bed bugs identification and easier extermination

Chicago Bed Bug Laundry & Prep

BED BUGS 101IDENTIFICATION AND EASIER EXTERMINATION

Chicago Bed Bug

Laundry & Prep


Please notify us in the SlideShare comments below if you identify errors or believe additional information in an area would be valuable.


IDENTIFY BED BUGS

• Unexplained bites especially after sleeping or sitting on cloth furniture.

• Usually feed at night especially just before dawn.• Bed bugs leave stains from rust-colored to black. • Often the stained areas will smell musty, like a dirty

wet towel.• Bed bugs have various stages from egg to adult and

look different when well fed. See the next slide for more on the bed bug life cycle.


BED BUG LIFE CYCLE

Egg Nymph AdultColor White Clear whitish color Brown or mahogany

Things to Look For Oval-shaped eggs

Flat wingless body. Distinct head with round to elliptical thorax

Flat wingless body. Distinct head with round to elliptical thorax

Length 1 mm 1-3 mm 3-4 mm (see pic)

Reproductive Cycle

Hatch about every 10 days, can be 4-21 days.

Molt 5 times eating a blood meal each time.

Lay up to 500 eggs in its life, 1-5 per day.

Food n/a Blood Blood

Behavior Stationary Crawl, cannot fly, jump, or burrow

Crawl, cannot fly, jump, or burrow

Where to Look

Cracks, crevices, mattress, bed frame, any textile

Not just in beds! Sofas, carpets, walls, any crack.

Same as nymphs.


WHERE DO BED BUGS COME FROM?• Especially in multi-unit dwellings, can spread from your

neighbor’s through the wall.• Used furniture, especially curb-side pickups.• Hitchhike home with you from a friend’s house, movie

theatre, hotel room, or other infested location on your clothes, shoes, or luggage.

• They do NOT come from filth, they are simply opportunistic, rapidly breeding, tiny pests.

• It only takes one pregnant bed bug to make an infestation!


HOW CAN I AVOID BED BUGS?• Check the Bed Bug Registry for places you frequent and if

you plan to visit hotels.• Avoid placing clothing, jackets, purses, backpacks, or luggage

on beds or other cloth furniture…even in a friend‘s house.• When travelling use bed bug-friendly encasements to protect

your luggage and belongings.• If you suspect you may have picked up hitchhiking bed bugs,

DO NOT BRING THE INFECTED ITEMS INTO YOUR HOME! Contact a bed bug laundry service to pick up your items and treat them before you bring them home.

http://bedbugregistry.com/

http://www.bedbuglaundryandprep.com/bed-bug-laundry-service


CAN BED BUGS HURT ME?

• Bed bugs are blood-suckers but do not spread disease.

• But they do:• Cause secondary skin infections after people scratch

the bites.• Cause financial burden.• Cause stress, loss of sleep, and feelings of fear and

disgust in your home. • Cause embarrassment, even though bed bugs are not a

sign of filth.


WHAT DO I DO ABOUT BED BUGS?• First, inspect to find bed bugs. Bites alone are not evidence

they are in your home. You may have been bitten elsewhere.

• Take precautions to not spread the pests.• Seek professional help. Overcoming bed bugs is rarely

successful with DIY attempts. • Follow the advice of your bed bug professional. It is time-

consuming and stressful, but completely complying with cleaning, de-cluttering, and quarantining items makes a successful treatment more likely.


TIPS ON BED BUG INFESTATION• Document dates and observations as well as conversations, especially

if you are a tenant or live in a multi-family dwelling. Your landlord has financial responsibilities.

• Do not spray or attempt to treat the bed bugs yourself as this could be dangerous to your family and it causes the pests to scatter.

• Do not procrastinate, seek professional bed bug extermination help immediately.

• You don’t have to throw out mattresses. Bed bug encasements for mattresses trap live bugs inside.

• Furniture and other textiles can be economically heat treated to avoid throwing them away.

• Do not return cleaned items to a home that has not been professionally deemed bed-bug free. This only increases the risk of re-contamination and costly retreatment.


WILL I BE EXPOSED TO CHEMICALS?• There are many non-chemical treatment options such

as heat treatment, steam, freezing, encasement, disposal, barriers, traps, and vacuuming to remove.

• In many cases, non-chemical treatment is not enough to be effective and chemical treatment is required such as insecticidal dust and pyrethroids applied 2-3 times in 2 week intervals.

• Following your pest control operator’s instructions for cleaning, de-cluttering, and treating laundry will minimize the amount of chemicals used to eradicate your bed bug infestation.


RESOURCES

• Look for a bed bug laundry in your area to effectively treat all your textiles.

• Do not underestimate preparing for bed bug extermination. Look for bed bug preparation services in your are to relieve the stress of all the cleaning, de-cluttering and other prep work for treatment.

• Thanks to nchh.org for images.

http://www.bedbuglaundryandprep.com/faqs/


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Bed Bug Laundry & Prep3425 W Hirsch StreetChicago, IL 60651Phone: (312) 546-3056Email: [email protected]

http://www.bedbuglaundryandprep.com/

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