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Copyright 20081
Bed Bug Infestation Re-Emergence:
Tracking Epidemiological
Events Through News Media Reports Dr. Alice L. Anderson
Department of Health Education and Promotion/Environmental
Health ProgramEast Carolina University
Greenville, NC
Bed Bugs• aka, “Chinches”, “Chinch
Bugs”, “Red Coats”• Suborder Hemiptera
(Order Heteroptera)• Small (3/16” long) broadly
oval, flat, reddish-brown color
• Wingless (vestigial)
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Bed Bugs• Piercing-sucking 3-
segmented mouthparts that originate from the front of the head
Bed Bug Relatives• Bed bug - Cimex lectularius• Bat bug - Cimex adjunctus• Swallow bug - Oeciacus vicarius
• 16 species in the U.S.– Bats – 9 species– Birds – 10 species– Humans – 3 species
• Interbreeding possible but probably not common
Bed Bug Bat Bug
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Bed Bugs and People
• Likely encountered each other in caves inhabited by both
• Spread by explorersto Africa, Australia and the New World
A Bug’s Life• Mate by “traumatic insemination” – male
pierces female’s abdomen and inserts sperm into fatty layer.
• Female lays 200-500 eggs in cracks and crevices. Eggs hatch in about 10 days
• Nymphal stage has five molts and lasts about 35-48 days (longer depending on temperature).
A Bug’s Life• Hide by day in cracks and crevices• Feed primarily at night, crawling in search of a
blood meal• Host cues: likely body heat and carbon dioxide• Inject anticoagulant and suck blood • Saliva causes allergic reaction
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A Bug’s Life• Require a blood meal (lasting 5-10 minutes) to molt
and lay eggs• Can survive 80-140 days without a blood meal• Adults live 6-7 months (up to 1.5 years).• Critical temperatures:
Low: 13oC (55oF) High: 45oC (112oF)
Why Bed Bugs Now?
• Increased international travel/tourism• Increased immigration and population mobility • Pest misidentification
? ?
Why Bed Bugs Now?
• Cockroach control relies more on baits and less on insecticidal sprays that would have treated areas where bed bugs might also hide.
• Elimination of OP insecticides and the broader use of repellent pyrethroids indoors.
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Baghdad City 1989• Previously unreported in Baghdad• Collected from hotels, private homes, apartment
buildings and governmental offices. • Suspected source: influx of immigrant Egyptian and
Sudanese laborers.
Jour. of Biol. Sci. Res. 20, no. 3, 455-462 (1989)
Great Britain - 1999• Two healthcare workers who occupied a
hospital consecutively. Other occupants had brought residence luggage from overseas
• Individual who slept on bedding imported from U.S. • Several people who had brought luggage from
Australia• One person with no recent travel or neighbors with
problems. Parents had them three months later.British Medical Journal 320:1141 (22 April 2000)
Bed Bugs & Diseases• Including bubonic plague, relapsing fever, tularemia
(Ebeling (1978) • Hepatitis B found in nymphs, adults, feces.
Possible mechanical transmission (feces or crushed insects) – Olson et al. (2001)
• No evidence to support transmission of HIV
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Bed Bugs North of the Border
• Miles et al (2003*) surveyed eight boarding house rooms
• Used sticky traps and carpet tape (other tapes were not as effective)
• 3 of 8 rooms were negative• 5 of 8 rooms had anywhere from 3-14 trapped
*Center for Urban and Community Studies Research Bulletin #19
A Bug’s Life in North Carolina
• Major problem areas in NC– Beach rental properties– Hotels– Residences– Dormitories– EMS Stations
US News Media Began Reporting in noticeable numbers in 2001
• North Carolina Reports started in 2001-2002• There were news stories in Wash DC,Virginia,
Maryland, Illinois, New York, and Florida in 2001 and 2002.
• I wanted to see how the development of news stories illustrated the spread of bedbug infestations in the US.
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News Media and Bedbugs• In the June NEHA Journal article, you can see the numbers of articles through the years as
they appeared in regions of the US.
• It's Being Called a National Epidemic: Bedbugs! • Video: It's Being Called a National Epidemic: Bedbugs!
• Some bug experts say beware when you go to sleep. Bedbugs are on the comeback in the United States. These bloodsucking bugs feed on human hosts at night, leaving behind an itchy welt.
• Bedbugs have been turning up in hotels, hospitals, schools and anywhere else that has heavy traffic. Bedbugs also infest mattresses.
• Doctor Alice Anderson, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health Program and East Carolina University, says bedbug bites are something you should be concerned about because they can lead to infections. Doctor Anderson says North Carolina is one of the states where bedbugs are re-emerging.
• Click on the following link for more information on bedbugs and prevention.• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bedbugs/AN01186
News media animated map• For this presentation, I took all the stories we found
directly about local infestations and created an animated map. Each state lights up and changes to a darker red as the years from 2003-2007 pass by.
• 2006 was the most active year for bedbug stories.
(Map)• http://core.ecu.edu/hhp/and
ersonal/bedbugs/index.html
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The following slides are from NC State Extension Service on Inspection
and Control
Bed Bug Control
Location…. Location…. LocationIdentification
Bed Bug Control
• Start with accurate identification– Eliminate bat bugs or swallow
bugs as the culprits
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Inspecting for Bed Bugs
Stalking the Wild Bed Bug
Stalking the Wild Bed Bug
• Fecal droppings & blood• Egg cases & shed skins• Sweet odor (heavy pop.)
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Stalking the Wild Bed Bug
Bed Components
Headboard Inspection
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Hotel Hotspots
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Furniture
Stalking the Wild Bed Bug
Carpets, Padding, Baseboards
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Stalking the Wild Bed Bug
Homeless Shelters• Frames may harbor
pests• Occupancy rate may
vary seasonally• Transient nature of
occupants makes prevention difficult.
Other Bed Bug Critical Areas
• Laundry carts• Sorting tables• Storage areas
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Sanitation• Discard/Vacuum: carpets, closets, furniture,
mattresses and boxsprings• Mattress and boxspring sanitizing (sterilization)*• Wash and dry clothing, bed linens, other such items.• Carpet cleaning
(vacuuming vs. steam cleaning)• Inspect and clean/treat luggage• Put furniture out in cold
(waste of time)
Exclusion
Keep bed bugs from reaching “food”
Bed Bug “Exclusion”
• Screening and other repairs* • Caulking/sealing• Double-sided tape on
furniture legs• Furniture selection
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Chemical Control• Bedframe, headboard• Mattress and box spring• Other furniture• Baseboards surface and
cracks/crevices• Carpeting* and padding• Temperature is important
Chemical Control• Liquid formulations for baseboards and other
surfaces (use less-repellent chemicals, IGRs)• Dust formulations in voids (few on surfaces)
– Tri-Die (silica gel)– PermaDust (boric acid)– DeltaDust– DE (homeowners)– Sevin (DA)
Website
http://insects.ncsu.edu/Urban
Avast, Matey!
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Michael WaldvogelNCSU-EntomologyCampus Box 7613Raleigh, NC 27695
Many Thanks to the following individuals for slides and information:
Dr. Harold Harlan, Pest Management Board
