Bed Bug FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are Bed Bugs back?
Am I the only one with bed bugs?
Does having bed bugs mean my premises is unclean?
How do I know if I have bed bugs?
What are the challenges in eradicating Bed Bugs?
Why don’t chemical treatments work effectively?
What are the health and social risks associated with Bed Bugs?
What’s true and false about bed bugs?

Why are Bed Bugs back?

Several reasons have been noted for the cause of the recent bedbug resurgence but the main two are the recent increase in international travel and the withdrawal of DDT from the market and the substition of less inaffective noxious pesticides.

Due to the widespread use of potent insecticides such as DDT, Bed Bugs were nearly eradicated in the developed countries. However, now many of these strong insecticides have been banned from use due to health concerns and have been replaced with weaker insecticides with a lesser effective residual life span.

The problem with the weaker insecticides is that many Bed Bugs have grown resistant to them and the insecticide acts as a repellent so the bedbug has more time to escape contact with them.

In addition to the above causes there have been many recent attitude changes  within the pest management industry, benefiting Bed Bugs. For example, insecticidal treatments of beds are rooms are no longer commonly recommended and agents are frustrated with their client’s disdainful comments when treatments fail.

Finally, another possible reason for the recent rise in the incidence of Bed Bugs is the stigma attached to the reporting of Bed Bugs by the hospitality industry. If an infestation is reported, the perception is that business might be threatened, and so a minor infestation is often ignored or treated in an ad hoc manner.

this late intervention allows the breeding cycle to explode and quite often poorly advised cleaning staff spread the bugs to other rooms via linen cleaning apparatus and on their uniforms.

Am I the only one with bed bugs?

No one likes to admit they have Bed Bugs so you may think you are the only one but Bed Bugs populations are growing exponentially in Australia and the rest of the world. Bed Bugs are a major problem already in Australia, new Zealand and the South Pacific Island Nations

Put the words BED BUGS in a google search and you will be astounded with what is hapening in North America. As is the case in Australia, most of the scientific reporting is being done by professional people with affiliations with pesticdes.

The Department of Medical Entomology, Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research (ICPMR), Westmead Hospital, Sydney, has recorded an increase of over 400% in the number of bed bug samples submitted to its pathology service, since the beginning of 2001. Over the last four years, the pest control industry has noted a major resurgence in the number of bed bug treatments, with one company reporting an increase of almost 700%. The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service have also recorded a similar trend, with a large increase in interceptions over recent years, and the majority of interceptions have been from the luggage of travelers.

The government authorities are aware of the pandamic because long distant trains, planes and busses are inflicted with bed bugs. It begs the question - why are millions being spent on Fire Ant control in Queensland to protect the agricultural industry but nothing is being done to protect the Tourism industry?

 Does having bed bugs mean my premises is unclean?

Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions is that bed bugs are associated with unsanitary conditions. This couldn't be further from the truth. The fact is that bed bugs do not feed on crumbs, dirt, or debris associated with poorly cleaned rooms.

Bed Bugs are attracted by exhaled carbon dioxide and body heat to find human that will supply the source of a blood feed which is essential for them to prolificate - not waste food scraps, dead skin cells or protenes from cooking greases.

What this means is that any venue regardless of star rating, that caters for sleepover accommodation is a likely location for bed bugs. This includes hostels, inns, motels, luxury hotels, homes, hospitals, care homes, cruise ships, dive boats, trains, busses and airplanes.

Good housekeeping practices can detect the early arrival of bed bugs and with quick treatment the breeding cycle can be prevented.  The hard to see bed bugs are introduced via the luggage and clothing of guests so a well intentioned traveler can introduce bed bugs into the cleanest of premises.

How do I know if I have bed bugs?

Bed Bugs generally feed at night between the hours of 1-5am but if starved they will feed during the day. Blood spotting on mattresses and bed linen, and faeces deposits on nearby furnishings such as bed bases, walls and curtains is the tell-tale sign of an infestation. Low infestations may be difficult to detect for the untrained person. Patterns of up to five bites in a row on the skin of a human are typical as an adult bed bug may not receive their blood quota while feeding from one penertration. Bites may be found in a variety of places on the body but commonly on the shoulders and arms and legs.

Bed bugs stay in close contact with each other and heavy infestations are accompanied by a distinctive sweet, sickly smell, akin to that of ‘stink bugs’.

What are the challenges in eradicating Bed Bugs?

By their very nature bed bugs are especially difficult to detect and eradicate via traditional pest control methods. They are known for being elusive, transient, and nocturnal. Also they are fairly fast in their movements, about equal to the speed of ants and their bodies are very flat, which allows them to hide in tiny crevices.

In the daytime, they tend to stay out of the light, preferring to remain hidden in such places as mattress seams, mattress interiors, bed frames, nearby furniture, carpeting, baseboards, inner walls, tiny wood holes, or bedroom clutter.

The bed bug can live for a year or as much as 18 months without feeding but typically they seek blood every five to ten days.  As Bed Bugs are often dormant this often means that infestations are not detected in the early stages. Unfortuneately, if not eradicated early on, the bed bug population can grow rapidly as the female Bed Bugs can lay up to five eggs per day.

Early detection of a bed bug's arrival is important in defeating them before their population explodes. It should be your house keepers who first locate a new infestation and not your guests. Education on bed bug habits should be a must for all accommodation staff - not just some.The health authorities should be taking a leading role in this direction. At present in australia they seem to be relying on the accommodation providors and the chemical industry to solve the problem.

Why don’t chemical treatments work effectively?

Most chemical insecticides are non-ovicidal, which means they do not penetrate and kill eggs. Eggs start hatching within two weeks of being laid and hence of a chemical treatment – and the breeding cycle continues.   Bed bugs grow up to 7mm long but are less then 1mm thick when unfed, so they can hide in the narrowest of crevices. In other words, out of reach of most chemical treatments and out of sight for visual detection.

The chemical treatments now in use (synthetic pyrethroids (SPs)) are much weaker their banned predecessors (DDT). It has also been found that many of these chemicals have a repellent effect so bed bugs can therefore avoid lethal contact. Also in-house SPs have a residual activity of only a few days. Tenants should not sleep in, touch furniture or inhale the air of a room still active with chemical residues.

Compounding the limitations of the chemicals, many pest controllers have had little experience in the control of bed bugs and treatment failure is common. Bed bugs are omitted from the curriculum of many pest control courses in Australia, meaning that knowledge of basic ecology of this pest is often lacking and often the cause of the mysterious bites within a premise is not linked to bed bugs but other insects

Traditional pest control technologies for bed bugs have remained virtually unchanged during the last 30 years despite the resurgence of this pest.

What are the health and social risks associated with Bed Bugs?

Often the most serious health aspect for many individuals is the mental trauma of knowing that there is an infestation. Skin reactions, which are commonly associated with bed bugs, result from the saliva injected during feeding. Whilst in excess of 50% of individuals exhibit no reaction to bed bug bites, others can experience a great deal of discomfort.

Reactions to the bites may be delayed and in some cases it can take a few days before lesions develop. Common allergic reactions include the development of large wheals, often >1cm, which are accompanied by itching and inflammation. The wheals usually subside to red spots and can last for several days and weeks. Anaphylaxis may occur in patients with severe allergies. It has been suggested that allergens from bed bugs may be associated with asthmatic reactions and as hepatitis B DNA can be detected in the faeces of bed bugs for up to six weeks post-feeding the possibility of transmission through contact with contaminated faeces or crushing live bed bugs cannot be excluded.

Ignoring infestations, however, does come with a great risk, notably the possibility of litigation as a result of visitors being bitten. This has now happened; in a landmark case, a motel chain in the United States was successfully sued for $US382,000 after guests were bitten by bed bugs (Matthias vs Accor [Accor Economy Lodging] 2003).

Other court cases have followed (Bowles 2003). It is only a matter of time before serious litigation pertaining to bed bugs occurs in Australia. already many conflicts are being settled out of court.

Litigation aside bedbug infestations will drive business away. On the flipside, accommodation providers with bug free reputations are already reaping rewards. 

What’s true and false about bed bugs?

True.

• One fertilized female can produce a collony of several hundred within a few months.
• Bed bugs only need a blood feed approx once a week.
• Most victims show no reaction to bed bug bites.
• An adult bug can extract 7 times its weight in a single feeding session.
• An adult bed bug can survive over 1 year without a blood feed.
• Nymphal bugs need separate blood feeds to advance through 5 stages to adult hood.
• A female bed bug can lay 3 to 5 eggs per day and these hatch within 7 to 14 days.
• Bed bugs will caniblize each others blood if need be.
• The reaction to a bed bug bite is the reaction to anti coglants injected to cause a knumbing effect on the hoast.
• Bed bugs are visible to the naked eye and grow to twice the size of normal pet fleas. i.e. 8mm
• The white 1 mm bed bug eggs are just visible to the naked eye and are attached to a surface by a sticky menbrain.
• Only 2 out of almost 100 species of bed bugs are causing problems throughout the world.
• DDT is responsible for killing the most amount of species –including humans- in world history..
• Many hoteliers are already using DIY steam treatments to completely eliminate bed bugs and their breeding cycle.
• Bed bugs are fast crawling but can’t fly.
• Bed bugs can walk and breed in steel bed frames.
• Bed bugs prefer dark, dry, ventilated locations to rest and breed between feeding frenzies.
• Bed bugs are exstreamily agitated at feeding times but sedate and secretive between feeds.
• Many hoteliers and private residences are distressed by the stigma aspect and the expense of unsuccessful chemical treatments.
• There is a chemical which is safe for humans to kill bed bugs and their eggs instantly – water in its steam stage.
• The most common locations of bed bugs that are not dispersed by chemicals are bed base areas- curtains that touch beds – fixed bed heads encasements - pitted rendered of rough brick walls near the bed area – carpet edging – cane furniture – lounge chairs.
• Quality made snug fitting bug shields are a vital tool to protect mattreses and bed bases from bed bug habitation and soiling and assist with detection.

FALSE

• Bed bugs are bisexual.
• This is the first time bed bugs were at plague proportions in Australia.- very common prior to DDT introduction in the 1950s
• Every room infested was caused by clients introducing them - most infested rooms of a complex are caused by either chemical dispersment – poor cleaning procedures – linen changing and transportation.
• The effect of bed bug bites is the greatest litigation threat to moteliers – chemical poising is a far higher risk to humans.
• The absence of bitting reports is a true indicator of no bed bugs – remember 1 bug would only feed once a week and less than 50% of humans have an adverse reaction.
• Clean hot washed linen delivered to a premises is bug free - sometimes hot washed linen is bug contaminated by the delivery truck that was not treated after collection of soiled linen.
• The health authorities will continue to show lienency towards poorly treated premises.
• This recent pandamic is a secular happening and will pass naturally.