Category Archives: Bed Bugs Colorado

Bat Bugs, Bed Bugs and Relatives by W.S. Cranshaw, M. Camper and F.B. Peairs* (Revised 2/09) Quick Facts... The bed bug (Cimex lectularius) and its relatives (Family: Cimicidae) form a small group of bloodsucking insects. Bat and bed bugs have a short broad head, broadly attached to the prothorax, and an oval body. Because of the different habits of the various bed bugs, proper identification determines where to direct controls to be most effective. Bed bug control is very difficult and requires all infested sites to be effectively treated at the same time.

The bed bug, bat bug and related species of the family Cimicidae, are blood sucking insects that feed on birds and/or mammals. Five of the cimicid bugs are present in Colorado.

Bed bug (Cimex lectularius). The bed bug is a notorious species and is the only member of this insect family in Colorado that is adapted to living entirely with humans. For several decades following World War II it was largely eradicated form the United States, existing in only small pockets. However, within the past decade it has had tremendous resurgence. Bed bugs can be accidentally carried on furniture, luggage and other materials so problems with bed bugs tend to be most severe in apartments, motels and other sites that see high amounts of human traffic.

Bat bug (Cimex pilosellus). Prior to the recent increase of bed bugs, the bat bug was the most common representative of this group of insects found within homes in Colorado. Bat bugs develop in colonies of roosting bats, which sometimes occur in attics or behind walls of buildings. Bat bugs may move into human living areas and incidentally bite people, with such migrations particularly common when bats migrate or are eliminated from the building. However, in the absence of the bat hosts, these insects cannot sustain and reproduce.

Swallow bug (Oeciacus vicarius). The swallow bug is a parasite of cliff swallows and, less commonly, barn swallows. Problems with human bites occur in homes where swallows attached and maintained nests during the previous summer. Swallow bug bites of humans tend to occur in late winter and spring, when the swallow bugs emerge from winter dormancy in anticipation of the return of their swallow hosts. The insects are largely dormant during the period between the time nests are abandoned in summer and just prior to the return of swallows the following spring.

Poultry bug (Haematosiphon inodorus). Poultry bugs are associated with chickens and other poultry. They hide during the day in cracks and crevices around the poultry roost and move out to feed at night. Human bites are rare and occur when people spend night activities in close proximity to poultry roosting areas.

Hesperocimex coloradensis. Purple martins and, less commonly, woodpeckers and owls are hosts for H. coloradensis. This species is present in the southwestern areas of the state. Encounters with humans occur when bird hosts nest in buildings.

All of these species are generally similar in appearance. They are reddish-brown to grayish-brown with an oval body form and about 3/8-in long when full-grown. All are wingless, although small wing pads are present on the back. Their body is flattened when unfed, although they swell rapidly with a blood meal. The various species found in Colorado can be separated by patterns of hairs, wing pad structures and other features that are summarized in Figure 1.

Bed bugs usually feed in the middle of the night while people sleep and the bite is painless. They often feed for less than 10 minutes before the insect is satiated and returns to a hiding area to digest the meal. A line of bites may appear where several bed bugs have fed along the edge of a sheet or clothing lying next to the skin.

Although the bite is not immediately felt, people often react to the proteins of the bed bug saliva introduced during biting. Typically, a reddish swelling,("wheal")may develop, associated with some swelling and itching. There may be little response immediately following the bite with peak itchiness being noticed at about a week, then gradually declining. Repeated exposure to bed bug bites may produce more intensive reactions and itchiness. However, these reactions are highly variable and some people show little response while others react strongly. Regardless of the symptom that develops, there is nothing unique about bed bug bites that can be used for positive diagnosis. The detected presence of bed bugs is needed to determine if a reddish bite might be from bed bugs.

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Bat Bugs and Bed Bugs

The bed bug (Cimex lectularius) has been a parasite of humans throughout written history. Its adaptation to humans is so complete that its bite is not noticed until well after the bug leaves its victim, if it is noticed at all. Attracted by the warmth of our bodies and the carbon dioxide we exhale, bed bugs emerge usually at night from hiding places, seeking human blood. While pathogens have been found in bed bugs, the bed bug apparently does not transmit diseases to humans.

Prior to the widespread use of synthetic insecticides, this small, brown blood-sucking bug was perhaps the most unwanted pest in America. The insidious bed bug was loathed even more than the cockroach. Although the bugs impact was greatly reduced by insecticides during the 1940s and 1950s, it remained an occasional invader of homes, hotels and shelters. Pest management professionals now agree that bed bugs have become the most difficult pest to control.

Bed bugs (Cimex spp.) feed on the blood of animals including people and pets. Some species, known as bat bugs, feed on bats, and others on birds such as chickens, pigeons, swallows and swifts. All will wander in search of a new host if their primary host leaves or abandons its roost or nest. In structures, bat bugs typically appear in and around attics and chimneys. Though they will bite humans, they do not survive without their preferred hosts.

Bed bugs can survive more than a year without feeding, but most adults and nymphs probably do not live more than six months without a meal. This ability lets them wait for transient hosts that periodically inhabit camp cabins, apartments and temporary housing. It also helps them survive transportation. Today, bed bugs hitchhike more easily than ever, via public transportation and luggage, and in secondhand furniture, mattresses, bedding and clothing. In multi-unit buildings, bed bug infestations that are not adequately attended to often spread between units with or without human help, making eradication much more difficult and costly.

Most people have never seen a bed bug. Adults are wingless, about one-fourth of an inch long, and flat to fit in cracks and crevices where they hide by day. Females typically lay three to five adhesive eggs per day in crevices and depressions. Eggs and newly hatched nymphs are somewhat translucent and only about one-sixteenth of an inch long. After feeding, nymphs become bright red.

At night, bed bugs seek warm hosts, leaving their hiding places in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, nightstands, curtains, couches and wall voids, baseboards, carpet edges, door and window frames, picture frames, smoke detectors, electrical switches and outlets, peeling paint and wallpaper.

BED BUG BITES

The bed bug painlessly bites its victim, injects saliva to ensure blood flow, and ingests the hosts blood through needle-like mouthparts. During the three to five minutes it takes to complete feeding, the bug elongates and becomes more reddish. It then retreats to its hiding place to digest the meal, and will return to feed in three to 10 days.

Reactions to bed bug bites vary among individuals. Many persons show no signs of bites. Others dont realize theyve been bitten until redness and swelling appear around the bite, sometimes with intense itching. Some exhibit inflamed swollen spots that may occur in linear series or have a rash-like appearance. Such bite marks, when they appear, may not show for several days after the person is bitten.

SIGNS OF BED BUGS

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Bed Bugs Prevention and Control

1. You can't see bedbugs

This is clearly not true, adult bed bugs are easily spotted as they are 5mm - 7mm in size and a reddish brown colour. The recently hatched babies are much harder to see as they are 1mm - 2mm in size but someone who knows what they are looking for will often detect them. This myth started when people got confused between bedbugs and dust mites. They are different species and are handled in completely different ways, what works for dust mites will not necessarily remove bedbugs.

2. If I throw out the bed I will no longer have bedbugs

They may be called bedbugs but they don't just live in bed and they can occupy almost any dark crack or crevice in a room. Disposing of ANY furniture prior to it being inspected and treated by an experienced and competent pest controller can be a costly mistake and certainly a false economy. Almost everything can be treated to remove bedbugs but if not properly handled the removal of furniture can simple spread an infestation to other areas of the property. We have recently been alarmed to hear that several companies in the London area have been recommending that furniture is removed via the window, this is clearly and obviously not a professional way to mange a problem and we would advise anyone told to do this to think extremely carefully about the consequences of such actions. Bedbugs will survive outside of the property and may enter again at the first opportunity.

3. You only get bedbugs if you are dirty

This is the greatest of all inaccuracies! You get bedbugs by exposure and coming into contact with a source of them. We treat more properties that are immaculately clean and of the highest standards than we do houses and flats that would benefit from a good deep clean. Increasingly people who extensively travel internationally are becoming more exposed to bedbugs as the global epidemic intensifies. In an ideal world people would understand that there is no more social stigma associated with bedbugs than head lice. They are an exposure pest and not associated with living conditions.

4. You need to wash all of your clothes for a bedbug treatment to be effective

We are increasingly hearing this from people who call other companies. The simple fact is that without inspecting the property there is no way of telling if this is needed, our experience tells us that it is only needed in 2% 5% of cases and is most commonly used as an excuse by an organisation which does not actually want to work on an infestation. There are also a lot of other decontamination methods available that are more effective than washing.

5. There are no bedbugs in

We are often told by people that there are no such things as bedbugs in our country. The simple fact is that bedbugs can occur in almost every country and region on this planet, some areas have always been worse than others but they are a global pest. The resurgence in activity has caught many countries unaware but they do exist everywhere.

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Bedbug Myths - Bed Bugs Limited

Merlin Environmental is the leading bed bug control specialist. Over the 12 years that we have been controlling bed bugs we have been instrumental in the development of many of the new products and techniques used throughout the bed bug treatment industry today.

We are the only company with an integral pest management consultancy. This gives our technicians and development staff access to some of the worlds leading experts on bed bugs. Our commitment to continual development has galvanized our position and maintained us as the market leaders in the field.

If you run an hotel, or guest house and have problems with bed bugs, you know the importance of getting any rooms back in service as quickly as possible. So do we.

Our bed bug treatment programme has been developed with businesses in mind. It is quick and minimises the use of chemicals, making it more environmentally-friendly.

Our targeted approach means that in many cases we eradicate the them on the first visit and so you can get the rooms back in service in just a couple of days.

We also offer a bed bug monitoring service to minimise the likelihood of a re-infestation and keep your rooms in service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

if you have bed bugs in your home then our domestic division offer a cost-effective solution to get rid of bed bugs. Call us on 0800 037 7332.

How do you know if you have bed bugs?

If you would like to know more about the signs read more. However it is not always easy to be certain it is bed bugs, rather than fleas or mites, so we recommend that you speak to one of our experts for further advice, and to arrange a visit.

If you do have bed bugs we can treat the infestation very quickly so that you will see immediate results. Our unique treatment programme means that we usually eliminate them in a single visit and we minimise the use of chemicals. Find out more about our domestic bed bug treatment.

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Bed Bug Treatment – Control Bugs in London, Sussex, Surrey ...

Colorado Pest Management is SUCCESSFUL where other companies fail We will solve your bed bug problems! We have been controlling and eliminating bed bug problems since 1997. Every member of our team has vast and extensive experience with bed bug problems. Our treatment plan is effective. Reasonable prices! We provide accurate and informative record keeping. Clear and concise preparation advice is provided before we come. Accurate and thorough inspections.

The bed bug is a notorious pest and is the only insect in Colorado that is adapted to living entirely with humans. Within the past decade it has had a tremendous resurgence.

Bed bugs can be found on bedding, furniture, luggage and other surfaces. However bed bugs should not be equated with filth or sanitation problems. Bed bugs are very elusive, transient and nocturnal pests. They are often found in other areas besides the bed. And they are hardy. They can live for a year or more without eating and can withstand a wide range of temperatures from nearly freezing to almost 113 degrees Fahrenheit.

How do we control bed bugs? Your expert Colorado Pest Management professional will apply effective materials to all points where bed bugs are present. Bed bugs control requires vigilance, continuous inspection, and treatment. Our experienced pest control professionals know where to look for bed bugs and have an assortment of management tools at their disposal.

Our outstanding service is always reliable, professional, and friendly.

Call Colorado Pest Management today for all your residential pest control needs.

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Bed Bugs - Colorado Pest Management