World, Bed Bug Registry Map – Infestation Reports

The resurgence of bed bugs has caused more than the creepy little blood suckers to come out of the woodwork. Some self-proclaimed pest control professionals and marketers are trying to take a bite out of your wallet by peddling products that claim to prevent or remedy bed bug infestations. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) one of the federal agencies responsible for managing the bed bug problem reports an increase in the number of individuals and companies making unrealistic claims about their abilities to control or eradicate the pests.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, urges you to be cautious when shopping for products and services related to bed bug infestations to avoid being sucked dry financially and possibly making the problem worse.

Bed bugs are good hitchhikers, riding into homes in and on luggage, furniture, bedding, or clothing. Once inside, the pests like to hide in small cracks and crevices behind your bed's headboard, in the seams and tufts of your mattress and inside the box spring, along baseboard cracks, and behind wallpaper. The presence of bed bugs has little to do with cleanliness, although clutter can provide good hiding places and make them difficult to treat.

Bed bugs do not transmit diseases, but their bites can become red, itchy welts. Bed bugs typically feed on blood every five to 10 days, but can live for a year or more without eating. They also can withstand a wide range of temperatures from nearly freezing to almost 113F.

Adult bed bugs are oval, wingless and have a rusty red color. They have flat bodies, antennae and small eyes. Check out these photos. They are visible to the naked eye, but often hide in cracks and crevices. So when you clean, change bedding, or travel, look for other signs that they may present, like:

Experts agree: Bed bug infestations are difficult to control, and no one treatment or technique has been found to be effective in all cases. Still, bed bugs can be controlled through a combination of techniques known as integrated pest management (IPM) an environmentally sensitive approach that includes prevention, monitoring, and limited use of chemical pesticides. In fact, some populations of bed bugs have developed resistance to common pesticides, making some sprays ineffective. Alternative treatments include heat and steam. Bedding, clothing, and electronic items shouldn't ever be treated with pesticides, but can be treated with heat.

If you try to control bed bugs on your own with pesticides, choose products that are intended for that purpose. The EPA has a bed bug product search tool that can help you choose a product that meets your needs.

Before you use a pesticide, read the label. Never use a pesticide indoors that is intended for outdoor use. Using the wrong pesticide or using it incorrectly can make you, your family, and your pets sick. It also can make your home unsafe to live in. Never spray pesticides on top of mattresses, sofas, and other upholstered furniture, or in areas where there are children or pets.

What about using bug bombs or foggers? Many bed bugs are resistant to the pesticides used in these products. In addition, these products do not reach cracks and crevices where bed bugs reside. So, while experts agree that bug bombs and foggers can kill bed bugs, they definitely shouldn't be the only control method you use.

If you'd rather hire an expert do the job:

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American Dog Tick: (Length: 1/8" to 3/16")

The adult American dog tick is 1/8" to 3/16" long. It is red-brown with white markings on the back. The body is flattened and shaped like a tear drop. It turns slate gray and doubles in size when engorged. In June or July the engorged female tick drops off the host animal to lay from 4,000 to 6,500 yellow-brown eggs in a sheltered location. It is a very common pest of dogs east of the Rocky Mountains and readily feeds on a variety of other animals, including humans. The American dog tick transmits Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and can cause tick-induced paralysis if it attaches to the base of the neck.

Acrobat Ant: (1/16" - 1/8")

They are light brown to black in color and 1/16" - 1/8" long. The top of the thorax has one pair of spines, and the petiole has two segments. When viewed from above the abdomen appears to be heart shaped. Acrobat ants often nest outdoors under stones, logs, firewood, in trees, and conditions similar to carpenter ants. In structures they nest in wall and floor voids foam insulation, and other conditions similar to carpenter ants. Acrobat ants travel in trails. Swarmers have been observed in nests or swarming mid June through late September.

Argentine Ant: (Length: 1/16" )

Argentine ant workers are 1/16" long and light to dark brown. The queens are 1/8" to " long, are brown, and covered with fine hair. Males are slightly smaller and are shiny brown-black. They are located in moist areas near a food source and typically live outdoors. Swarmers are rarely seen because mating occurs inside the nest. They attack, destroy, and eat other household pests such as cockroaches. American Cockroach: (Length: 1 3/8" to 2 1/8")

American cockroaches are 1 3/8" to 2 1/8" long when mature. They are red-brown in color and are characterized by fully-developed wings that completely cover the abdomen. The pronotum, or shield like segment behind the head, has a dirty yellow band around its edge. American Cockroaches are not common pests in most homes. They can be abundant in sewers and commercial facilities such as grocery stores, restaurants, hospitals, office buildings, and apartment buildings. They prefer to inhabit warm, damp locations. They are strong fliers and easily migrate from building to building. In the summer large numbers accumulate in outdoor locations such as dumps, alleys, and yards. In the fall they migrate into surrounding structures. Cockroaches are often brought into and moved between facilities via equipment and storage boxes. Anobiid Powderpost Beetle: (Length: 1/32"- 3/8")

Anobiid Powderpost beetles are 1/32"- 3/8" long. They are dirty white in color. Anobiid Powderpost Beetles attack seasoned wood in the United States. They are called powderpost beetles because of the fact that the larvae feed on wood and if given enough time can reduce the wood to a mass of fine powder. The Anobiidae family is the only one that can digest the cellulose in the wood. Asian Lady Bug: (Length: ")

Asian lady bugs are " long. They are multi-colored, varying from red to yellow. When spots are present there are usually 9 on each wing cover. Asian lady bugs are tree dwellers. They were introduced to the United States from 1977 to 1981 by the United States Department of Agriculture to control scale and aphid pests. Brown-Banded Cockroach: (Length: ")

Brown-banded cockroaches are about " longs when mature. They are light- brown to brown and have two light yellow-brown bands running across their bodies, hence their name. The pronotum, or shield like segment by the head, has a dark brown area which is shaped like a liberty bell. Females are darken in color and broader than males. Brown-banded cockroaches prefer a warmer and drier environment. They are found throughout structures, preferring hiding places up off the floor such as crown molding, pictures, closets, furniture, appliances, computers, and telephones. Big Headed Ant: (Length: 1/16"- 1/8")

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