BEDBUGS:
THE WHOLE, UGLY TRUTH

(If you just want a quick rundown of Bedbug Elimination steps, CLICK HERE)

ON THIS PAGE:

Summary of Bedbug Facts

Messages by bedbug victims

 Articles on bedbugs

Treatment for bedbugs

• Ants

Part 1:


THE TROUBLE WITH BEDBUGS...

  • Bedbugs avoid light and attack in the middle of the night. About the size of an apple seed, they hide in cracks and crevices of furniture and walls, and can disappear into the edge of a picture frame or between buttons on an alarm clock.

  • Bedbugs are turning up in hospitals, schools, movie theaters, health clubs.

  • People who have bedbugs often never see them alive. The only signs are pepper-like spots of their fecal matter, specks of dried blood on bedsheets, and of course, the bites. The scourge is nearly impossible to eradicate; the creatures can go a year without feeding, they reproduce rapidly and don't die easily.

  • Belongings must be removed from the home & thoroughly washed, followed by meticulous vacuuming, before the exterminator can even begin his work. Several home visits are often needed.

  • Not even the professionals feel like they have a handle on it. They've been caught unawares by these pests, which were dormant for decades. The recent comeback is attributed to an increase in global travel and the banning of DDT. "We feel like we're starting from scratch. The only thing we know is that we don't know anything."

news.yahoo.com - Link to news article

From A BEDBUG MESSAGEBOARD

[ www.e-bug.net/forum/index.shtml ]

Posted by Kathy on November 27, 2003 at 01:18:11: I have had about 100 bed bug bites. Many on my arms since I sleep with my arms above my head exposed. Well, I saw little progress on mother natures own with waiting for my wounds to heal. I am not rich, but I did dish out the 25 bucks for Mederma scar gel . Well. it works! just wanted to help any of you looking for something to help the scars these pests leave! I was embarased to show my arms in public at one point. HTH Kathy
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Hi Chrissy,
I am moving to my home state Massachusetts in January. I imagine it will shock my system totally, because I am coming up from south Florida. I hope if I have one bed bug egg in ANY of what I did keep it will die! oh, to carry these monsters north would be horrid.

I got the bed bugs back in September. I had a used leather sofa set given to me. I thought "OH WHAT A GREAT FIND!" being it was one of those seamless italian deals. I imagine a 5,000 set or more. Well, my "great deal" became a costly mess.

I am glad I looked up on the internet "nite time bites" after being only bit at night, and bed bugs came up in my search. So, the infestation was controlled and rebound a few times. I bombed with raid two times and then had the bug man come here twice.

Then he came again this last time, He talked to us and said the eggs will hatch and I need to vaccum like crazy. He said to vaccum IN MY BOX SPRING! how the heck can I do that! I figured I would NEVER get rid of them 100% with the eggs hatching and a whole cycle starting again. I just said to myself to get rid (throw out) of all my furniture or suffer.

I hope the mederma works for you chrissy, apply it three times a day at the least. I still have some scars for my itching but the appearence of them is not nearly as bad as it was. I can go out in public and not look a total mess. good luck! Kathy
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posted by Laurie on November 28, 2003 at 09:50:36:
I asked an exterminator about that, as my boyfriend never got bitten, either. They claim that the bugs are attracted more so to females because of the hormones! Men CAN & do get bitten, but not as often as women. I don't know if that's true, but that's what I was told by a pro! My husband has never been had a bite and help sleeps right next to me... go figure

: Same here!! Weird.
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Posted by Chrissy on November 18, 2003 at 13:39:55:

In Reply to: Probably a nymph posted by Heather on November 18, 2003 at 10:34:20:

Hi, thanks for responding. Yep, it definitely was a nymph. I'm at my wits end with this bed bug problem! Does anyone EVER get rid of these things? I've had 3 professional exterminations in 6 weeks, I've applied Drione powder into cracks, I've caulked up every crack & crevice I can find, I spray permethrin in hot spots...thrown out the infested mattress/boxspring...even steam cleaned the room to try to get the stray eggs....and I'm STILL SEEING NYMPHS?????

[The nymphs (immatures) resemble the adult though they are smaller in size. Newly hatched nymphs are almost colorless whereas engorged nymphs are reddish and swollen Bed bug eggs are white, oval egg is about 1 mm long. ]

I'll definitely try the flea powder. Thanks for the tip.
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Posted by joyce on November 30, 2003 at 20:16:28:

Is there a safe way to kill bedbugs that may be nesting in my computer and peripherals? i am packing up just about everything in my house and putting it outside for the winter. i packed my books in containers with mothballs and put them outside but i don't know what is safe for the computer, tv, stereo etc. we definately itch when sitting at the computer for a while and when we moved the computer to another room, the itching followed
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HI Joyce,
I had horrid bites from my PC desk. I have gotten rid of it but like you fear that perhaps the bugs have taken over my PC. I would guess, not 100% sure here. But, there is a good chance if the PC is left in the freezing cold it may kill them. I am not sure if that would damage your pc? I hope not. Good Luck! Kathy

"Bedbugs nest on porous materials, of which there are virtually none in a computer case....."

Live in a lockdown situation. I.e., only wear your bed clothes for bed. Have a apir of house schlepping clothes. And only leave the house with fresh clothes from sealed bags. If they are in your closet, take all that stuff out of it, bag it up until you have time to disinfect it (steaming, boiling, hot dryer) and caulk all cracks in the closet. Look everywhere in that closet. Then, spray it with pesticide and put diatamaceous earth at the perimier edge. Work ,like this in every suspected hiding place otherwise it will get out of control. I know it is overwhelming but it is the only way.Good luck and keep us informed

I have new found empathy for anyone with any kind of bug problem now. You cannot sleep properly, you jump at the littlest 'tickle' on your body, and you become so freakish about cleaning!!
! They sell plastic zipper matress covers at linens n things or bed bath and beyond. it is a huge plastic case with a zipper. The plastic cover is hard to put on the matress alone, it is a two person job for sure. The plastic is thin and tears easy,

I sprinkled drione. Finally spent my first night in that room in a month last night. And in the morning there was a huge bedbug on the wall. I sprinkled so much drione I got an allergic reaction vaccuming it even with a mask. I guess I will call an exterminator ...

"...it is the best-kept secret of high-end hotels, cruise lines, and, apparently, meditation centers! ...

..."I am definitely already freezing a lot of stuff in my apartment fresszer, but i didn't know I had to do it for two weeks. I realize these creatures are very resilienlt...but hey why not two weeks in the freezer to help my conscience...."

"...Seeing as how you're in an apartment complex is probably what is preventing them from dying off completely. The owner would have to do the *entire* building, and other tenants who have infested furniture would have to throw their stuff out, too. It'll be quite a challenge since there are many people involved who will have to incur a significant expense...."
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Posted by Chrissy on December 02, 2003 at 13:15:31:
In Reply to: How's everyone doing with bedbugs? posted by Laurie on December 02, 2003 at 11:40:10:

I'm still living in the apartment, and haven't seen one in awhile, except for ONE nymph in my bedroom which I killed about 2 weeks ago. After spraying like hell with something called Enforcer (VERY strong insecticide effective for all indoor pests), I haven't seen another bug of ANY kind. However, I've taken to sleeping on the sofa bed in my living room while I look for another apartment. Don't want to live with the fear of these things coming back, and I had to throw out my bedroom furniture!:(

: Hope you're all coping, and haven't seen any of the buggers in a while!
We're leaving our apartment after our landlord refused to pay for any of the exterminating. Although we haven't been to a hotel in a year, she insists we brought them in. The exterminator said they've been in the house for quite a while, and I've only been getting bitten for a month.

We tossed our bed, and are outta here! Five nights so far without a bite. We're sleeping in the living room on an air mattress in the meantime. Next step? Making sure we bring nothing with us. Advice? Rent a steam cleaner for our sofa (though we've never been bitten in the living room, we want to be safe)?
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Posted by orza on December 05, 2003 at 23:45:07:
We're moving out of this apartment to get away from them. We've already thrown out our bed, but today, I found one crawling across the sheet on our air mattress. What in the world can we do to make sure we don't bring any with us?

Fogging? Any advice, please! We've had the exterminator here two times, and still, we've got them. what the hell!

Also, if I saw one, how many does that mean we still have? Obviously, when we move, we'll want a new bed, but should we wait a while before we get one?
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Posted by Chrissy on December 06, 2003 at 11:58:59:
In Reply to: Re: I suggest... posted by orza on December 06, 2003 at 11:37:17:

Like you, I also have these horrible insects in my apartment, and I would LOVE to hear from just one person who has made a move & not brought these things to the new place...

All I can suggest is that you throw out every piece of furniture that you even SUSPECT may harbor these things, and steam clean whatever you do plan to bring, be it clothing, furniture, etc. Go over each item with a fine-tooth comb, as you never know where the bugs may be hiding.

I know it's expensive, but you really can only bring the bare essentials with you to the new place. I have thrown out all of my bedroom furniture, as I found egg casings everywhere, and I don't plan to replace any of it until I'm moved to a new place. It's a waste of money. So, when you move, even toss away that air mattress you saw the bug on...remember, if in doubt, leave it behind.

I feel your pain. I've had these things for 4 months, and I've had several professional exterminations, purchased sprays, foggers, powders, etc., but these things are bionic!

: Thanks for the advice. We've had all the 'right things' done already, yet we still have them. I've read this whole forum, and am hoping to get in contact with someone who has moved and managed to bring no bugs with them.
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How do you know bedbugs are really GONE? -

"e-Bug - Pest Control Forum" [ www.e-bug.net/forum/messages/9435.shtml ]

Posted by orza on December 13, 2003 at 20:31:14:

I know that if they are there, they will bite you. After two exterminator visits ( a complete waste of money, seeing as he stayed for ten minutes only) we visited an exterminator supply shop. There was a blizzard that day, and the owner knew lots about bbugs, and sold us the things we'd seen the exterminator use, plus other things we'd read about. That was last Saturday. We spent the ENTIRE DAY vacuuming every little crevice in the wall, threw out tons of stuff, and applied the products in the order and manner the store owner advised us to. We used Steri-fab, Permethrin, some sort of flushing spray, and Tri-Die. He gave us a professional guide for exterminators from a bbug class.

It has been a week without bites. We're moving, and our possessions are going into a cold-storage facility for a month. Our clothes have been sanitized and are in clear plastic bags, we're renting a steamer to treat everything again before we put it into storage, etc., etc.

Anyway, a friend of a friend was saying that she'd had them, and managed (with much less effort!) to not bring them with her to her new place. Are we being overly optimistic about the effectiveness of the most recent treatment? Once the bugs began, I never went more than 3 days without bites, and now it's been seven.

Since we'd decided to move, it was fairly easy to treat the baseboards and every tiny crack in our possessions, even if it did take us the entire weekend. We're doing it again this weekend, since we were worried eggs might have hatched in the interim. Ugh, this is exhausting (wearing ventilators, rubber gloves, etc), but we are being a hell of a lot more thorough than the lame exterminator was. We no longer have a bed, bedframe, headboard or any of the comforts of home.

I'd love to hear from someone who has gotten rid of them! Our landlord was completely unsympathetic (even though she lives in the house), and since we've also had awful mouse problems she's had no interest in solving, we're leaving.
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It's interesting that you mentioned a mouse problem. This most likely is contributing to the problem. The BBs can also feed on the mice and be transported throughout the building. This can happen with fleas also. Get out of there ASAP!
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www.e-bug.net/forum/messages/9189.shtml ]
The bug man said that they keep coming back because their chemicals can NOT kill the eggs. They re-hatch and start the life cycle all over and then re-infest.

I am seriously thinking of leaving this place with nothing! and starting over... help! has anyone gotten rid of them 100%
Kathy
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[http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th5f.htm]
Bedbug eggs are whitish-translucent, making them difficult to detect. (Another site:) Bedbug eggs are elongate, about 1/32 inch long (see below), white in color, and have a distinct cap at one end. . They do not lay at all at temperatures below 10C (50 Degrees fahrenheit ) . At temperatures above 70° Fahrenheit, egg hatch occurs in 6 to 17 days. "they did not spread to northern regions until buildings started to be heated, but when this did happen they soon became very abundant. They are now less common and are largely kept under control by modern insecticides."
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Professional Advice & Treatment


[Information from pest control companies, government health agencies, and individuals. Some of it conflicts with each other. The "organic" pest control sites are substantially screwy -- way too lax in their approach to these tenacious beasts. But this a scavenger hunt for all available info. - RJ]
{Bedbugs}http://www.naturalginesis.com/id70.htm
Other Tips: (From an “organic” pesticide which allows “Pests to be seen several days after spraying")

They cannot crawl up smooth surfaces. Remove bedskirt if you have one. Coat legs of bed with light coating of Vaseline or place legs of bed in glass containers.

After misting mattress with Kleen'em Away - wrap mattress in plastic.
Wash and/or dry bedding and towels daily if necessary.
Use small amount (about 1/2 oz.) of Kleen'em Away in a steam vac.
Persistence is spraying daily may be necessary for several days.
Use vacuum attachments to clean cracks and crevices. Caulk or seal these openings permanently.

WHERE DO THEY HIDE?
In early infestations the bed bugs are found only about the tufts, seams, and folds of mattresses and daybed covers; LATER they spread to cracks and crevices in the bedsteads . If allowed to multiply, they establish themselves behind baseboards, window and door casings, pictures, and moldings, and in furniture, loosened wallpaper, and cracks in plaster and partitions.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY BITE?
A bed bug generally feeds at night, but if it is hungry and the area has a dim light, it may feed during the day. A bed bug generally pierces the skin of humans as they sleep. It injects a fluid into the human skin to aid in obtaining blood. Often this fluid causes a welt on the skin that becomes irritated, inflamed, and itchy. If left undisturbed, a full-grown bed bug becomes engorged with blood in 3 to 5 minutes. It then crawls into hiding, remaining there for several days to digest its meal. When hunger returns, the bug emerges from hiding and seeks another blood meal.

Bed bug eggs are white and about 1/3-inch long. Under favorable conditions the female bed bug lays about 200 eggs at the rate of 3 or 4 per day. Eggs have a sticky coating and stick to objects where they are laid. It usually takes the eggs 6 to 17 days to hatch, and the newly emerged nymphs will feed immediately. A bed bug goes through five molts (shedding of its skin) before it reaches maturity.

THE ENZYMATIC EFFECT ON THE INSECT'S EXOSKELETON IS QUICK! Use nontoxic Kleen'em Away Naturally Enzyme cleaner. Apply a light mist to the entire mattress. Treat mattresses only along seams, buttons and tears. Don't forget to treat the bottom of the mattress, box springs and bed frame. The objective is not the quantity of spray used, but rather the proper placement of the enzyme cleaner; get the spray to where the bed bugs are spending their off-hours.

Inspect and spray along baseboards, window frames, wall paper edges, heat registers and other mouldings. As it may be impossible to penetrate all hiding places immediately, control may not be immediate and bugs may be seen for several days after treatment.

Kleen'em Away Naturally is 100% safe and may be used as often as needed. It works by breaking down the exoskeleton of the bed bug prematurely, causing its demise. This revolutionary product is now available to the general consumer. Preformed enzymes have been used widely in restaurant and institutional settings for the last ten years, due to their low toxicity and superior cleaning properties. They are also becoming widely accepted in the field of pest control as enzymes leave no toxic residues and the enzymatic effect on the insect exoskeleton is quick and safe. SAFE for Gardens, Plants, Ponds and around children and pets!

Kleen'em Away Naturally Enzymes --- safe, economical, effective. The perfect natural alternative to toxic poisons!

Kleen'em Away 32 oz. $32.00 = ORDER NOW! Natural Ginesis, 1084 Tulloss Road, Franklin, TN 37067. Telephone: 615-790-6122
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[ Pyrethrins are used in the "Natural" Insecticides ]The natural pyrethrins are swiftly detoxified by enzymes in the insect. Thus, some pests will recover. To delay the enzyme action so a lethal dose is assured, organophosphates, carbamates, or synergists may be added to the pyrethrins.

[http://www.bugspray.com/article/bedbugs.html} First, there is no product which can kill the egg. This means any eggs which are hiding will probably hatch in 1-2 weeks. Followup treatments insures these new young are not able to establish themselves. Secondly, even if you do a great job both treating and vacuuming, it is very likely more eggs will be laid in the week following your initial treatment by females that are missed during the rest of the treatment in the home.

Since bed bugs are most likely to be living in areas immediately adjacent to the bed, you will need to do more than treat just mattresses and bed frames. The next place to inspect and treat will be the floor moldings around the room. Bed bugs love to crawl under the moldings living between the carpet and the wood. They will also get into electric outlets, under switch plate covers and behind both paneling and wall paper. Treat all of these areas with DRIONE DUST using a HAND DUSTER.

Drione is odorless, kills quickly and will last a year or more. This is very important when treating bed bugs and one thorough treatment of these areas will usually knock most of the population out. Be sure to take all dressers and night tables apart as well. Remove each drawer, empty the drawers contents and then inspect all sides paying particular attention to seams and cracks. If bed bugs are found, use the Drione to treat. If no activity is found, use the PT565XLO and spray lightly. Now inspect any other furniture in the room. This includes desks, chairs, armoire, etc. Once inspected, treat with Drione if you find activity; use the PT565XLO if none is noticed.

Don't forget to look high while inspecting. If the room has crown molding, be sure to inspect and treat accordingly. Bed bugs do not like to be high or low; they will nest at any level. Don't forget pictures, tapestries or anything else which is mounted on the wall. Anything with seams, cracks or crevices present prime nesting areas. Picture frames are classic locations as is heating and air ducts. Light fixtures can be a problem along with standing lights. The bottom line is that you need to treat any location with Drione if you find activity; PT565XLO or Lice/Bedbug Killer if you as much as suspect activity.

The above treatment should be done in any room throughout the home where activity is thought to exist. In most cases, the bed bugs will only be in one or two bedrooms. Rarely do they make it to every room which has people; in most cases they stay where they find a good food supply and populations will grow over time but never leave unless their host leaves. In addition to all the cracks and crevice treatments which need to be done as listed above, it is important to inspect the floor of any room with activity. Tile and linoleum floors will not pose any problem but hardwoods can. The seam, cracks and gaps in the floor present a wonderful nest location for bed bugs and they will readily take up residence if such an opportunity presents itself. Be sure to vacuum any seams in hardwood floors thoroughly and treat with Drione if you suspect bed bugs were active there.

If your floor is carpeted, eggs will readily be laid in the nap of the carpet down where fibers attach to the backing. This placement makes it impossible to vacuum them out so your best bet is to treat the carpet much like you would if you were treating for fleas. Use this newer compound, CYFLUTHRIN, which is both odorless and effective on bed bugs. Apply it with a PUMP SPRAYER and spray one gallon of material to every 500-1000 sq/ft of carpet depending largely on the thickness of the carpet. Cyfluthrin provides residual and will last 1-2 months. This residual provides good protection and insures you have something working for some time on hatching eggs. For extra protection, you should add the newly labeled GENTROL juvenile growth regulator.

This material has been available for roach control for over 20 years and just recently had Bed Bugs listed on it's labeling. When added to the tank with Cyfluthrin, you will be treating both live adult Bed Bugs as well as their eggs. The Gentrol will remain active much longer then just the Cyfluthrin alone. This extra long protection insures you will have something applied and ready to control and prevent any eggs from developing into reproducing adults. Since Gentrol only needs to be added to the tank mix with the Cyfluthrin and is sprayed at the same time, using both together makes a lot of sense.

Now that the living area of the home has been thoroughly treated you may need to turn your attention to other parts of the home. If the infestation has been determined to have come from someone traveling and bringing the bugs home with them your ordeal should be over. However, be sure the infestation was not the result of bird or bat bugs which migrated from the attic, siding or soffit area of your home. If you had a bat infestation or bird nests on your structure in the past year, your home could require further treatments. Even though the inside populations may have formed based on migrating bed bugs from the outside, it is not likely all moved inside. There are always some which will lay dormant waiting for the bats to return or new birds to move into vacated nests. Any areas you know about must be treated. If these areas are outside the home under soffits, you can use the Cyfluthrin and Pump Sprayer to saturate siding, cracks and crevices. This treatment should be done only if the area is too high to reach with a ladder. If you are able to climb up to the exact location where the bats or birds were roosting, you will be able to do a much better treatment using the Hand Duster listed above and treating with DELTA DUST.

Like the Drione, Delta Dust will last a long time insuring hatching eggs will die. Delta Dust is needed outside or in other moist areas because it will hold up to moisture. Drione will not. Once the outside has been properly dusted and/or sprayed, consider treating the attic. In most cases, bat or bird bugs which forage inside pass through attics. Though many of them find their way into living areas, many will become dormant in attics. This is particularly true in attics where bats have been roosting or when the infested rooms are located upstairs just below the attic. Treating the attic is both easy to do and long lasting so don't ignore it hoping nothing is there. Use the Delta Dust and apply it over the insulation with a DUSTIN MIZER. This dust blower will allow you to treat the entire attic quickly and completely without much effort. Most attics can be dusted in 5-10 minutes. Delta Dust is the best material for the job since it will hold up to moisture and works well on bed bugs.

Now that you have properly treated the rooms where you have identified the main activity, the next thing to do is to observe and inspect the results of your treatment. There should be a marked decrease in night time foraging by the bedbugs. Within a week or two there should be no activity. Don't be surprised if you have to treat a few times with either aerosol; this product has a short residual and needs to be applied several times to get the best results. The dust and liquid treatments will last the longest and as long as you are thorough with your coverage you should expect to keep treated areas bedbug free for a month or more at a time. Don't stop inspecting for the first few months since this is the most likely time for them to return. After that you can rest assured you have probably solved the problem.

To see any of the products listed above, simply click on it where it appears underlined or in another color. This will launch you to our product catalog where you will be able to view the product, learn more about how to use it and find out packaging and pricing. You can also link to our product catalog squirrel section by following the link below. From there, you will be able to get to the product catalog as well and also learn how to order from us.
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[wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/epd/epdpa/ipmp/Newsletter/bcpmv3no2.htm - "NEWSLETTER OF INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT IN BRITISH COLUMBIA"]

Boric Acid for Carpenter Ants!
Pest managers in the structural pest control business will be happy to know that KemSan Boradust Insecticide (Commercial, reg. no. 19480) is now labelled for control of ants (along with cockroaches, fleas and bedbugs ). This is good news for pest control operators wishing to use apply the least-toxic methods for controlling household pests. Boric acid dust is known to be a good control for carpenter ants, but until now, this use was not on the label of the Commercial product.

Trichogramma Attacks Unhatched Eggs Kills insect eggs that hatch into plant-eating pests--codling moths, cutworms and corn earworms, over 200 species. Will not harm beneficial insects. Trichogramma $5.75 [www.gurneys.com/item_disp.asp?pn=5110]
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Bleach, ammonia and other cleaning solutions may kill larva which are exposed, but since these compounds quickly breakdown there is nothing left to deal with eggs hatching or migrating larva several weeks later.

[For fruit trees, but the only thing mentioning killing insect eggs so far]
[www.laters.com/PDF/Cat99.pdf.] Dormant Spray KitContains 1 L lime sulphur and 250 mLdormant oil.A combination of lime sulphur anddormant oil will provide a good clean-up spray to control overwinteringinsects, mites and fungus spores onfruit trees and deciduous ornamentals.Lime sulphur kills fungus spores andmites. Dormant oil kills insect eggs andacts as a spreader sticker. Promotes healthier fruit

"Methylated spirits": alcohol that has been denatured by the addition of methanol and pyridine and a violet dye Also called: metho, meths [http://www.wordreference.com}

Methylated Spirits has a multiplicity of uses being used for fuel burners and cleaning .

In the US it is called denatured alcohol.
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(General Info) New packages of grain products can be placed in the freezer for 4-5 days when you bring them home to kill any existing insect eggs.(http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/health/foodsafety/az1083.html )
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www.redding.com/columnist/rfagerlund/stories/20031206colrf010.shtml

Seek-and-destroy strategy works better than bombs on bedbugs


December 06, 2003 — 12:09 p.m.
Q:I found your Web site while searching for info about bedbugs because I have encountered a problem with them. I found about four or five the other day.

I called our department of health and agriculture and even the university insect guy. The agriculture department recommended Raid Terminator bomb. So we bombed our bedroom and the apartment. But the next day found a couple of ones who had survived. I know eggs aren't killed by the bomb, so I plan to bomb again later.

I must ask if your solution of spraying with soap and water really works? Will this do the trick on bedbugs in mattress? I'm thinking of dumping our mattress and box spring. I find the bugs on the pillowcases and comforter. I know they must be laundered. Do the pillows need to be laundered too?

You mentioned that bedbugs like to hide in the cracks and crevices. The pest exterminators I called said they would have to spray all our books, computer, etc. Is this true? They'd charge $300 to $400. I'd be willing to pay if that stopped the problem. The question is: Will it?

A: Your agriculture department and exterminators are positively scary — and incompetent. Bug bombs are absolutely useless for bedbugs, as you probably already noticed. The fellow who wants to spray your books and computer is in the wrong business. He has no idea what he is talking about.

Bedbugs are small, but clearly visible. Strip your bed and search around the buttons and seams of the box spring and mattress. Those are favorite places to hide. If you have tears or voids in your either one, then seal them up by sewing or with tape. Any bugs inside will die. Check the crevices where the slats fit. The bugs will hide there too.

Check along the edges of carpeting near the bed and behind any pictures or posters on the wall near the bed. Don't worry about books and computers. Bed bugs will be on the bed or very close to it. They are not very mobile and won't want to be very far from dinner (you).

Any bugs you find can be sprayed with soap and water.

If you decide to hire a professional, find one whose treatment is similar to what I outlined. There is no reason to use excessive pesticides all over the place. You should definitely throw away the bombs.

Bedbugs don't carry any diseases. I get a very small mark when a bug bites me. I slept in a hotel recently that had bedbugs. I knew that they were there and didn't pay any attention to them. The next morning I had a few little marks that were of no consequence and I left behind a few fat and happy bedbugs in the room.
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[Bedbugs, Singapore company;}
www.cyberway.com.sg/~enta/bedbugs.htm.
Why do they keep coming back?

Bedbugs are known to make several comebacks despite after repeated chemical pesticides treatments. The truth has never and will never be made known to consumers in this country that forked out hundreds of dollars in hope to get the problem eradicated.

Chemical pesticide applicators claimed to fumigate the bedbugs infested houses, actually they merely thermal fogged the premises with very minute amount of chemical pesticides plus plenty of “inert ingredients”. “Inert ingredients” often come in the form of aromatic hydrocarbon, these substances are extremely toxic to human beings. Diesel are added to further dilute the pesticide as well as to generate visible smoke. They do not have any insecticidal properties but are actually more harmful to humans than to bedbugs.

Fumigation, is a favourite verb used by the chemical pesticide applicators frequently to confuse consumers in our country nowadays. Actually, fumigation used methyl bromide in the past has been a wonderful process to exterminate all living life forms that existed in human premises. Methyl bromide is a volatile fumigant which is extremely toxic and environmental damaging. However, fumigation has become a term of the past, together with the implement of a total ban on the use of Methyl Bromide worldwide several decades ago. Nowadays, methyl bromide fumigation is limited to off shore marine vessels in developing countries only. Their use would be totally phased out in the few years to come.

The very diluted chemical pesticide sprayed may kill some adult bedbugs swiftly, to the layman the treatment is considered successful. As a matter of fact, a can of aerosol pesticide can do the same job. (Aerosol is made up by fully or partially by butene/propane and is also harmful to human when inhaled) What every killed adult bedbug left behind are several hundreds or thousands of unhatched eggs. In times to come these eggs would hatch and cause havoc all over again.

Consumers must now aware that what they are getting from fumigation companies for hundreds of dollars are just very little chemical pesticide with plenty of harmful aromatic hydrocarbons and diesel serving as dilutant and a guarantee that bedbugs will return soon in the coming future.

The only way to do eradicate bedbugs is to spray pesticides with long residue effects over areas suspected of bedbug activities. Another problem arises, however, is the constant contact between human living in the premises and the treated surfaces. More chemical pesticides are going to be absorbed by human who may have touch the treated surfaces more frequently than the bedbugs. The adverse effects of exposure to chemical pesticides were well documented and would not be discussed here. Daily cleansing and other activities would further weaken the long residue treatment.

Our solution~DIY Savilo Potion 3 "Bedbug pesticide" kills bedbugs mechanically and not by the acetylchlolinesterase inhibiting mode employed by most organophosphate pesticides that is widely used in this country.

E-mail us at enta@cyberway.com.sg

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Simple facts about bedbugs

Bedbugs feed mainly on the blood of humans. They usually feed at night when people are asleep. As they feed, they inject a salivary secretion into the wound to prevent coagulation. This fluid causes the skin to itch and become swollen. During the day, bedbugs hide inside cracks on the walls, behind basebroads, wallpaper and pictures They can also be found in joints of beds, around the tufts of mattresses and in bed sheets.

Wet application:
One packet of bedbug powder can be mixed with up to 5 litres of water. Some user may prefer to use kerosene. Take the bed or furniture apart. Vacuum mattress and pillows. Spray/brush the bed frames, slats and springs with enough mixture to thoroughly wet them. Pay particular attention to the tufts and seams of the mattress. Spray/brush the woodwork and all the walls in the room at least 2 feet above the floor. Pillowcases and bed sheets are to be boiled with bleaching agent to kill any eggs deposited. Spray again if there are any new signs of bedbugs. After 2 weeks, spray the bed, furniture and walls again.

Bedbug/Fleas Potion 3 is a dual action pesticide. It contains a fast knock-out contact and stomach insecticide dissolved in water with a silica-based contact pesticide in powder form. Treat all infected areas liberally. When applied, the mixture will knock out any bedbug seen in open activity swiftly. The purpose of the silica-based pesticide is to remain behind a treated area to kill any bedbug that comes out to feed at night. The silica-based pesticide is expected to last for weeks. Several repeated treatment is necessary to single out all the breeding grounds in the premises one by one until the biting stops completely. Otherwise, if the treatments are not thorough, re-infestation is most likely to occur.

If you encounter any difficulties with our products, kindly contact our head office in Singapore.

Enta Manufacture Industries, Singapore Blk 3021, Ubi Avenue 2, #04-193, Singapore 408897 Tel : 65-6744-1010 Fax: 65-6743-8969 E-mail us at enta@cyberway.com.sg Back to Home
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Sterifab eliminates household pests.(Sterifab) (Sterifab has an Inactive Website – RJ) Pest Control, Sept, 2003

Eliminate lice, bedbugs, fleas and other household pests with Sterifab spray. Spray it on mattresses, upholstery and carpets; items can be used 20 minutes after spraying, and no chemical or perfume odors linger. The product can be sprayed with any pump or hand sprayer without dilution.
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ARTICLES


[www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/news/6905219.htm.]

Posted on Wed, Oct. 01, 2003

Bedbugs are making a comeback across the United States

BY KIRSTEN SCHARNBERG, Chicago Tribune; NEW YORK - (KRT) -

This is going to make your skin crawl.

Bedbugs - those tenacious, bloodsucking little critters that once were so successfully eradicated from the United States that parents teased small children about them at bedtime - are making a comeback. A big, itchy, coast-to-coast comeback.

In New York, in one Queens apartment building, all residents had to throw out their mattresses and have their entire wardrobes doused in scalding water.

In Madison, Wis., dozens of homes were found to be swarming with the bugs.

In Washington, D.C., a posh Dupont Circle high-rise was so infested that residents called a special meeting.

In New Mexico, one hospital's supposedly sterile rooms were overrun.

At least 28 states - including Illinois - reported an influx of bedbugs in 2002. The bugs have shown up in homes, apartment buildings and even world-class luxury hotels. One entomologist called them "the new scourge of America," and Orkin Inc., the nation's second-largest pest-control company, has predicted a 25 to 30 percent increase in bedbug extermination jobs for the next four years.

"We've seen at least five times as many cases this year as we did two years ago, when bedbugs first started re-emerging," said Frank Meek, Orkin's national pest-control manager.

The reasons for the recent return of the bedbug - or, Cimex lectularius to bug aficionados - appear to be twofold. First, an increase in international travel has brought the bugs, which often stow away in suitcases or clothing, to the United States from countries where bedbugs remain common. In addition, many of the pesticides that virtually eliminated the bugs from the United States in the last century no longer are in use because they have proven dangerous to humans.

"We just aren't using good enough pesticides anymore," said Mike English, an entomologist at New Mexico State University. "Basically, you have a whole generation of people who have only known bedbugs as characters in a charming bedtime rhyme, and that generation is also one that is very nervous about many pesticides because they know they have caused problems in the past. But the rise of the bedbug probably shows that we've run too far in the other direction."

Bedbugs are, well, disgusting.

The bugs start out nearly invisible - less than a quarter of an inch long and so light brown they can seem almost transparent. But after they bite a host, and gorge on human blood for nights on end, they turn a deep, mahogany red and can swell to nearly the size of a ladybug.

They drop blood-infused feces all over bed sheets - one of the telltale signs of their presence - and give off a sickly-sweet odor.

And, perhaps worst of all, they are astonishingly resilient. Although they prefer to make their homes in the crevices of mattresses during the day, bedbugs can hibernate in floorboards or even wooden picture frames for more than a year - emerging after the exterminator is long gone, the new bed has been purchased and the residents are back to sleeping peacefully through the night.

Scratching yourself yet?

Danny Lucey knows how you feel. The minute the 22-year-old New Yorker begins to talk about his apartment's infestation with bedbugs, he starts vigorously raking his fingernails over his arms and legs.

"Just thinking about them makes me start to itch," Lucey said.

The bedbugs have spread through Lucey's Queens apartment building, infesting at least seven bedrooms. The guys next door were hit the worst; their mattresses were so infested that the blood-filled bugs were crawling over each other in a scene like something out of a bad science fiction movie.

"We've had the exterminator in, like, four or five times," Lucey said, "and they just keep coming back. I'm getting to the point where I don't even notice when they bite me anymore, but my girlfriend is completely freaked out. "

Pest-control experts emphasize that bedbugs usually are not a reflection of bad housekeeping or poor hygiene. They are often simply a case of bum luck.

Strange as it may sound, there is a strong correlation between bugs in the bed and bats in the belfry. Bedbugs often are carried by bats or birds, particularly swallows, which may nest in attics. The bedbugs then multiply quickly because they thrive in the warmer temperatures provided by a building's shelter.

"That's when they begin to make their way through the walls or vents and into the inhabited part of the dwelling," said entomologist English.

Bedbugs prefer to hide during the day and emerge at night in search of food. They are attracted to warmth and the scent of human breath, so they tend to make their way to the bedroom. Unlike ticks or lice, which like to stay on their host, bedbugs will feast on their sleeping human entrees, then burrow deep into the mattress or other dark places.

Because the critters are such natural hitchhikers, hotels are hotbeds for bedbugs. Once the bugs arrive, often in the belongings of international travelers, they migrate by foot traffic, through air ducts, on housekeeping carts and even by vacuum cleaner.

Meek of Orkin said virtually all of his company's big hotel chain clients have battled bedbugs in recent years. Orkin has begun offering training seminars to the hotel industry, telling workers what to look for so they will catch an infestation early.

Once bedbugs take up residence, they are extremely difficult to quell. Most pesticides on the market today are very target specific, meaning they work only on a certain insect. And few products are geared specifically to bedbugs.

"In the old days, when we used stronger pesticides and less target-specific pesticides, bedbugs were just kind of killed in the process without us ever even realizing we were getting them," English said. "But now if you're spraying for cockroaches, the pesticide often will only kill a cockroach. Or if you're spraying for ants, you'll be using something that only takes out ants."

Residents of Boston's Allston-Brighton neighborhood know just how bad things can get when bedbugs move onto the block. Earlier this month, the problem grew so severe that several families had to move from their homes and at least one bite-covered child was hospitalized. Building after building became infested, and although bedbugs don't usually cause or spread diseases, the nuisance factor was immeasurable.

"You wouldn't think that something as small as a bedbug could make you miss a day of work or completely prevent you from sleeping for nights on end," said City Council member Jerry McDermott. "But they really can."

Constituents began bringing plastic bowls filled with bedbugs for McDermott to inspect. He soon ordered a special hearing on the matter, much to the initial chagrin of his council colleagues.

"You should have seen people roll their eyes and grin when I said we needed to take up the issue of bedbugs," he said.

Boston has since launched a full-fledged public-awareness campaign, distributing fliers about bedbugs. McDermott said most buildings are free of bedbugs now, but he still cringes every time he sees someone pick up discarded furniture from dumpsters or sidewalks.

"I just wonder if the problem is getting passed on to the next guy, the next building or the next neighborhood," he said.

Lucey suspects that could be the case in his Queens neighborhood. Less than three hours after the residents of his building hauled their mattresses to the curb, someone hauled them off. Some poor soul was about to find out the origin of the cutesy saying, "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."
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[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/29/health/main575757.shtml. ]

Bedbugs Make A Comeback

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Sept. 29, 2003

"They inject a chemical that numbs you. They feed on you and you don't even know it." Entomologist Mike Lawton

(AP) They creep quietly beneath bed sheets in the darkness of night, in search of a blood feast from an unsuspecting, slumbering host.

They engorge themselves with blood and disappear with the same stealth.

Once thought virtually eradicated in the United States, the bedbug is back.

"An insect is living beside you while you sleep, it withdraws three times its body weight in your blood, it's a psychological concern," said Frank Meek, national pest control technical manager for Orkin.

By the end of 2002, the little bloodsuckers had been reported in at least 28 states. And that could be just the start of a much larger problem.

"It's still at the beginning stages," Kansas State University entomologist Ludek Zurek said of the bedbug's return. "I'm predicting it's going to get worse. Nobody knows why it's coming back."

Some say an increase in international travel is to blame.

Mike Lawton, a staff entomologist with Western Exterminator Co. in Irvine, Calif., said people from countries where bedbugs are rampant are staying in U.S. hotels and motels, bringing the insects with them.

"They've (bedbugs) had an incredible impact on high-end hotels," he said. "You've got to keep it hush-hush. If the word 'bedbug' gets out, it scares a lot of people away."

Zurek said a majority of new cases reported in 2002 - 31 percent - were in hotels and motels. Of the remainder, 28 percent were in apartment complexes and dormitories; 25 percent were in single-family homes; and 16 percent were at other locations.

Bedbugs conceal themselves in mattresses, bedding, crevices in walls and floors, and even behind loose wallpaper. They are flat, wingless critters that are about the size of a small ladybug as adults, and they turn from pale brown to red brown after feasting. They don't carry diseases.

A survey by Atlanta-based Orkin found that in each of the past three years, reported bedbug infestations in the United States increased. Bedbug reports to Orkin increased 300 percent between 2000 and 2001; 70 percent between 2001 and 2002; and 70 percent from 2002 to 2003.

"That's just the calls I'm aware of," Meek said.

Bedbugs, which are classified as ectoparasites, have been increasingly found in residences - and that spells trouble.

While hotels and motels must tackle a bedbug problem immediately for their financial well-being, individuals might not initially recognize a bedbug infestation in their homes. Even after a person realizes there's a problem, he or she might not know how to fix it.

"Once they're brought in, you need to deal with them quickly," Lawton said. "Females can lay hundreds and hundreds of eggs. They go through their life cycle every 30 to 50 days, they stay hidden and are very hard to get to."

Barry Eldridge, president of The Bug Clinic in Spring Valley, N.Y., said people who thought bedbugs were just a fairy tale are finding out otherwise.

"It's not life or death, but it's a public health matter because people are getting bit, and over time, someone who doesn't recognize the problem can become quite ill," Eldridge said.

Zurek said the signs of bedbug infestation are hard to miss.

"Not everyone will be rushing to report it, but if people have them, they'll know because of the odor and the sheets will get dark and red because of the feces of the bedbugs," he said.

Bedbugs can live up to a year without a meal, they thrive in hot places and their bite usually is undetected until a person gets out of bed, Lawton said.

"They inject a chemical that numbs you," he said. "They feed on you and you don't even know it."

Zurek said bite marks usually show up as little red spots with a lighter red area around them. Unlike chigger bites that tend to be grouped in one area or pattern, bedbug bites can be all over a person.

Lawton said the best way to get rid of the pests is to hire an exterminator. He said over-the-counter spray insecticides only work if everything in a bedbug-infested room is taken apart and every tiny crack or crevice sprayed.

"Materials we use today don't last as long as they used to," Lawton said. "In the past when bedbugs were introduced to an area, the stuff used on cockroaches would do the trick. But we've switched to use a lot of baits for cockroach control, and that doesn't work on bedbugs."
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[www.townonline.com/allston/news/local_regional/covabbedbugsms10242003.htm. - Boston Public health board]

To treat bedbugs, all bedding, clothing and other cloth fabric must be removed and sealed in plastic bags until they have been laundered in hot water and then hot dried. Bedbugs can live through a cold wash cycle, according to Rahman.

Tenants must also empty all drawers, dressers and nightstands and pull furniture away from the walls so exterminators can treat all baseboards and furniture with a pesticide spray. All bedding used by infants and infirmed persons should be replaced, not treated. After the exterminator sprays the home, residents must leave for at least four hours; infants, pregnant women and people suffering from heart, kidney and respiratory ailments or allergies should stay away for at least 24 hours.

If the bedbug infestation is treated immediately by an exterminator, the problem can be controlled, but uncooperative landlords are a significant obstacle, said Gonzalez.

Dave West, who lives in a six-unit apartment building at 76 Easton St. in Allston, said he contacted his landlord when his bedbug problem started in June.

"At first he told us to spray kerosene on the mattresses and [the bedbugs] would go away," said West. Kerosene is not an effective treatment against bedbugs and also a fire hazard.

West says his roommate has been sleeping on the living room floor since mid-August.

"He's still getting bitten, but less than in his bedroom," said West.

A professional exterminator was finally scheduled to treat the apartment in September, but the landlord canceled the appointment at the last minute, frustrating West and his roommates.

"If your relationship with your landlord is bad, then you call us. We'll help you out," said Rahman.

Renters who believe they have a bedbug problem should first notify their landlord immediately. It is the landlord's responsibility to have the residence treated by a licensed professional exterminator.

If your landlord is not responding to a bedbug problem, call both the city of Boston at 617-635-5300 and the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-5965.
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[www.weeklydig.com/dig/content/4434.aspx.]

Attack Of The Bedbugs! Nocturnal Bloodsuckers Plague Boston by Bobby Iafolla


Boston is now in the grips of a nasty bedbug problem, and it may very well get worse before it gets better. These critters, which typically live inside mattresses, headboards or cracked wallboards, come out at night to feed on the blood of sleeping humans. The insects had not been seen for decades in Boston, but due in part to an increase in international travel, according to one exterminator, “now they are just as common as roaches.”

Unbeknownst to many, however, the bedbugs began their reappearance almost two years ago.

In the fall of 2001, Amanda Freas and her roommates at 11 Linden St. in Allston all started itching. “It took us awhile to figure out why we were all itchy, because we couldn't see them for awhile,” explained Freas. “But we realized what was wrong when Carolyn [a roommate] found bedbugs crawling in her bed, and we all had giant, itchy red welts.” Freas told her landlord, who at first insisted they had scabies. After seeing some of the dead bedbugs that Freas collected, the landlord had the apartment sprayed. Unfortunately, this was a short-lived solution; the bedbugs simply hid in the walls and reemerged a few weeks later. The apartment was sprayed four more times, and it was still infested when Freas moved out at the end of last summer.

Around the same time, the tenants of 15 Linden St. realized they had a bedbug problem as well, but their landlord was totally uncooperative, blaming the tenants for the infestation. Tired of the itching and sleepless nights, the tenants reported the problem to the Allston Brighton Community Development Center (ABCDC). In the following months, other Allston-Brighton residents came to the ABCDC complaining of bedbugs and uncooperative landlords. This lack of response on the part of many landlords is, in large part, what has allowed this infestation to spread throughout the city.

Allston, with its transient population of students and immigrants, has been hit the hardest. Juan Gonzales, director of community organization and membership development at the ABCDC, knows of approximately 90 units that are infested. Gonzales warned they are not just an Allston problem. “It's in Brighton, JP, East Boston, Boston, Cambridge, Somerville - it's all over everywhere,” he said.

A bedbug infestation is more than just a nuisance; it can turn life into a living hell. “When they first started biting, I became an irate person,” explained Ethan Dussault of Allston. “I didn't sleep for months.” Jason Dunn, one of Dussault's roommates, told an all-too-familiar story of an uncooperative landlord who insisted on fixing the problem with ineffective means.

The Book on The Bugs

If you think you have bedbugs, the first step is to tell your landlord. If s/he is uncooperative, contact Boston's Inspectional Services Department (ISD), which will send one of its 24 inspectors within five days. Dion Irish, assistant commissioner of ISD, explained that if bedbugs (or any other pest, for that matter) are found, the landlord is legally obligated to eliminate the problem. Irish stressed that with bedbugs, “it's very important they be eliminated and that the work is done by a qualified professional. [Extermination] is not a one-time event; it is a process.”

Ralph Paglucca, owner of Page Exterminators in Boston, detailed some of the steps that need to be taken. “First off, the mattress needs to be dumped - that is very important,” he said. In addition, he explained that all clothes and all clothing and linen must be placed in a sealed bag, taken to a laundry mat and cleaned under extreme heat to kill any bedbugs or eggs. Tenants should vacuum at least every other day. Finally, after the exterminator has sprayed, the apartment should be re-inspected a week to 10 days later. It is not uncommon for exterminators like Paglucca to treat the same apartment two or three times before the bedbugs are finally gone.

Exterminators treat cracks, crevasses, electric sockets and any other place the bedbugs hide with chemicals known as “residuals.” These chemicals act by leaving a residue, which the bedbug tracks through when it moves at night. The chemical is brought back to the colony, which then kills the bedbugs. The ISD has recommended that if bedbugs are found in one room, all adjacent rooms with shared walls should also be treated. If professionals do not treat infestations quickly, the problem just gets worse and worse.

“I just treated a room in a boarding house,” said David Brown, branch manager of Clancy Brothers Pest Control in Boston, “and there were thousands of them under loose wallpaper. It was a textbook example of how bad it can get.” According to Brown, bedbugs are also extremely hardy and can go six months without a blood meal. These feats of bedbug endurance have been witnessed right here in Boston. “A friend of mine found two [bedbugs], and he put them in a sealed jar,” said Matt King, who is dealing with an infestation in his Allston apartment. “They actually bred, in the jar, with no oxygen and no food.” This endurance allows bedbugs to lie dormant for extended periods of time, until they have the opportunity to feed.

One of the primary ways bedbugs have spread is through used furniture. Colonies often live and reproduce in nightstands, mattresses and other furniture. During moving season, furniture is often left out on the street. If an infested mattress is brought to a new location, that location will then be infested. “I have heard that some Rent-a-Centers are having problems with bedbugs,” said Paglucca.

Despite increasing reports of infestation, however, there is no need to panic about the physical effects of bedbugs. “Some [bedbug] bites might cause an allergic reaction or a rash,” explained Ayubur Rahman, senior health inspector and toxicologist for the Boston Public Health Commission. “But, in the scientific community, it is agreed that bedbugs do not transmit diseases.” Rahman stressed that the only way to deal with this problem is through education. Landlords need to know the importance of treating this problem quickly, and residents need to know how not to spread them - otherwise, the bedbugs are here to stay.

To contact Boston Inspectional Services for an inspection, call 617.635.5322. For more information, check out http://www.allstonbrightoncdc.org/bedbugs.htm. And don't pick up used furniture off the street!
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[http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/coun/department/des/publicprotection/publichealth/bedbugs.asp. ]

Bed bugs feed on blood and they can survive for long periods of time without feeding.

Description:
The adult bed-bug is a flat, oval insect 5mm long by about 3mm broad.It is a reddish brown in colour.


Distribution
Bed-bugs do not fly, so they must crawl or be transported in clothing, luggage, books, furniture, in fact anything that provides them with harbourage.

Bed bugs feed on blood and they can survive for long periods of time without feeding. Bed-bugs are usually associated with poor, overcrowded and unhygienic conditions. In domestic premises most infestations are found in the bedroom. Their hiding places will be close to where their host sleeps: in the bed frame, mattress, bedside furniture, skirting boards or wallpaper, in fact anywhere that affords a dark hiding place during the daylight hours, for these nocturnal creatures.

Significance
Bed-bugs habit of biting a person and feeding on their blood can cause severe irritation to some people. The very thought of being preyed upon by such creatures is often sufficient to encourage immediate action to control them.

There are a number of factors that are helping to maintain the numbers of bed-bugs: increased use of central heating and the resultant warm conditions stimulates continuous activity and feeding over the winter months, even the movement of second hand furniture may transfer bed-bugs from one property to another.

Bed-bugs blood feeding can cause severe irritation in some people. They are not, however, known to carry disease, unless that is you regard insomnia as such!

Life Cycle
The female bed-bug lays pearly white eggs approximately 1mm long, which are 'glued' into cracks and crevices in bed frames, furniture, wallpaper, in fact anywhere that provides dark harbourage during daylight. They will lay about 150 eggs; these will hatch in 10 to 20 days and will reach adulthood in approx. 9 weeks under reasonable conditions, but will be considerably longer if the temperature is low. The adults live for up to 18 months usually feeding weekly, but can survive for over a year without blood.

Control
You will need professional help in dealing with an infestation of bed-bugs.
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[http://www.museums.org.za/bio/insects/blood.htm. ]

The bedbug Cimex lectularius (Order: Hemiptera, Family: Cimicidae) Bedbugs hide in crevices in and near your bed by day and come out at night to suck blood. Despite being quite large (c 1 cm long), they often go undetected and large populations can build up in your bedroom before you find out what has been biting you. Bedbugs get into bedrooms by being carried there in crevices of secondhand furniture and pictures or in luggage infected in a bedbug-infested accommodation you stayed in previously.

To get rid of bedbugs:
remove mattress from bed and spray contact insecticide (e.g. Pick 'n Pay no name brand Surface Spray) in all nooks and crannies. If your spring mattress has holes in it, seriously consider buying a new mattress. spray contact insecticide round legs of bed to prevent bugs crawling on to bed; spray crevices in furniture and pictures near the bed if they are suspected to contain bedbugs; and fumigate the room with e.g. Doom fogger.
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[http://www.handr.co.uk/eiliterature/building_pests.html.]

Bedbug, Cimex lectularius:
Originating in the middle east, the bedbug is now found around the world. The adult is about 6mm long, leaf like, its colour varying from amber to red or mahogany colour. There are no wings, but the legs are well developed. The larval stages are smaller and more translucent versions of the adult

Natural history:
Bedbugs in the daytime hide in cracks in buildings and furniture and emerge at night time to find a human or animal host. They puncture the skin and drink up to four times their own volume of blood. When alarmed they emit a noxious odour, which combined with the smell of an unhygienic bedroom is particularly nauseating. The bugs leave characteristic speckled brown or black deposits of faecal matter around their hiding places

Control:
Bedbugs and their eggs are killed by very high or low temperatures - 2 hours at -17 degrees celsius or 1 hour at 45 degress celsius. Eggs and immature bugs die off after 30 to 60 days below 9 degrees celsius, but adults are not much affected, although largely dormant. Insecticides, eg pyrethroids are effective against bedbugs, provided that it can reach the crevices where the insects hide. Ants, spiders, false scorpions and assasin bugs are enthusiastic predators of bedbugs. Bedbugs are not known to spread disease, but a minority of people are very sensitive to their bites

Methods of Treatment


[http://www.islington.gov.uk/pdf/environment/pestbedbug.pdf.]

Bedbugs can be carried into your home on second-hand furniture. On luggage brought in by guests or from yourluggage if you have stayed in an infested hotel or dwelling. In very rare cases they can be brought in on a persons clothes.Bedbugs are most commonly found in budget hotels in big cities.
Bedbugs are very difficult to self-treat,as the products used to control them are not on general sale to the public.

In the case of a minor infestation a residual crawling insect spray can be used. Allthe gaps between the bed frame andheadboards should be sprayed alongwith the seams of the mattresses.Remember that bedbugs are attracted byhuman heat so it is important that youcontinue to sleep in the beds. The process may have to be repeated many times to ensure full control.If the infestation is very bad the removalof the infested bedding and furniture may have to be considered. However this it not always recommended as the remaining bedbugs will hide elsewhere and infest the new furniture at a later date.
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[http://www.kstatecollegian.com/stories/090403/new_iac.shtml.]

How to get rid of bedbugs:
Careful inspection of the infected premises should be undertaken to determine the extent of the problem before treating it.

Thorough and effective application of an appropriate insecticide by a pest control officer should provide total eradication.

Liquid sprays need to be directed into wall and furniture cavities, and fumigation might be required.

Good house keeping practices and a reduction in possible hiding places such as cracks and crevices will discourage repeat infestations.


Comments from Victims


[http://www.victorpest.com/bulletin/_disc2/000003c0.htm.]

Re: how to get rid of bedbugs
From: Cimex
Date: 29 Sep 2003
Time: 22:25:29

Comments:
Steam clean the mattress, box spring, carpets, and bedding. Place the mattress in a plastic mattress cover. Remove everything from the room and launder all clothing shetts and covers at the highest setting or 140F. treat all the cracks and crevices in the room with an insecticidal dust such as drione, or permagaurd including all the baseboards, crevices in the bedframe, mattress stitching and folds, picture frames, outlets....or better yet call an exterminator. Get qoutes from at least three, don't just choose the cheapest, choose the one that gaurantees his work and uses the techniques outline above.
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[http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/tr_bugsbites_creatures?open.]

Bedbugs
Bedbugs infest dirty houses, particularly mattresses, and feed off human blood. Their bite typically causes a large, reddened and itchy wheal. Treatment options include anaesthetic creams and icepacks.

[www.chestercc.gov.uk/environmental-health/ ept/gif/Bedbug.jpg}

["Smells like bedbugs" http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=27605&hl= ]

Strangely, the only article I've read recently that dealt directly with cilantro was in an early issue of Gastronomica, in which the author delved into historical reports of various European cooks thinking that (I'm not kidding) cilantro smells like bedbugs . I personally have no idea what a bedbug smells like (soap, maybe?), but it's not inconceivable that the two perceptions are related. Unfortunately, I lent that issue of Gastronomica to an acquaintance, who lost it, so I don't remember the details.
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coriander and cilantro, soap. "Keep in mind the name comes from the Greek word (koros) for what the leaves are supposed to smell like: bedbugs."
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Ants

HOW TO GET RID OF ANTS
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use some chlorox to help remove the smell of rotting food in the garbage disposal as well as the drains in general.

Any smells from the garbage can will be enticing to ants. With no food, the ants will have no reason to enter your kitchen and could naturally die off.

But to kill ants directly, one of the best ways is to use a bait such as the Terro liquid ant baits. The active ingredient for these baits is boric acid (borax). Usually 5% of a sweet liquid mixture, the boric acid will kill ants over a few days. The sugar ants will ingest the liquids on Terro strips and take the poison back to their queen. Therefore, one of the keys to using such baits is to wait and see.

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1.Clean up or throw away any potential attractors before you start exterminating.

- FORM A BARRIER:
Boric Acid.
Salt and talc can be spread under doors, near windows and walls with better conscience. [1] Tailor's chalk and baby powder usually contain talc and can be used to create a barrier for ants. Regardless of which form of talc you use, keep in mind that there are concerns about the potential carcinogenicity of talc if you breathe it in

- Wait for the ants to show up. Don't lure new ants with the bait because you could attract new colonies.[4] Once there's a trail, place the bait next to it (not on it, or else you'll interrupt their march home). You can also place it in a safe part of the pantry where ants appear to be congregating.

- Make a mixture of rubbing alcohol, dish soap and water.
Get a spray bottle and place a teaspoon of rubbing alcohol and about a teaspoon and a half of dish soap. Then fill the spray bottle with water about an inch (2.5cm) away from the top and close it up tight. Shake the solution until bubbles start to appear and then you're ready to spray! Because of the alcohol in the solution, the ants will stay clear away from it.

Keep your home clean
Wipe down all surfaces. Tables and countertops should be regularly sprayed and cleaned with a mild bleach or vinegar solution.

Keep the sink clean. Avoid leaving dirty dishes and standing water for ants to drink and do not put food in the drain. Remove all in-sink disposal scraps as soon as added.

- a quick, temporary fix, an all-purpose disinfectant spray such as Lysol or Windex does a great job of poisoning and killing ants in a matter of minutes.

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