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Extension > Garden > Insects > Traveler Q & A: Preventing bed bugs from hitchhiking to your home

Stephen Kells and Jeff Hahn, University of Minnesota Extension Reviewed 2006

Different stages of bed bugs (1/16 inch to 1/4 inch in size) and fecal spots

Bed bugs on a backpack

This factsheet provides some specific steps that you can use to prevent hitchhiking bed bugs from infesting your home. There is nothing magic about the way these pests initiate an infestation. They are simply parasites that look to resting persons or animals for a meal and, once obtaining this meal, they travel back to a place of hiding.

The thing that makes bed bugs so challenging for detection and control is they have excellent abilities to squeeze into cracks and crevices and will often go unnoticed by the casual observer.

The majority of bugs will cluster around areas where people will rest, but a few of them will move off to hide in more remote areas. They shun light and if they are disturbed or if they suddenly feel exposed, they will attempt to move to quieter (and more remote) areas. It is this cryptic behavior that creates the challenge to dis-infesting articles that have been in areas of bed bug activity and cause the impression that they have special abilities that we cannot contend with.

The following are questions that are commonly asked by travelers and the recommendations you can use to prevent transport of bed bugs from an infested site.

Bed bugs are oval, flattened, brown, and wingless insects approximately 1/4" to 3/8" long (5-9 mm). They are similar in appearance to a wood tick. After the bug has taken a blood meal, its color will change from brown to purplish-red. Also after feeding, it is larger and more cigar-shaped making it appear like a different insect. Young bed bugs are much smaller (1/16 or 1.6 mm when they first hatch) and nearly colorless except after feeding, but resemble the adult in general shape. You may also find cast skins, which are empty shells of bugs as they grow from one stage to the next. After a blood meal, bed bugs deposit fecal spots (composed of digested blood) in areas adjacent to the feeding site or back at their hiding places.

You can only confirm that bed bugs are present by carefully inspecting each item. Pay attention to cracks, crevices, seams, and folds of material. Remember that bed bugs can be 1/16" to 1/4" and young, unfed bugs may be mostly translucent (see pictures). If you find bugs, then you have to be careful in containing the infestation. If you do not find bugs, but still suspect there may be an infestation, the steps mentioned below will provide peace-of-mind and ensure that you do not bring an infestation home.

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The key to complete bed bug elimination begins with proper identification of infested areas. While adult bed bugs may be easier to identify, bed bug nymphs and eggs are very difficult to locate, especially in early or light infestations. With an adept sense of smell, K-9 scent detection dogs possess the unique ability to detect bed bugs quickly and efficiently, with little disruption to your home, office or hotel room.

Accuracy Accuracy in detecting adult bed bugs, nymphs and eggs is 97% for K-9 Unit Inspections vs. Accuracy in detecting adult bed bugs approximately 40-60% for Traditional Inspections

DurationInspection durations ranging from 2-15 minutes per room for K-9 Units vs. Inspections ranging from 20 minutes to 1 hour per room for Traditional Inspections

DisruptionMinimal to no disruption to the occupant(s) with K-9 Units vs. Moderate level of disruption to the occupant (dismantling of bed, moving of furniture, etc.) with Traditional Inspections

LimitationsK-9 Unit detection has no limitations in cluttered areas, inside upholstered surfaces, mattress seams, beneath carpet, behind baseboards, etc. vs. Traditional Inspections, where detection is limited to visual inspection area only

At Plunketts Pest Control, our goal is to maintain a world class bed bug K-9 scent detection program. Thats why we will only employ canines who have achieved 600 hours or more of specialized training on how to seek and find bed bugs. K-9 Unit team handlers will also provide on-going training to keep the dogs sharp and focused. While no bed bug inspection can be 100% accurate, the use of a trained K-9 bed bug inspection team is the most accurate means of detection available.

K-9 bed bug detection dogs use their keen sense of smell to detect the odor of live bed bugs and viable bed bug eggs. Plunketts bed bug dogs are trained on a food/or toy reward philosophy, similar to cadaver and police dogs. This means that if the K-9 alerts (a special action specific to each individual dogs training) its handler will reward with food. The area or areas where the K-9 alerts will be documented for further inspection by the handler and allow for quicker, more targeted bed bug treatment.

We understand your brand reputation is of utmost importance, which is why client confidentiality is our number one priority. Plunketts Pest Control professionals will maintain your privacy from the very first contact and in all practices and procedures during the normal course of doing business with you. To that end, we take every relationship seriously and will extend our policy of confidentiality to all of our clients. Our K-9 bed bug inspections are available for Minneapolis and all of Minnesota as well throughout Plunkett's service area. Please contact us today for more information or to schedule an inspection.

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Guidelines for Dealing with Bed Bugs in a School Setting (.pdf)

Actual bed bug infestations in schools are uncommon, more often a few bed bugs will hitchhike from an infested home on a students possessions. On the occasion that an infestation starts, it will be because bed bugs have found a site where people rest or sit for a time. A common example of this is with the younger grades, or pre-school, where rest time or nap time still occurs.

It is important to remain vigilant for bed bugs in the school. Treating a bed bug infestation is very difficult and costly. The sooner an infestation is detected the easier it will be to control the infestation. In addition, there are steps that can be taken to prevent future infestations.

The most common way for bed bugs to enter a school is through hitchhiking from an infested site. Usually this will be from a student, staff or teachers home which has a bed bug infestation. While teachers and staff can be more easily addressed dealing with students or parents can be challenging, especially if the family cannot afford proper control measures or their landlord refuses to properly treat their home.

Students dealing with a bed bug infestation in their home may show signs of bites. Different people react differently to bed bug bites, some people do not react at all and others have severe allergic reactions. Depending on the students immune response to bed bug bites and the severity of the infestation there may be a few or many welts on the face, torso and limbs. Bed Bugs tend to bite on skin that is exposed during sleep or rest. The visible marks and itchiness may make the student very uncomfortable. Students may also display anxiousness and/or sleepiness due to interrupted sleep as a result of bed bugs biting them.

Bed bugs are not associated with uncleanliness or socioeconomic status, but this insect has a substantial social stigma.

Steps that can be taken if a students home is known to have a bed bug infestation:

To prevent a bed bug infestation in the school, be proactive.

Guidelines for Dealing with Bed Bugs in a School Setting (.pdf)

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