Mattresses and pillows can be cleaned, paying particular attention to the seams and ribbing of the mattress, to kill any remaining bed bugs. Seal the mattress and box springs in plastic bags to make sure any missed bugs do not attempt to escape. Bed linens and drapes can be dry cleaned or wet washed with a cleaning detergent and bleach in hot water.

Bed Bug Various Treatments work in Synergy. The 1 + 1 = 3

The transmission of bed bug eggs is also an issue. It is not uncommon for the live bed bugs amongst an infestation to be completely eradicated during an effective treatment cycle only to have the remaining or surviving eggs hatch and re infest the location. The bed bug eggs themselves are usually unaffected by and/or not killed by most approved pesticides. The eggs can also have an incubation period of up to several weeks and may be deposited in hidden areas that are difficult to penetrate, difficult to find, or simply hidden away from what otherwise would have been a quick lethal treatment (i.e., lethal treatment such as the killing of a bed bug's eggs through heat'”by hot ironing fabric surfaces where bed bugs have hidden, through steaming [typically using a fabric steamer], via direct machine drying, or through a procedural use of boiling water, etc.). This stubborn tendency of bed bug infestations towards reemergence can be incredibly problematic and all the more difficult to detect, due to the now smaller size of the newly re-emerged bed bug nymphs and their propensity for hiding in small, hard-to-find locations. Re infestation can be more difficult to discover early enough due to a corresponding decrease in the 'size' of infestation symptoms, such as fewer and now much smaller fecal droppings (resembling pinhead-sized dabs from a black permanent marker) which may be scattered and difficult to detect. There may be other evidence of re infestation, like sloughed-off skins which are tinier in size. Really, though there are only two types of synergy - to find out what they are, watch the video:

AC_AX_RunContent( 'width','500','height','405','align','left','style','margin-right:3px;','src','https://www.youtube.com/v/aK9c4WhB0nI&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1','type','application/x-shockwave-flash','allowscriptaccess','always','allowfullscreen','true','movie','https://www.youtube.com/v/aK9c4WhB0nI&hl=en_US&fs=1&border=1' ); //end AC code Use of steam or by spraying rubbing alcohol on any visible insects is done to effectively rid bed frames of adult bed bugs and eggs, although it does not serve as a permanent treatment. Small steam cleaners have been very effective for local treatment.

When it is necessary to live with bed bugs in the short term (either during treatment or while in the process of figuring out the best approach for treatment), it is possible to create a makeshift, temporary barrier around a bed that will help prevent bed bugs from crawling back onto it. A successful barrier, however, assumes the entire bed itself has been completely disinfected of all bed bugs and their eggs beforehand. Using such a strategy to isolate a bed can provide immediate relief and comfort from further bed bug bites.

The technique can also be used to help prevent bed bugs from crawling up along walls where warranted. Long strips of this taping method (i.e., curled duct tape over painter's tape) can be used on standard floors to cordon off, surround, and isolate infested furniture, to protect clean furniture, or as part of a treatment effort to help prevent bed bugs from crawling toward specific areas. If used this extensively, it then becomes particularly more important to apply a protective layer of painter's tape first to prevent the duct tape from damaging and/or ruining painted surfaces or from leaving behind a sticky residue when finally pulled up. It should also be noted that the width of the painter's tape can be as narrow as one inch (which is typically less expensive per foot than wider versions of masking tape) since regular duct tape, though much wider initially, will fit within the one-inch width of the painter's tape'”after the duct tape has been curled over on itself lengthwise.

Encasing mattress and box springs in impermeable bed-bug-bite-proof encasements after a treatment for an infestation is an alternative treatment which works better and is more comfortable whereas wrapping bedding in plastic causes sweating.

Detection of bed bugs will be required during infestation as well as after initial treatment efforts. And the difficulties associated with treating bed bugs as well as the possibility of re infestation means that detection has to be an ongoing process. Daily periodic monitoring for their signs is a good idea even up to several months after an infestation has been cleared or as a preventive measure in suspected areas. It is recommended to search throughout all cracks and crevices (on beds, couches, chairs, furniture, etc. checking underneath as well) using a flashlight to search for signs of bed bugs or for the bugs themselves. And, when searching a dark room at night, bed bugs may be spotted crawling about looking for a blood meal but will usually remain completely stationary congregating in ideal hiding spots nearest to the host.

Effective experience in locating them will also contribute to accurately confirming whether or not a bed bug infestation has been thoroughly eliminated. And can also provide additional assistance to pest control operators which is required for successful treatment, or allow one to, perhaps, eradicate a moderate to light infestation altogether on their own.