100 FACTS ABOUT
BED BUGS
The freaky, fascinating pest that’s here to stay
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BIOLOGY
FEEDING HABITS
REPRODUCTION & LIFE CYCLE
HISTORY
RESEARCH
DETECTION & MONITORING
TREATMENT
BED BUGS & BUSINESS
MYTHS, MISCONCEPTIONS & JUST PLAIN WEIRDNESS
100 FACTS ABOUT BED BUGS
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Once
upon a
time, bed bugs
played little
more than a bit part
in a children’s nursery rhyme.
But since they scut tled out of
obscurity into the limelight more than a
decade ago, the American public has found
it hard to sleep tight. Bed bugs have inspired
everything from disgust and dread to
myths and misconceptions — not
to mention making their fair
share of headlines.
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Bed bugs are peculiar. It’s not surprising these creepy creatures
sparked panic among their human hosts, who found themselves fed
upon in the dark of the night while seemingly safe in their beds. For
a time, people felt like they could escape the pests by the light of
day. That’s until bed bugs started showing up in offices. And in retail
centers. And theaters. And libraries.
Though it sounds like a Hitchcockian horror movie, it’s just a typical
day’s work for The Orkin Man™. We were early observers of the
reemergence of bed bugs, and we’ve been on the frontlines of the
battle against them ever since.
100
We’ve rounded up
facts about bed bugs
Facts that illuminate how their biology, mating habits and
resilience make them one of the most challenging pests The Orkin
Man faces. Going beyond the surface — literally — to the science
of how bed bugs survive and thrive is the foundation of diagnosing
and treating bed bugs in homes and businesses. We know bed
bugs can be tough to spot, expensive to remediate and relentless
in reintroduction. Take a page from The Orkin Man’s book so you
can beef up your defense against this offensive insect — and
maybe learn a thing or two you can use as icebreakers at the next
company party. (See #91.)
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BED BUG
BIOLOGY
To understand the unassuming bedfellow behind the headlines,
let’s go back to the basics and take a look at bed bug biology. Before they
were front page news, they were just the common Cimex lectularius. Follow
along for an Entomology 101 crash course on this curious insect’s biology.
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01
The bed bug species most common in
the United States is Cimex lectularius,
which translates literally to “bug of
the bed or couch.” If you’re fluent in
Latin, you already knew that.
home is where
the heart is
02
03
With a flat, broad, oval shape and dark brown coloring, adult bed
bugs are small (4-5 mm long) but visible to the naked eye.
Bed bugs have six legs, three body segments and four-part antennae,
making them “true bugs.” And, according to The Orkin Man, they are
also true pests.
NO-FLY LIST
SUPPORT GROUP
100 FACTS ABOUT BED BUGS Biology
04
Bed bugs have wings, but they
can’t fly. They have no hind
wings, and their front vestigial
wings are not large or strong
enough to let them fly. They’re
the penguins of the insect world.
Except people like penguins.
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05
They are surprisingly fast for their size and have been recorded
traveling about a meter a minute. That may not sound like a lot, but
given bed bugs are only 4-5 millimeters long, that’s like a person
running the length of a football field — four and a half times — in 60
seconds. If you started an insect fantasy football team, bed bugs
would make great running backs.
06
Bed bugs are considered prey by many other bugs, including
cockroaches, ants, spiders and centipedes. But we don’t recommend
enlisting an army of centipedes for your bed bug problem.
07
Biological pumps in the bed bug’s cuticle — its exterior covering
that’s more armor than skin — siphon chemicals away from nerves.
That means they’re built with a biological “bucket brigade” that can
help flush some pest control treatments away before they do their
work completely.
08
Bed bugs give off a distinctively
sweet odor some say is comparable
to rotting raspberries.
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Breaker, breaker.
This is Night Rider — can I get a
10-20 on Mahogany Flat?
BORN TO
DRAIN BLOOD
Nicknames for bed bugs include:
red coats,
mahogany flats,
night riders,
wall lice,
coriander bugs,
heavy dragoons,
crimson ramblers,
wallpaper flounders,
chinche bugs,
and the sinister sounding
Nachtkrabbler
10
The sequenced bed bug genome contains more than 38,000
genes — more than twice that of the common honey bee.
11
Bed bugs are the only known insect with a specialized
immune organ, a reservoir of white blood cells that’s a collective
first line of defense against infection.
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BED BUG
FEEDING
HABITS
The Draculas of the insect world, bed bugs have some decidedly
vampiric tendencies. For one thing, they want to suck your blood. For
another, they prefer their meals in the dead of night. Unfortunately,
daybreak doesn’t turn them into a puff of smoke. On the plus side, a
bed bug bite won’t turn you into a monster.
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University of Cincinnati research shows that bed bugs can carry
almost 50 pathogens and leave them behind in fecal matter. However,
transmission of these pathogens to humans remains undocumented.
13
Bed bugs are hematophagous, which means blood is their only food
source. Unlike many of their insect brethren, they aren’t interested in
human food. Just humans as food.
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As nocturnal pests, bed bugs prefer to feed at night but will seek
a food source during the day if necessary. They are most active
between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m.
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Like Santa Claus, they know when
you’re sleeping (by the level of CO2
you emit) and when you’re awake (i.e.,
when they should stay out of sight).
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Unlike mosquitoes, both the male and the female of the species feed
on blood. So date night’s on you.
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17
The rostrum, a beak-like mouth part, pierces the skin and injects
saliva full of anticoagulants and desensitizers. Like a tiny
anesthesiologist.
18
Rather than “suck blood,” bed bugs just bite through the skin and
allow pressure from blood vessels to do the work for them. Nothing
like sitting back, relaxing and letting the meal come to you.
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A bed bug feeding takes about five minutes. Humans, it would seem,
are pretty fast food.
Bed bugs feed on average every
three to seven days.
Bed bugs can ingest
more than seven
times their body
weight at one time.
That’s the equivalent
of a 150-pound adult
drinking 125 gallons of
water in one sitting.
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23
Identifiable human DNA can be retrieved from a bed bug up to 90
days after feeding. In the case of bed bugs, they are who they eat.
24
Bed bugs will travel up to 100 feet in search of a meal. That’s a long
way for a creature that is less than a quarter inch long — so stop
complaining about how far the fridge is from the couch.
25
Under normal circumstances, bed bugs can only survive two to three
months between feedings. However, lower temperatures can induce
a hibernation state that allows them to survive longer — up to a year
according to some research.
26
Auburn University is looking at how bed bugs’ metabolism is
affected by starvation and feeding to determine how they are
able to survive a year or longer without feeding. Findings thus far
indicate that bed bugs are able to slow their metabolism when
blood meals are scarce.
Like humans, bed bugs are put off by hair in their food. Hair, fur and
feathers impede the feeding process, so ideal food sources have
little body hair.
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BED BUG
REPRODUCTION
& LIFE CYCLE
Let’s face it — these days, human dating rituals are pretty strange.
But even Tinder can’t hold a candle to the courtship practices of
Cimex lectularius. Read on to find out how — against all romantic
odds — bed bugs mate, reproduce and flourish.
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The violent reproductive practices among bed bugs are as horrifying
as some of their other habits. Males penetrate females through the
abdominal cavity in what is known as “traumatic insemination.”
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The painful nature of the reproductive process may contribute
to the dispersal of a bed bug population when females flee the
mate-seeking males. Can you blame them?
29
Bed bug populations in which males outnumber females have been
known to eliminate the females with overzealous mating attempts,
essentially stabbing them to death.
30
Reproduction isn’t speedy compared with other insects. Adult
females produce one to three eggs per day. Each egg hatches
within about two weeks and takes another five to six weeks to
reach adulthood.
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HAPP
FROM
32
33
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Y
US!
13 OF
ALL 1
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A female bed bug lays about
100-150 eggs in her lifetime.
Bed bug eggs are roughly the size of two grains of salt, so you really
have to know what you’re looking for if you hope to spot them.
A population can double about once every 16 days.
Bed bugs require a blood meal
to advance to each of five life
stages. These life stages are known
as “instars.”
The average bed bug lives
four to six months — a short,
blood-thirsty existence.
100 FACTS ABOUT BED BUGS Reproduction & Life Cycle
Crimson
Rambler
LOVING MOTHER
OF 113
FEB - JUL
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BED BUG
HISTORY
Despite the fact that bed bugs weren’t a big story in the U.S.
until relatively recently, these nocturnal nuisances have been
disrupting sleep for thousands of years. From ancient Greece to
ancient Egypt, they’ve been the stuff of nightmares for some
of history’s greatest civilizations.
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Bed bugs originated with cave dwellers co-habitating with bats,
the original host of these blood-sucking insects. At some point about
245,000 years ago, bed bugs expanded the menu from bats to humans.
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Bed bugs have co-existed with mankind since ancient times and
were documented in Greek writings dating back to the time of
Aristotle. They are also mentioned in medieval European texts.
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Fossilized bed bug specimens found in Egyptian tombs date
back 3,550 years.
There is no Native American word for bed bugs, leading scientists
to believe that colonists brought them to the U.S.
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EFFE
40
LY K I
LLS
18TH
CENT
U RY
BED
BUGS
USE
ESS
ANY FLAT
G
O
H
MA BR A ND -L
F
OY L ON T I N E
E
TURP
OYL
The Journal of the New York
Entomological Society in 1946
cited a 1756 advertisement
for “Oyl of Turpentine”
promising that its application
“effectually destroys” bed
bugs and claiming that the
product prevented them from
hiding in bedroom furniture.
Fortunately, we’ve come a
long way since turpentine.
CTIVE
OF
PURE
175 6
T U R PE N TINE
OY L O
F TUR
P
ENTIN
E
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By the 1920s, the plague of bed bugs — and the proliferation of
remedies to get rid of them — prompted the U.S. Patent Office to
establish a designation to track inventions related to the pest.
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General Douglas MacArthur called bed bugs the “greatest nuisance
insect problem” on U.S. military bases during World War II.
Widespread use of DDT during the 1940s and 1950s significantly
diminished bed bug populations. In 1972, the Environmental
Protection Agency banned the use of DDT. The disappearance
of this wide-spectrum pesticide is believed to have contributed to
the resurgence of bed bugs.
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Prior to 2000, only 25 percent of pest control providers responding to
a National Pest Management Association survey had treated for
bed bugs. As of 2015, 99.6 percent of respondents reported treating
for bed bugs in homes and businesses in the previous 12 months.
45
In 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) issued a joint statement acknowledging the
public health concerns presented by bed bugs, their economic impact
and the need for research to better understand how to control
and treat them.
46
Bed bugs have been detected in all 50 states. Sorry, Alaska, but you
have them, too.
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BED BUG
RESEARCH
They’ve been called blood-suckers, nightmares and a plague, but at
Orkin, we think of them as scientific marvels. How bed bugs manage
to elude effective treatment can be traced all the way down to the
molecular level. For years, scientists have been working to map how
biology, behavior and environment play into bed bug survival — and how
short-circuiting the system can help us improve our treatment plans.
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Researchers from the Universities of
California and Kentucky are working
on a “biomimetic” bed bug prevention
solution that imitates the natural, tiny,
hook-like hairs on kidney bean leaves
that immobilize bed bugs. This could
serve as a sustainable, cost-effective
and non-toxic monitoring option.
48
SRI International, a Standford
University-based research institute,
is focused on identifying the volatile
compounds present in bed bugs that
create their signature “perfume.” This
could be a “scent-sational” way to
attract and monitor the pest.
49
At Pennsylvania State University in State College, researchers identified
a fungus — Beauveria bassiana — with spores that can stick to an
insect’s exoskeleton and clog organs as they bloom. It’s a perfectly
natural murder weapon against bed bugs, but it will be some time before
this fungus makes its way from the ground to shelves.
100 FACTS ABOUT BED BUGS Research
BBUG
EAU DE PARFUM
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While do-it-yourself products for treating bed bugs are
available, University of Minnesota researchers have found
that the active ingredients in many of these products are not
effective against bed bugs. In fact, using these ineffective
products can cause bed bugs to disperse, making them more
difficult to manage.
51
According to research from the University of Kentucky and
Washington State University, bed bugs are like tiny laboratories
that can break down — at the molecular level — certain
chemicals used in bed bug treatments.
52
Bed bugs’ resistance to chemicals is widely documented, so
University of Kentucky researchers are running chemical interference
to selectively turn off the enzyme inside bed bugs that breaks
down insecticides. It’s scientists’ version of hacking the bed bug’s
surprisingly intricate computer system.
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53
Researchers from New Mexico State University are evaluating
repellents that people can apply to luggage to minimize their
exposure to bed bugs when traveling.
54
Bed bugs can sustain their populations through inbreeding,
according to researchers from North Carolina State University.
Unlike other species, consistent inbreeding does not seem
to hurt their offspring’s health. While they’re the stuff of horror
movies, they’re not Deliverance.
55
A recent study conducted by the
University of Florida and Union College in
Lincoln, Neb., found that the colors red
and black attract bed bugs while green
and yellow are more repellent. UF’s SEC
rivals at the University of Georgia were
not pleased. Meanwhile, Oregon Ducks
fans rejoiced.
100 FACTS ABOUT BED BUGS Research
GO
DAWGS
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BED BUG
DETECTION &
MONITORING
We know you don’t want to find a bed bug. But you do want to
know what you’re looking for and where to look so you can catch an
introduction early. Determining when bed bugs are present can be
tricky, but a combination of technology, man’s best friend and your
own senses can help you keep these stealthy creatures from taking
hold at your home or business.
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One in five Americans has either had a bed bug issue or knows
someone who has. Are you one of them?
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While living or dead adult bed bug specimens are a sure sign of
their presence, it’s also important to watch out for the other life
stages, and the cast skins and inky fecal stains they leave behind.
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Bites may also indicate bed bug presence. However, as many as
30 percent of people do not react to bed bug bites. In some cases,
other insect bites may be mistaken for bed bug bites.
Bed bugs are three times more likely to be found in urban areas
than rural areas. What can we say? They like the nightlife.
Because bed bugs are almost always introduced to an
environment by humans, there’s no foolproof way — aside from
cutting off all human interaction — to prevent them entering your
home or business. There are ways to keep bed bug introductions
from becoming infestations, however. Learn more here.
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Bed bug bites tend to occur in clusters or rows. They are not
typically spread out across the victim’s entire body.
The name “bed bug” is a misnomer — bed bugs aren’t only
found in beds. They do prefer staying close to their host, though,
and typically shelter within a 6-foot radius of the bed in the
mattress, box springs, headboard, soft furniture, outlets,
wallpaper and carpet.
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Another reason to hate the alarm clock — it’s a common
close-to-the-bed hiding spot for bed bugs.
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The real reason you should never remove a mattress tag is
that it’s a great starting point for a bed bug inspection.
OK, that’s not really true. But when inspecting a mattress,
check the area along the seams and around tags for
rust-colored or inky stains.
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Bed bugs have difficulty climbing up smooth surfaces such as
plastic, glass or ceramic. So, while people in glass houses shouldn’t
throw stones, they are less likely to have bed bug problems.
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DNA testing and protein testing in areas suspected to have bed
bugs can not only detect active bed bugs, but also reveal whether
bed bugs have been present in that area. Learn how this CSI:
Entomology works.
67
Routine staff inspections of areas where bed bugs are most likely
to be found is crucial to early detection in commercial spaces.
Learn what your team should be looking for.
68
With up to 300 million olfactory receptors, dogs can be trained to
sniff out bed bugs with great accuracy. A top-performing dog can
nose through up to 50 rooms in a single inspection. Meet Bo, one
of Orkin’s bed bug sniffing dogs.
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While the cleanliness of a hotel, home or other building has no
correlation to bed bug infestations, clutter does give them more
places to hide and can complicate early detection.
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BED BUG
TREATMENT
This is the part you’ve all been waiting for — how do you get rid of
these insidious pests? Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for this
little monster. Over the centuries, remedies have included arsenic,
turpentine, cyanide and, when all else failed, fire. Research continues
to help us better understand the bed bug and how it might be
vanquished, but no one has found their Achilles heel — a weakness
that would lead to a simple, inexpensive and effective solution. Until
then, here are proven ways to put bed bugs to rest.
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All bed bug life stages are killed
by 7 minutes’ exposure to a
temperature of 115°F.
F°
115°
165°
160°
160°
Bed Bug - Dead
Poultry
Pork
Beef - Med
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Heat treatments typically involve
propane heaters and a portable
duct system that allow trained
technicians to raise the ambient temperature in the area
being treated to 130°- 160°F. Like the Wicked Witch of the West,
they’ll be melting.
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For soft items, such as clothing and sheets, washing and drying
on the highest heat settings will kill bed bugs in all life stages,
which is critical to eliminating the infestation.
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Furniture that cannot be salvaged should be discarded responsibly
(either destroyed or marked as bed bug-infested) so that it doesn’t
become someone else’s secondhand problem.
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Mattress covers and encasements cannot guarantee that a bed
bug won’t be introduced. They can trap bed bugs in your mattress
and stop new ones from getting in, but resourceful bed bugs will
find other places to reside. Likewise, mattress disposal isn’t a
surefire way to rid yourself of bed bugs since bed bugs will find
other places to hide.
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Vacuuming the affected area can help remove bed bugs, but by no
means is it a total solution. Be sure to empty the vacuum canister
or dispose of the bag before taking the vacuum to other areas.
And keep in mind that bed bug eggs may be left behind due to the
sticky coating strong enough to hold out against your Hoover.
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Chemical treatments include alcohol-based liquids along the
baseboards, carpet, mattress and box springs where humans
might come in contact, along with special dust treatments on
furniture and in wall voids.
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Due to the complex nature — and unparalleled resilience — of bed
bugs, expect a treatment plan to include a combination of methods
to be truly effective.
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BED BUG
BED BUGS
& BUSINESS
While the hospitality industry was undoubtedly the first to have bed
bugs suck away business, all types of businesses have now been
touched by the spread of bed bugs. No industry is immune. Beyond the
business disruption and reputation damage, bed bugs raise issues of HR,
risk management and litigation. Their itchy bite turns into a nightmare
fast. Before they make your business their business, have your bed bug
business plan in place, from communication to remediation.
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While bed bugs are not seasonal pests, Orkin and other pest
professionals see requests for bed bug treatments increase in the
summer. This spike could be due to increased summer travel and
higher numbers of people moving.
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The Bed Bug Registry is a website cataloging user-generated
reports of bed bugs, primarily in hotels, in the U.S. and Canada. It
has more than 20,000 entries.
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While businesses with beds — hotels and apartment complexes — were the first to feel the bed bugs’ bite, bed-less businesses are not
immune. Bed bugs have also been found in libraries, movie theaters,
government buildings, public transportation, healthcare facilities,
college campuses and offices.
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In one of the first major appearances of bed bugs in a bed-free
business environment, Hollister’s flagship location in New York
City shuttered its doors for two days in July 2010 to treat a bed
bug infestation. Its sister store, Abercrombie & Fitch, encountered
a bed bug problem two days later.
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Commercial bed bug remediation can be very costly, depending
on the scope of the problem. An isolated introduction where bed
bugs are present but have not started to reproduce is far more
manageable than a long-term, undetected infestation in which all
life stages are observed indicating active reproduction. That’s why
early detection is so important.
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The threat of litigation looms behind bed bugs — many multifamily
properties now include a bed bug clause outlining the responsibility
for remediation.
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Orkin hosted “What’s Your Bed Bug Business Plan?” to help
professionals in the hospitality, multifamily and commercial real
estate industries prepare for the litigation, risk management and
HR implications of bed bugs in businesses.
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S.L.E.E.P. TIGHT WHEN TRAVELING
When you’re on the road, be sure not to pick up hitchhikers.
Bed bugs seeking a food source may be drawn to the odors
emitted by your clothing and stow away in your luggage
hoping to catch a quick meal. The following tips will help
keep you from needing the souvenir T-shirt that reads “I went
on vacation and all I got were these bed bugs.”
S.L.E.E.P.
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SURVEY for signs of bed bugs — tiny rust-colored spots
on bed sheets, mattress tags and seams, and bed skirts.
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LIFT and look for bed bug hiding spots under the
mattress, box springs, bed frame and near furniture.
87
ELEVATE your luggage instead of putting it on the floor. Use the
luggage rack, and pull it away from the bed and wall. Or, for added
protection, store it in the bathtub. Bed bugs aren’t able to scale
slick ceramic or plastic walls of the tub to access your luggage.
88
EXAMINE your luggage carefully while repacking for your
return trip. When you arrive home, store luggage outside of
your bedroom to minimize access to a host.
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PUT clothes in the dryer on medium to high heat for 15
minutes to kill any bed bugs and eggs.
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BED BUG
MYTHS, MISCONCEPTIONS
& JUST PLAIN WEIRDNESS
We said it at the start — bed bugs are weird. That weirdness inspires
everything from urban legends to mistaken identity to attributing
powers to these cryptic creatures that they don’t even have. Let’s take a
look at what you may have heard — and the wacky realities of bed bugs.
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Bed bugs are commonly mistaken for
bat bugs, booklice, small cockroaches,
swallow bugs or carpet beetles.
Natural History, one of the earliest
encyclopedias of knowledge, authored by
Pliny the Elder in 77 A.D., noted the medicinal
properties of the bed bug included treatment
of ear infections and snake bites. We don’t
suggest you try this at home.
BED BUG
ESSENCE
For ear infections & snake bites
92
In the 18th century, naturalist and
apothecary Jean-Étienne Guettard
prescribed bed bugs to treat hysteria. In the
modern age, we know they’re more likely to cause hysteria.
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Bed bugs do not jump like fleas.
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94
Fanatically cleaning does not prevent — or treat bed bugs — so
put down the bleach. Clutter, on the other hand, can give bed bugs
great places to hide, so pick up after yourself.
95
In 1985, long before the bed bug resurgence, bed bugs were a
source of entertainment with the release of Milton Bradley’s
Bed Bugs game. Players used tweezers to remove multicolored
bed bugs from a buzzing bed. If only it was that easy.
96
For those looking for a bed bug you would welcome in your
bed, Giant Microbes® created a plush version that just might
help you sleep tight.
97
A 1914 issue of Popular Mechanics included an advertisement
for fake bed bugs, sold by Stovers of Millersburg, Penn., for
10 cents a package.
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98
Author Henry Miller used “bed bugs” like his own personal
call sign, mentioning them in seven of his most famous novels,
including Tropic of Cancer.
99
At one point, Uncle Sam was looking to recruit a few good bed
bugs. In 1965, scientists at the Limited War Laboratory tested the
ability of the pest to identify the presence of a hidden enemy while
searching for a blood meal. The experiment failed, and bed bugs
never made it to the front lines.
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Actress Isabella Rosellini acts out the bed bug mating ritual in the
short film Seduce Me, part of a Sundance Channel web series.
Discover more freaky and
fascinating pests at www.orkin.com
© Orkin, LLC 2016
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