Catching Bed Bugs Made Easier?

Bed Bugs

Research is always being done on bed bugs and how to contain them or exterminate them. Recent studies have discovered an interesting, and potentially advantageous, piece of information regarding where bed bugs are likely to gather. This could work in our favor if it becomes possible to draw bed bugs to an area making them easier to remove. Read more about this in the article below and then follow the links at the bottom to continue reading.

A trap for bedbugs?

August 5, 2016 by Sean Nealon

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered the shed skins of bedbugs retain the “obnoxious sweetness” smell often associated with the pests, a finding that could potentially be used to combat infestations of the insects.

Bedbugs shed their skins, known as exuviae, as they grow. Four pheromone compounds known as aldehydes are consistently found in the shed skins.

The UC Riverside researchers found that the shed skins retain those compounds in the glands and gradually dispense them over time. They also found that living bedbugs are likely to settle down in the vicinity of the shed skins by sensing these compounds.

The findings could have significant implications for pest management industries, which can use some of the chemical / mechanical characteristics of the bedbugs’ shed skin to develop small, inexpensive monitor traps to catch living bedbugs at their early stages of infestation.

“This could be a key development in the search to find new methods to detect bedbugs,” said Dong-Hwan Choe, an assistant professor of entomology and an assistant cooperative extension specialist.

‘Aging’ bedbug skins

Choe is the lead author of a paper, “Chemically Mediated Arrestment of the Bed Bug, Cimex lectularius, by Volatiles Associated with Exuviae of Conspecifics,” published Tuesday (July 19) in the journal PLOS ONE.

Co-authors are Hoeun Park, a former undergraduate student who worked in Choe’s lab; Claudia Vo, a current undergraduate student working in Choe’s lab; and Alexander Knyshov, a graduate working with Christiane Weirauch, a UC Riverside professor of entomology.

The experimental work outlined in the paper had two stages.

First, the researchers placed shed skins obtained from bedbugs at different points of their development in small vials. They then analyzed the airborne compounds in the vials and found that the four aldehydes of interest were consistently detected regardless of the developmental stage.

Second, they collected shed skins from bedbugs kept in the lab, divided them into three groups and “aged” them in the open air for either seven days, 45 days or 99 days.

Then they crushed the shed skins and analyzed them for the presence of the four aldehyde compounds. They found that the amounts of the aldehyde pheromones dropped as the aging period increased, but that even after 99 days the compounds were still present in the shed skins.

Bedbugs difficult to handle, even in the lab

The work had an interesting wrinkle in that researchers could not use carbon dioxide to temporarily knock out the bedbugs when they were handling them. Carbon dioxide gas, which is common in insect research, would have the bedbugs release the large amount of the aldehyde pheromones unnaturally, thus potentially skewing the findings, Choe said.

Instead, they handled active bedbugs.

“That created a level of anxiety,” Choe said. “We didn’t want to accidentally release any bedbugs in the laboratory. But our students handled it well.”

Explore further: Shed skins of bed bugs emit pheromones that could help combat infestations of the insect

October 25, 2016/by Silver

Where Bed Bugs Can Hide

Bed Bugs

Bed bugs know no limits, and there are places other than your house or hotels that they like to hide in. This article that we are sharing is just to make you aware that bed bugs can be in many places without anyone knowing. If you visit or work at any of the places listed this can be a reminder to maintain cleanliness and thoroughly inspect things before bringing them in or taking them out of these spaces. Don’t be scared, however, because it is easy for experts like us to remove bed bugs from spaces if they are found.

Top 10 Bedbug Infestation Spots

You’ve heard all about bedbugs in hotels, but did you know they’re also hiding (and waiting to hitch a ride home with you) in these common public places? Bedbugs are smaller than a grain of rice, but visible to the naked eye. So be on the lookout, and check out the top 10 places to accidentally pick up bedbugs.

BY JENNIFER PLUM AUVIL

Public Libraries

Crawling into bed with a good book has taken on a whole new meaning if you’re borrowing books from the public library system. Before you head home with a stash of bestsellers, check the pages and spines for bedbugs circulating from one reader’s home to the next.

Retail Stores

From clothes to furniture, bedbugs are just waiting for moving day. In the summer of 2010, retail shops around Manhattan were closed for fumigation when bedbugs were found hiding out in the goods. Investigate any possible purchases for unusual stains and shake out clothing before bringing it into the house.

Movie Theaters

You may catch more than a matinee at your local cineplex. With cushy, upholstered seats and plenty of human hosts, the movie theater is prime real estate for bedbugs looking for a meal. Limit the personal belongings you bring with you to avoid bringing home your own critter horror show.

Planes, Trains and Buses

All kinds of people take public transportation, and bedbugs ride for free on planes, trains and buses. Bedbugs are small and hard to detect, so it’s unlikely you’ll see the pests getting cozy in your seat. However, you can take precautions when you return home — don’t place your bags on your bed, and closely inspect your belongings when you unpack.

Daycares, Schools and Colleges

Stuffed animals, cubbies and dorms are incubators for all things gross, and bedbugs are spreading along with the rest of the germs among students and roommates. Kids in daycare share their cots and beloved toys from home. College kids bring home their laundry and bedbugs. Check in with the school director or resident advisor for reports of a bedbug invasion.

Places of Worship

Is nothing sacred? Clearly not for bedbugs who have been known to congregate in the holiest of places including temples, churches and religious meeting halls. Know how to spot a bedbug, and don’t let your guard down, even when offering up a prayer and gathering with like-minded worshippers.

Business Offices

The newest agenda item for many businesses is battling bedbugs that are just as likely to nestle into the carpet or furniture in the boardroom as they are in a bedroom. With clients and packages coming and going, bedbugs may move into an office space traveling on backpacks, briefcases, boxes, business suits or casual Friday clothing.

Laundry Facilities

If you’re sorting and folding in shared spaces, there’s more to worry about than mixing your lights and darks, as bedbugs invade even the cleanest spots in town. Bedbug victims are often instructed to wash and dry infected clothing and personal belongings using extremely high heat. Avoid cross contamination in the laundromat by keeping your dirty laundry to yourself, investigating tables and chairs, and using the hottest washing and drying temperatures possible.

Hospitals and Nursing Homes

Bedbugs don’t discriminate against the sick or the old, and to prove this point, hospitals around the country had to quarantine patient rooms and triage centers in late summer and fall 2010 to deal with bedbugs. You won’t likely have time to investigate beds and furniture if you get sick, but rest assured, bedbugs do not carry or spread disease.

Consignment, Thrift Shops and Yard Sales

Forgo the bargain-hunting and splurge on new goods to avoid bringing home bedbugs. If you just can’t pass up a sale, at least try to stay away from used mattresses, bed frames and headboards. You may save money, but professional treatment for a bedbug infestation can set you back thousands of dollars.

Article sourced from: http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/travel-tips/articles/top-10-bedbug-infestation-spots

October 20, 2016/by Silver

Bed Bugs Are Evolving

Bed Bugs

There is a reason bed bugs have gotten harder to exterminate with pesticides or insecticides alone – they have evolved to have thicker skin. The thicker the skin, the harder it is for pesticides to penetrate through. This article explains the research that has been done to make this observation and how we can do more research to gain the advantage over these pests.

Bed bugs are getting tougher ‘skin,’ scientists warn

By Rob Verger

Published April 15, 2016

FoxNews.com

The common bed bug. (David Lilly)

Using high-tech scanning equipment, scientists in Australia have discovered that in the battle between bed bugs and humans, some of the insects wield thicker exoskeletons, making them more resistant to insecticide.

Bed bugs are a source of itchy misery and expense for those whose homes are infested, and the number of such infestations have increased in a “dramatic” way since 2000, according to a new study in the journal PLOS ONE.

To better understand what makes some bedbugs more resistant than others, scientists at the University of Sydney conducted an experiment. They used bed bugs that were obtained in 2012 in suburban Australia from a “single, domestic, field infestation” as well as a laboratory strain, the study reports. Before the testing, they even let the bugs have a “blood meal” from anesthetized rats.

They then tested the bugs’ resistance to insecticide by putting them on paper treated with the toxin. While they found that the laboratory strain of bedbug succumbed quickly to insecticide, the responses from the wild bugs varied. Depending on how long it took those bugs to get knocked down by the toxin, the scientists divided them into groups they dubbed intolerant, tolerant, and resistant.

Using an scanning electron microscope, the scientists measured the cuticles, or exoskeletons, of bugs from the different groups. They found that the more resistant the bug, the thicker its shell. In fact, the pests in the “resistant” category had cuticles that were 16 percent thicker than the bugs in the “intolerant” group. The resistant bugs’ cuticles were also thicker than the bugs from the laboratory strain that was so susceptible to the insecticide.

“The new findings reveal that one way bed bugs beat insecticides is by developing a thicker ‘skin’,” David Lilly, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney and the study’s first author, said in a statement.

Lilly added that research might be able to help scientists understand how to better fight the parasites.

“If we understand the biological mechanisms bed bugs use to beat insecticides, we may be able to spot a chink in their armour that we can exploit with new strategies,” he said.

Article sourced from: http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/04/15/bed-bugs-are-getting-tougher-skin-scientists-warn.html

October 14, 2016/by Silver

Heat, Heat, Heat!

Bed Bugs

At Houston Heat Pest Servies we use heat as our main method of removing bed bugs. We use heat because, as you have probably learned by now, bed bugs are resilient against most other methods. This article explains why heat works and better than other methods. If you suspect bed bugs in your home or another space we recommend using experts like us because we are equipped with the right tools to produce the heat necessary for bed bug removal. Read the full article below to learn more abou bed bugs and heat treatment.

Using Heat to Kill Bed Bugs

Submitted by Jeff White on Mon, 08/24/2015 – 20:47

The Achilles heel of bed bugs is heat. Once you expose bed bugs to 120^oF or hotter both the bugs and eggs die very rapidly (less than a minute). This is why the best way to treat clothes that may be infested with bed bugs is to place them in a dryer on high for a full cycle (even a low cycle is usually enough with most dryers). There have been many companies that have taken this concept and created heating equipment that can generate enough heat to bring entire houses up to 120 degree or hotter. This is an excellent method to treat for bed bugs as it is one of the few treatments that can eliminate manageable infestations in one treatment and also reduces the amount of pesticides introduced to a home. The issue is that many homeowners that are looking for ways to treat their bed bug infestation read about heat and think they can open their windows on a hot day and treat their home for bed bugs. It unfortunately is never that easy.

There is actually a lot of protocol and technique to heat treating a house. In addition to needing equipment that will bring the entire house up to 120 degrees all at once, you want to heat the house up slowly and circulate the heat in a very methodical fashion. Bringing the temperature up slowly and proper circulation reduces the amount of cool spots for the bugs to hide in. In addition to this, furniture and clutter needs to be moved, turned and tossed during treatment to further address any cold spots that may exist. That is why a dryer is ideal for heat treating clothes because it is constantly tossing the clothes around which assures equal distribution of the heat. Obviously there isn’t a “tumble cycle” for your home and the only way to properly distribute the heat is to turn items by hand. The issue is that you should be turning those items during heat treatment which exposes the technician to high temperatures which can have adverse health effects if not done properly and carefully. This is why we recommend that heat treatment be performed by trained professionals.

I also receive questions from the occasional homeowner about renting heaters and heat treating their houses themselves. Not only is this a risk from a heat exposure perspective, many heaters need trained professionals to use them properly and reduce exposure to any exhaust that the heaters may create. Many rental heaters use propane as a fuel source which can also pose potential health risks. More reasons why heat treatment should be left to professionals.

When it comes to professionals performing heat treatments, just like any other service in any other service industry, there are good companies and not so good companies. One question you can ask a service provider you are evaluating to treat your home is what is the critical temperature for bed bugs, how do you evaluate when a room is at that temperature and how long do you hold it for? As mentioned before something around 120 degrees is the temperature you want to them to answer with. In addition they should be using temperature monitors during a job and recording temperatures at different location throughout the job. They should be holding critical temperature during a bed bug treatment for a minimum of two hours and ideally for 3-4 hours. You can ask the service provider you choose for heating records at the conclusion of the job. This way you can see if they held the right temperature for the right time in different spots in the home.

Take Homes:

Heat is a great way to treat for bed bugs but there is a lot of protocol and technique to doing it right
There are several different aspect to heat treatment that can pose significant health risks if not done properly – this makes heat treatment NOT a suitable DIY method
Always ask a service provider treating your home how they are going to do it and for temperature records upon completion of the service – you want to see them hold 120 degrees or hotter for 2-4 hours

Article sourced from: http://www.bedbugcentral.com/blog/using-heat-kill-bed-bugs

October 8, 2016/by Silver