Bedbug Control. Bed bug control begins with communication and a comprehensive inspection.

• Heat.  Since the early 1900s, bed bugs have been controlled by heating infested rooms or whole buildings to temperatures of at least 45oC; the thermal death point for these pests.  For heat treatment to be effective, it is critical that high temperature and low relative humidity be attained for a minimum length of time.  Some species of stored product beetles, which are often difficult to kill, have been eliminated by exposure to a combination of 49-52oC (120-125oF) and 20-30% relative humidity for 20-30 minutes.  Heat treatment provides no residual effect, and bed bugs can re-occupy any site so treated immediately after temperatures return to suitable levels.  Potential physical distortion of structures or their contents, as well as flammability risks associated with some kinds of heat sources, may be a concern in particular situations.  Laundering infested linens or cloth items in hot water with detergent, followed by at least 20 minutes in a clothes dryer on low heat, should kill all life stages of bed bugs but would not prevent their reinfestation.

• Cold.  Exposure to low temperatures can kill bed bugs if they are kept cold enough long enough.  Bed bugs can tolerate -15oC (5oF) for short periods and, if acclimated, they can survive at or below 0oC (32oF) continuously for several days (Usinger 1966).  Cold treatments of rooms or buildings to control bed bugs have not been well studied or often employed, but freezing furniture or other items within containers or chambers [e.g., below 0oF (-19oC) for at least four days] may be a practical alternative for limited infestations or to augment other control measures.  A new commercial technology uses CO2 from cylinders deposited as a “snow” to kill bed bugs and a variety of pests by rapid freezing.

• Controlled Atmospheres.  In preliminary laboratory tests by the German Federal Environmental Agency, all life stages of common bed bugs were reportedly killed by constant exposure to very high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), at ambient atmospheric pressure, within 24 hours or less; however, high concentrations of nitrogen gas (N2) were not very effective under the same conditions.

• Steam.  Steam treatments have been used effectively by some Pest Management Professionals to quickly eliminate live bugs and their eggs from the seams of mattresses and other cloth items.  However, this technique requires practice and care.  Manufacturer’s instructions must be followed concerning the steam generating devices’ operation, maintenance and safety precautions.  The steam emission tip must usually be about 2.5-3.8 cm from the surface being steamed.  If the tip is too far away, the steam may not be hot enough to kill all the bed bugs and eggs that it contacts.  If the tip is too close, excess moisture may be injected into the treated material, which may lead to other problems (e.g., facilitating dust mite population survival and increase; growth of surface molds).

• Sticky Monitors.  Sticky traps are a simple way to monitor many crawling insects, and have been used to augment other techniques for control of spiders and cockroaches.  Although bed bugs will often get caught on such monitors, many recent reports from Pest Management Professionals in North America have indicated that they are not very effective at detecting small to moderate populations of bed bugs, even when infestation signs are obvious, bugs are easily observed, and people are being bitten routinely.

  Pesticide Applications

• Residual applications.  Currently, non-chemical products and techniques are incapable of efficiently or quickly controlling or eliminating established bed bug populations.  Precise placement of a suitably labeled, registered and formulated residual chemical insecticide is still the most practically effective bed bug control.  Effective control consists of applying interior sprays or dusts to surfaces that the bed bugs contact and to cracks and crevices where they rest and hide.  When using residual insecticides, care should be taken to select the least-toxic active ingredients and formulations, following an IPM approach.  Microencapsulated and dust formulations will have a longer residual effect than others.  Synergized pyrethrins are often highly lethal and produce a flushing effect, allowing faster analysis of the infested area.  If the label permits, addition of pyrethrins at 0.1-0.2% to organophosphate, or carbamate (where these active ingredients are legal and labeled for this use), or other microencapsulated insecticide formulations may increase efficacy by irritating the bugs, initiating an excitatory effect, and causing them to leave their hiding places, thus increasing their exposure to the fresh insecticide layer.  Modified diatomaceous earths with hydrophobic surfaces can also be used to treat cracks and crevices.  Retreatment, when needed, should be carried out after the shortest interval permitted by the label until the pest bug population has been eliminated.  The choice of chemical products and specific application techniques can depend on many factors, including the physical location and structural details of the bugs’ harborages, the product’s labels (which can vary by political jurisdiction), the immediate environment, and local or national laws.

• Crack-and-crevice applications.  Because of their habit of hiding clustered together in cracks and narrow harborages, precisely applied crack-and-crevice treatments are among the most effective control techniques against bed bugs.  Active ingredients change over time, and several are currently available, as well as some products that contain multiple ingredients labeled for use against bed bugs.  Various formulations and devices are also available for applying insecticides to bed bug-infested areas.  For example, dust formulations should be used in electrical outlet boxes and in other places where it is desirable to employ low-risk (low volatility and toxicity), long-lasting insecticides.

• IGRs.  When properly applied, insect growth regulators (IGRs) have essentially no effect on vertebrate metabolism because of their mode of action and low application rates, but they can have a significant impact on bed bug fertility and egg hatching success.

• ULV, aerosols, and foggers.  Insecticides currently labeled for ULV, aerosols and foggers have little or no residual effects on bed bugs.  Most will seldom penetrate cryptic bed bug harborages.  If directly injected into harborages, these products may stimulate some of the bed bugs to become active and move out into the open, allowing them to be seen by inspectors.  Otherwise, bed bugs are seldom killed, even by prolonged or repeated exposure to such products.

• Bed Bug Sniffing K-9s. Pest Management Professionals have turned to dogs trained to sniff out bed bugs. The only concern is what exactly they are alerting to. If a dog is brought in, clear diagrams of detected areas should be made and the areas should be re inspection after treatment by the dog for an all-clear.

• Follow-up.  At least one follow-up inspection of infested sites should be conducted at a suitable interval (e.g., 10-21 days) after each control effort or treatment in order to detect any of the typical signs of continued infestation, such as live bugs, cast skins (after those present earlier had been removed), fecal spots on bed linens or harborages, and unhatched eggs.