How to identify and deal with bed bugs

The Cornell Cooperative Extension offers these tips and tricks to dealing with the pesky insects.

ORISKANY » The CCE Oneida-Horticulture hotline has recently received a few calls on bed bugs. Although we cannot identify samples of this insect at our office, we can provide information on the household pest.

Bed bugs are insects, members of the Order of True Bugs, Hemipteran and belong to the Family Climicidae. This is a common bed bug found in the northeast, Cimex lectilarius. The adult bed bug is ¼ to 3/8 inches long with oval body (about the size of the lentil bean) and they are flat as a piece of paper. They are straw to reddish-brown in color and their upper bodies are covered with short, golden hairs. They do not have wings.

Bed bugs are nocturnal. Once they begin to feed they will become bloated and become dark red in color. The bed bug will feed regularly when temperatures are above 70 degrees F. They will feed on the host for about five to ten minutes. After they will crawl in a crevice for several days to digest their meal. A black dot will show on their bodies after feeding. Bed bugs prefer to feed on humans, but will feed on mice, rats, bats,

rabbits, guinea pigs, and birds (chickens and swallows). Dogs and cats are not amajor feeding host for bed bugs, but they may be bitten by them if their skin is exposed.

The average adult life cycle is 3 to 10 months (adults can live 6 months without food). The young can reach adulthood in four to five weeks. The female can lay up to 100 eggs. Eggs are placed in crevices, scattered in small clusters such as in bed frames, floors, walls and other house- hold sites where temperatures are above 50 degrees F. The eggs are white in color and look like a grain of salt. Eggs hatch in six to ten days.

When inspecting for bed bugs, check around seams and crevices of the furniture where one sleeps. Bed bugs do not roam far from a host. Check also behind baseboards, picture, window and door casing, wallpaper, and other similar areas. In heavy infestations bed bugs will be everywhere and will spread to surrounding rooms. Look for signs of their presence, check for fecal stains on bedding. These stains reflect a tan, brown or black color and resemble a magic marker stain. Also examine the room using an LED flashlight to peer behind and underneath furniture (including couch and chair cushions) and inspect woodwork. Make sure to inspect new and used furniture before bringing it indoors.

If bed bugs are found, an Integrated Pest Management approach to get rid of them is to start cleaning EVERYTHING. Begin with disposing of clutter, especially found in the bedrooms. Don’t skip cleaning behind pictures, posters, area rugs and items placed on the floor.

Get out the vacuum cleaner. Use the brush tool attachment by vacuuming the furniture and all areas of the room to remove the live and dead bed bugs. Continue to vacuum the room (s) every day. Discard the contents of the vacuum into a plastic bag that can be sealed and thrown out. Clean the vacuum afterwards. If using a bagless vacuum wash the dust canister with soapy water and dry before replacing.

Bed bugs are sensitive to extreme temperatures. Remove the bedding and place in dryer for 20 minutes at the hot setting (125 degrees F). Also steam cleaning is another option for using on furniture at the high temperature setting (125 degrees F). Freezing is a less reliable way to kill bed bugs – it requires at least two weeks or more.

There are insecticides including botanical oil products that repel and kill the insects. Some of these insecticides contain pyrethroids. Be sure to read the product label and follow the directions. There are also other chemical controls on the market that professional pest control operators can use.

For more information on bed bugs check out ourwebsite link at cceoneida.com/ environment/invasive-nuisance-species/bed-bugs or contact the Horticulture Hot Line at (315) 736-3394 for more information.

If the information above has not been sufficient, the Cornell Entomology Insect Diagnostic Laboratory can identify bed bug samples for a $25 fee. Samples can be mailed or emailed to Insect Diagnostic Lab, Cornell University, 2144 Comstock Hall, Entomology, Ithaca, N.Y. 14853-2601 or through idl.entomology.cornell.edu/ sample- directions/. Make sure to include submission form. Digital photographs can be e-mailed to IDLDiagnosticLab@cornell.edu. Send check or money order for $25 payable to Cornell University.