How to get rid of bed bugs?
what are bed bugs?
This bug probably received its common name of bed bug from its close association with human sleeping beds where it often seeks refuge during daylight, only to come out to feed on the bed’s occupant(s) at night; they have been called by over 50 common names that include red coates, mahogany flats, and wall-lice, to name a few. The bed bug is an ectoparasite of primarily humans but will also attack poultry and other mammals and birds. It was introduced into the United States with the early colonists. It is found throughout the United States and the temperate regions of the world. Its’ association with humans has been documented to date back more than 3,300 years (1336 BC in Egypt).
In 2004, NPMA estimated a 500% increase in the preceding 3 years. The resurgence of bed bugs that started in the mid-1990s is probably due to a combination of factors such as the 5 that follow.
(1) Bed bugs are excellent hitch hikers and the United States in 1995 had 43 million international tourists visit, in 1999 the number was 48 million, and in 2000 it was up to 51 million; likewise, millions of Americans annually visit foreign countries.
(2) The greater use of integrated pest management techniques by pest management professionals where infestations are treated in a targeted manner (e.g., baits for cockroaches) allows insects in untreated areas of the ecosystem to increase.
(3) Although mostly eliminated in the United States after World War II, bed bugs remained prevalent in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, and Europe where heavy reliance for about the last 15 years on pyrethroid pesticides for control measures selected for bed bug resistance and cross-resistance to pyrethroids, now found to be from several-hundred to several- thousand fold in some cases; most pesticides presently labeled for bed bugs are pyrethroids.
(4) The removal from the marketplace of several different classes of pesticides that previously had given very effective control and the removal of bed bugs from most remaining product labels because no need was perceived.
(5) The unfamiliarity of physicians and the public at large with bed bugs, which allows infestations to increase until the diagnosis/identification is corrected and proper treatment rendered.
Calling a Professional
Sometimes it is easier to call a professional. Particularly if the problem is ongoing and the infestation has become large, or if the products are only authorized for use by certified professionals.