Show of Hands

Who has….• Kids at college?

• Visited a relative in a nursing home?• Tenants? • Stayed in a hotel in the last year?• Purchased furniture from a garage sale?

The National Pest Management Association, National Geographic News and many other sources are reporting a 500% increase in reported bed bug cases since 2000.

Bed Bugs Are on the Rise

What Are Bed Bugs?

• Little, crawling insects that look like an apple seed.

• They are nocturnal and feed off the blood of humans.

Fact vs. Fiction

• Fact• These insects have piercing sucking mouth

parts and consume red blood.• They prefer human blood, but will feed on the

blood of other animals –mainly birds and mice.

• They are real and are becoming a serious problem.

Fact vs. Fiction

• Fiction– Are known to transmit diseases– Can kill you– Carry the HIV/aids virus– They are so tiny, you can’t see them– Are not real– Are not found in Omaha– Should be ignored

How Do You Get Bed Bugs?

Bed Bugs Are Not a Sanitation Issue

• Bed bugs are excellent travelers and are often referred to as “hitchhikers”

• Travel– Staying in hotels– Overseas travel – third world countries– Tropical destinations

• Purchasing used furniture and appliances

Where Do Bed Bugs Live?

• Bed bugs generally like to live “out-of-site”– Behind baseboards– Behind wallpaper– In furniture crevices– Behind light switches and electrical outlets– In door and window frames– In upholstered furniture

Where Did Bed Bugs Come From?

• The human bed bug is an evolution of the bat bug, commonly associated with bat colonies.

• Early man often took shelter in cave dwellings, where bats lived.

• When man left the cave, he carried some of these insects with him.

• They have adapted to feeding on mankind almost solely, but will feed on bats, some birds and a few other animals.

• Bed bugs mostly troubled “rich” people in medieval times, because they had the warmest homes.

• As the quality of homes improved, bed bugs become a problem for all economic classes.

• Before WWII, they were a common pest in the U.S.

Historical Control Methods• Historically, folk methods and herbs were

used, but with little real relief.

– Scattering the bugbane plant around beds as a repellant.

– Placing the feet of a dead stag at the foot of the bed as a “decoy”.

– Inserting the legs of bed frames into pans of water or kerosene.

Where Did The Bed Bugs Go?

• Populations declined dramatically after WWII with the development and use of pesticides such as DDT.

• Arsenic, strychnine, mercury, benzene, and even hydrocyanic acid were all used to control bed bugs.

• For the last 50 years, these insects were off the radar, having virtually no impact on our day-to-day life.

• The environment had a background level of pesticides that kept bed bugs from making a reappearance.

What Does All This Mean?

Top 15 Most Infested Cities

1. New York2. Philadelphia3. Detroit4. Cincinnati5. Chicago6. Denver7. Columbus, Ohio

8. Dayton, Ohio9. Washington, D.C.10. Los Angeles11. Boston12. Indianapolis13. Louisville, Ky.14. Cleveland15. Minneapolis

• Pest Solutions 365 has seen a 600% increase in bed bug jobs over last year.

Bed Bugs in Omaha

Most Common Places Treated For Bed Bugs

National Pest Management Association Survey of Pest Management Professionals

• Pest Solutions 365 has already serviced:– Apartment communities– Hospitals– Hotels

– Shelters

– Activity centers– Assisted living centers– Housing commission properties– Residential homes

Bed Bugs in Omaha

• Bed bugs have become such an issue, the Environmental Protection Agency held it’s first ever National Bed Bug Summit in Washington D.C. in April 2009.

How Do I Know If I Have Bed Bugs?

• A physical sample is required to be 100% certain.

• You may see evidence of a bed infestation without actually seeing any bed bugs

• Bite symptoms are a good indicator but can’t be diagnosed with 100% certainty.

• More than half of all people don’t show any symptoms when first bitten.

• The most effective inspections are conducted by a qualified pest management professional.

The Ewwwww Factor

Bed bugs….

• Can lay 1-5 eggs per day.

• Have been reported to live up to 12 months without a blood meal.

• Will seek out a shallow vein to draw blood, and will follow along the vein. Thus bites tend to be in a row.

• Can grow up to 6 times their normal size when fully fed.

• Leave blood stains on sheets and mattresses as a result of the bleeding that sometimes occurs after the bed bug is finished feeding.

Questions?