Sleep Tight? Do You Have Bed Bugs?

• Adults are small, wingless, 1/4 inch long, oval shaped and flattened from top to bottom
• Reddish brown in color, do not fly, but do crawl readily
• Nymphs look like smaller sized adults
• Eggs are visible with slight magnification, are yellowish white in color and about 1/32 inch long, and glued by secretions into cracks and crevices
• Bed bugs gather into aggregations known as brood centers; these are characterized by reddish brown fecal and blood smears, and the bed bugs and eggs themselves
• Aggregations have a distinct odor association, variously described as sweet and/or musty
• Both males and females feed; nymphs also feed; human blood is the preferred food source but warm blooded mammals in general can host bed bugs
• Generally active at night, but can be active in daylight when there is a large infestation or a host present

Where to Look

• Behind a bed’s headboard
• On the mattress
• Inside the hollow areas of a bed
• In the coils of a bed
• Inside a box spring
• Behind peeling wallpaper
• Behind walls and baseboards
• Near the edge and underneath of rugs and in closets
• WIthin curtains and draperies and curtain and shower rods
• Within electrical equipment like lamps, clock radios, smoke alarms, irons and phones
• Within and on the exterior of sofas and chairs or their upholstery (especially around seams and zippers)
• Within and on the exterior of furniture cabinets and drawers
• Around access panel doors
• Within popcorn ceiling cavities
• At wall floor and wall ceiling junctions

What to Look For

• Fecal stains
• Blood spots
• A uniquely sweet raspberry-like or musty odor emitted by the bed bugs
• The bed bugs or eggs themselves
• Cast exoskeleton skins from molting

Management Options

• Identify the pest correctly: Cockroaches, ticks, bat bugs and globular spider beetles are all often misidentified as bed bugs
• Educate and break through the mythology: Many people think bed bugs are simply an old nursery rhyme – not a real threat
• Fumigate
• Bake furniture in a heat chamber
• Deep freeze furniture
• Microwave
• Vacuum and then remove and get rid of the bags to prevent reinfestation
• Steamclean
• Only use pesticides labeled for the site or bed bugs themselves
• Be proactive: Vinyl slip covers that zip over mattresses, metal bed frames or hospital beds