Laurence Barnard, country business manager at BASF Pest Control Solutions, explores the signs to look out for, strategies and solutions needed to gain control of an infestation, fast.
As the battle against bed bugs rages on, professional pest controllers find themselves on the frontline of defence against these tiny but troublesome creatures. With densely populated urban areas and extensive use of transport, increasing resistance to active ingredients, and fewer tools on the market to control bed bugs, it can be a challenge to keep these notoriously persistent pests in check.
Identifying bed bugs and nymphs
As pest controllers know, adult bed bugs are small reddish-brown, wingless creatures with an oval-shaped body. After feeding, these bugs bloat and swell, in turn intensifying their reddish colour.
Young bed bugs, or nymphs, are yellowish to translucent, and are much smaller and harder to spot. If a nymph has not eaten recently, it can be very difficult to see due to its pale colouring. However, using a UV torch to survey makes them much easier to spot.
Some people still think that bed bugs take up residence on mattresses, but they are actually much more likely to be found in and around the bedframe, in the slats and headboard, as well as in other areas such as the edging of carpets and underlay, skirting boards, bedside furniture and wardrobes.
Spotting early signs of an infestation
As with all pests, bed bugs leave several signs that they are present. These include dark brown to black stains on mattresses and the surrounding area from their excrement, otherwise known as “spotting”.
In severe cases, you may be able to spot shed skins or even see live, moving bugs with the naked eye, but if you are unsure, you can always use specialist monitors, testing kits or detection dogs.
Of course, clients may also have reported bites, which typically appear as several small, itchy bites, usually in a row. For many the bites at first can appear several days after being bitten, but this reaction speeds up the more a host is bitten, eventually with bites displaying minutes after being fed on.
Also be prepared for coming across the few that never react at all to being fed on. The initial delayed bite reaction is worth considering when visiting a property for a reported bed bug infestation, where you are unable to find any evidence upon survey, as it may be that the infestation is at another property and not the one you are surveying.
It’s worth remembering, though, that we all react differently to bites, so there is not always commonality in reactions, and we should therefore take customers’ feedback with a pinch of salt.
Knowing the causes and sources
Bed bugs are a common problem all over the world, and despite inflated media coverage, they have been an issue that pest professionals have faced for a few decades.
That being said, the most common cause of bed bugs is them travelling from another place of infestation, which is why global events with lots of individuals travelling to one location, such as Paris experienced during the Olympics, can cause a spike in activity.
Bed bugs are great travellers and can hitch a lift on luggage, bags or clothing, as well as second-hand furniture and other goods, which is becoming more commonplace with the increase of app usage like Facebook Marketplace.
Migration from neighbouring properties or rooms can also be a problem, which is why hotels, residential homes, and blocks of flats can suffer from infestations regularly, and why many pest controllers can receive call-backs and returning issues from residents who live in these environments
Selecting the best control method
Inspecting items carefully and washing items at a high temperature, paired with thorough cleaning and vacuuming, is the best way to prevent an infestation. However, if bed bugs are present, there are several effective control strategies to consider:
Steam treatments
This is particularly effective against eggs and nymphs, and requires steamers or heat chambers to raise the temperature above 180°C.
The industry’s most popular steamer for bed bugs is the Cimex eradicator, which can be an invaluable tool for spot treatments to be applied to furniture, mattress, carpets, bed frames, and any other cracks and crevices where bed bugs may hide.
This tool can help quickly cull numbers and treat areas or items you may not be able to by other means. However, steam treatment is not recommended to be used in isolation and should be part of an IPM programme
Heat treatments
Heat treatment is a specialist method that works by sealing off the room in question, heating it up and maintaining a high temperature for several hours.
This highly effective method kills all stages of the life cycle and can negate the need for multiple visits, but it is specialist work that most pest controllers can only offer by sub-contracting the work, and does typically come at a higher price tag for the customer.
Insecticide treatments
A spray treatment using a residual insecticide is generally the most common approach used in the industry, although this method has proved less effective in recent years due to increasing resistance to some active ingredients and loss of products available to pest controllers.
It’s best to alternate actives to mitigate the risk of treatment failure caused by resistance and give yourself the best chance of success.
Opting for a tried and trusted product such as Fendona 6SC , is a wise choice as it’s highly effective with a quick knockdown, as well strong residuality for up to six weeks.
Treating the infestation
Whichever method you opt for, when it comes to treatment is important to leave no stone unturned, adopt a ‘forensic approach’ to the control, and not just ‘spray and pray!’
All harbourage areas should be sprayed in accordance with the product label, focusing on mattress seams and buttons, box springs, slats and headboards.
Remember to remove wall hangings and lift carpet to treat behind and underneath areas, and you should even remove drawers to treat the interiors of cabinets. Baseboards should be spot treated, especially in dark, undisturbed areas.
A follow-up should be scheduled after the treatment with a thorough inspection of the premises, and use of monitors to ensure the problem has been eradicated.
