[Bed Bugs] Bed Bugs in America: A Pest Management Industry Survey

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., is an important economic and nuisance pest that infests the numerous places where people sleep, including houses, apartments, hotels and college dormitories. Human risks associated with bed bugs include sleeplessness, itchy bites and skin welts, anemia, stress, economic losses and the potential for overexposure to pesticides used for bed bug management. Recent increases in bed bug complaints across the United States, plus extensive media attention, suggested the need for a nationwide survey that would elucidate the scope of this growing problem, after almost 50 years of little attention.

SURVEY. In 2004, entomologists from Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts teamed with experts from the University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University and Spokane Falls Community College to develop a survey of U.S. pest management companies about their experiences with bed bugs. The group used 15 multiple-part questions to gather information that described the current status of the bed bug as a significant pest in the continental United States.

Cornell University’s Survey Research Institute (SRI) administered the phone survey instrument using its Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) system. Owners, managers and supervisors from individual pest control companies that provide bed bug management for their customers participated. Survey regions were molded after the five geographic regions of the Entomological Society of America and adjusted to equalize populations within regions. Participating companies from each region were selected at random from lists obtained through state regulatory agencies, the Yellow Pages, the National Pest Management Association, or other means. Announcement letters describing the scope and purpose of the survey were sent in advance of calling.

Pilot interviews began on March 14, 2005, and finished on March 22, 2005; 22 interviews were completed. The survey was then revised by the team and fully administered from April 25 through June 16, 2005. A total of 225 surveys were completed, amounting to 45 surveys from each of the five geographic regions.

Survey questions were designed to gather information about the prevalence of bed bug complaints and the nature of pest control work, including the number of technician hours spent inspecting and treating, number of visits and callbacks, successful management tools and innovative techniques used. We also wanted to gain a better understanding about the frequency of use of chemical and non-chemical management tools, as well as typical and unusual locations where bed bugs are often found and methods and tools used for inspection. Only companies that offer bed bug management services were included in the survey; however, data from this qualifying question were also collected.

RESULTS. Using data from the qualifying question, i.e., "Does the company offer bed bug management services?" we compared the proportions of "yes" and "no" responses for each U.S. region (see charts on page 52). The South Central region was the only area with significantly fewer companies offering bed bug control services to their customers. The Northeast region had a significantly higher number than the U.S. average. Two-thirds (66.7 percent) of the individuals completing the survey said that they noted an increase in bed bug calls to their company in the past 12 months. When analyzed by region, there were no statistical differences between regions in the numbers of "yes" responses to this question, indicating that there has been a similar increase in calls across the United States.

We also asked company representatives several questions about inspections performed by technicians. When asked about the time spent inspecting a typical bedroom, most claimed that inspection lasts less than 1 hour (see above). Treatment, however, of a typical bedroom generally takes more time than inspection. Products or tools used for treatment were unspecified. Nearly all companies reported that bed bugs are sometimes or always found on the mattress (98.2 percent) and box springs (93.6 percent). Baseboards and carpets were also common places to find bed bugs (94.1 percent). These results highlight critical inspection sites.

Unexpected bed bug hiding spots included inside automobiles, radios and other electronics, the kitchen, a showerhead, on curtains, on a person and many other places, indicating the importance of thorough inspections. Inspection signs most often cited by technicians were the bed bug themselves and evidence of bed bugs, such as bites or cast skins and customer reports of bed bugs sightings. Many respondents (67.9 percent) reported using sticky traps; however, an innovative monitoring trap was described by several participants. This trap was composed of a heating pad plus a sticky trap and one individual also included carbon dioxide in the form of dry ice. Effectiveness of this type of tool is unknown, but worth investigating.

Most companies (62.6 percent) claim to control bed bug infestations in two or three visits. Only 10.7 percent of respondents reported that they made five or six visits to solve the problem. An interesting result is that only 6.1 percent of companies claim successful control after only one visit. A wide variety of responses was found with respect to the use of insecticides. About 40 percent of respondents never use aerosol insecticides or general dusting for bed bugs. However, 98.6 percent said they use crack and crevice treatments (liquid or dust) and 92.3 percent applied a liquid spray to baseboards, floors and other surfaces.

We asked whether parts of the bed were treated with insecticides. Positive responses (either "sometimes" or "always") for the mattress were 75.1 percent, box springs, 87.3 percent and the bed frame and headboard, 93.7 percent. We asked an open-ended question about which insecticides were most often applied for bed bug control. Overwhelmingly, pyrethroids were the insecticides of choice; deltamethrin and cyfluthrin were most commonly mentioned. Insect growth regulators (IGRs) were less popular than the pyrethroids, but are commonly used in combination. Participants were asked which products did not work well. Boric acid and sometimes IGRs gave disappointing results, but there was no indication from this survey that pyrethroids were failing. Non-chemical control methods such as steam, heat, freezing belongings, encasing the mattress, or placing a sticky barrier on furniture legs are not used by most companies (see above). Many participants recommend cleaning and physical controls and they emphasize customer communication, education and awareness as a part of their management program. Inspection and regular communication were the primary criteria used to determine whether the problem was solved.

Information gathered through this survey confirmed that bed bug problems are increasing and that insecticides are the most widely used tool for their control. It is evident that the pest control industry needs new low-risk effective management tools for bed bugs, especially considering that these pests are found and treated on mattresses, box springs and bed frames. Alternative, nonpesticide techniques, such as steam, heat and cold, need to be investigated for effectiveness and cost.

FUTURE. This coast-to-coast survey of the pest control industry can be used to help develop priorities for future research and outreach efforts to address increasing problems with bed bugs. Best management practice guidelines need to be further developed to address the needs of the pest control industry, as well as municipal housing agencies, college dormitory managers, private multiunit owners and dwellers, health departments and domestic and international travelers and the hotel industry, to name a few. Additionally, public awareness must be raised about reducing the risks of transporting bed bugs from place to place, the potential hazards and failure to do-it-yourself pest control, sanitation and nonpesticide methods and cooperation with pest management professionals.

About the authors: J.Gangloff-Kaufmann is a senior extension associate, Cornell University. C. Hollingsworth is an extension specialist, University of Massachusetts. J. Hahn is an extension educator/professor, University of Minnesota. L. Hansen is an instructor of biology, Spokane Falls Community College. B. Kard is an associate professor, Oklahoma State University. M. Waldvogel is an extension specialist, North Carolina State University.

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A Team Approach to Beating Bed Bugs

Years from now, 2006 may be remembered by the pest management industry as “The Year of the Bed Bug.” Having been virtually eradicated from the United States for 50 years, bed bugs are back in a big way. But thanks to national headlines about the bed bug resurgence, pest management professionals aren’t the only ones on the lookout for signs of a possible infestation.

And while these news items may have led to an increase in the number of calls for professional pest service, they have also served to raise awareness among business owners particularly at risk, including hoteliers. Given the impact that a rampant bed bug infestation can have on a hotel’s reputation and bottom line, some members of the hotel/motel industry are learning the value of becoming their pest management professionals’ “partners in pest management.”

Earlier this year, Rodney Elmore, owner of Commonwealth Exterminators in Lawrenceville, Va., learned what a difference customer cooperation can make during a successful bed bug treatment. That extra effort, plus the right treatment method, continues to prove its value more than nine months later.

FROM THE FIRST BITE. Elmore has a standing service contract with a hotel in his area for which he’d never provided a bed bug treatment. All that changed last February when his client called to report that a hotel guest had been bitten by bed bugs. These days the idea of bed bugs in a hotel room is not so surprising, but what did surprise Elmore was the hotel management’s response to the infestation and management’s commitment to eradicating the problem.

“They realized the seriousness of the problem and provided a very high level of cooperation,” Elmore says. Elmore’s approach to the initial inspection started with the beds, mattresses and box springs, starting with the room in which the bitten guest had stayed and proceeding to the rooms on both sides, above and below it.

Through the inspection process, Elmore and his team of two technicians determined that about five rooms were infested with bed bugs. Not only did hotel management understand the importance of shutting down each infested room (as well as those above, below and on either side of the quarantined rooms) they didn’t balk when Elmore explained he’d need access to potentially dozens of rooms in the hotel that could have been affected.

Hotel management then took the steps Elmore deemed necessary to overcome the current infestation and prevent future outbreaks — everything from dismantling furniture and disposing of mattresses properly to keeping the rooms vacant for weeks at a time. The staff also helped vacuum and steam clean the carpets in each room as necessary.

From there, Elmore and his team provided a complete crack and crevice treatment of Suspend SC, applying it directly to each infested room’s beds and bed frames, as well as all wall voids, telephone jacks, baseboards, dressers, lamps, picture frames, drapes and carpets. “Suspend served us really well and provided the immediate knockdown we needed to get the infestation under control,” Elmore says.

IN IT TOGETHER. In conjunction with treating the infested rooms, Elmore’s team also inspected the laundry carts located on each floor that service the entire hotel. Sure enough, bed bugs had stowed away there as well. The good news was that a Suspend treatment would work for those too. The bad news was that there was no way to ensure exactly where each laundry cart had been when the first signs of the infestation surfaced.

Hotel management reacted by requesting that Elmore’s team treat the hotel’s 200 rooms available for guests. Together they worked out a schedule that required the shut down of individual sections of the hotel during the beginning of each week, when hotel traffic was slower than normal, to minimize the intrusion to other guests and make the overall treatment more manageable.

During the extended treatment process, however, the local health department became involved to ensure that the bed bug infestation was not the result of poor sanitation standards at the hotel. “We were happy to assist the hotel staff in explaining the treatment process and clear up any misunderstandings that this type of infestation can cause,” Elmore says.

He and his team brought members of the health department along on subsequent inspections and introduced them to the treatment they had been using successfully in other affected rooms. “They had no problems with our use of Suspend to combat the infestations,” Elmore says.

Treating the entire hotel took about six weeks. Elmore and his team have followed up with the hotel every month since. “Every time we went back to the infested rooms, we’d find dead bed bugs everywhere,” Elmore says. To date, Elmore has seen no signs of additional bed bug activity at the hotel, which he attributes to a combination of effective treatment procedures and product plus an extraordinary amount of customer cooperation.

Source: Bayer Environmental Science