Bed bugs of the family Cimicidae (Hemiptera) have long been pests of humans and domestic animals, as well as wild birds and bats. The reappearance of bed bugs as a pest of modern society is testimony to the evolutionary adaptability of this species.

Technicians must first understand that the bed bug strategy, at least from a customer's point of view, is not management, but eradication. Because this insect sucks blood and because some people are allergic to its saliva, customers have zero tolerance for this pest. The presence of a single bed bug, whether dead or alive, will elicit despair, distress, alarm and concern by customers and, thus, generate callbacks.

Treatment Strategies
The fundamental goal of any bed bug eradication program is to ensure that a thorough inspection is performed before any work is done to assess the extent of the infestation. Before an inspection begins, interview the customer to gather pertinent information. In hotels, talk with housekeepers, as they often have more knowledge about the infestation than the manager of the facility does.

Take the time to educate the customer about bed bugs and what is involved in eradicating them. The more customers know about what's involved, the more they will understand their role in helping to eliminate the infestation.

A well-entrenched bed bug infestation will likely take more than one service call to eradicate. Anticipate the need for extra services and build these costs into your original price.

The key to effective bed bug eradication is locating and treating all active and potential harborages. Crack and crevice treatments using residual products can be useful. Careful applications using nonresidual flushing agents help pinpoint and identify harborages, as well as quickly reduce a population by bringing about direct contact mortality. The use of insecticide dusts in voids, as necessary, complements other pesticide treatment strategies.

Entrenched bed bug infestations within structures such as homeless shelters have alarmed customers to the extent that they request drastic eradication methods, such as structural fumigation. It is a costly management strategy, but some customers are willing to incur the cost.

After the fumigation or other treatment has been rendered, place insect monitoring traps in strategic locations to monitor the treatment's effectiveness. Inform customers ahead of time that fumigants leave no residues and the property can be reinfested shortly after fumigation if proper precautions are not taken.

Nonchemical Alternatives
Use vacuum devices to quickly remove all accessible bed bugs, egg shells, cast skins, etc., from an infested premise. However, bed bugs are very cryptic creatures, and it is not likely that an entire infestation will be eradicated this way.

Thermal pest eradication methods can also be used. Isolation treatments using heat can be directed to the infested portions of a structure. It has been reported that bed bug eggs have been killed after an exposure of one hour at 113° F, and first-instar nymphs died after 15 minutes of exposure to the same temperature. For adult bed bugs, the thermal death point is reported to be 111.2° F. Superheating to temperatures above 120° F for a number of hours has also been reported to eradicate bed bugs.

When using high temperatures, note that bed bugs inhabit small voids, and make sure these harborages reach their critical temperatures for mortality. Also, bed bugs are mobile insects and they will crawl away from heated areas - especially as the temperature gradually increases. Heating entire structures is another option, but it can be a laborious, time consuming and expensive process.

Bed bug infestations in human habitation will continue to occur in the future, particularly in temperate areas of the U.S. Increased bed bug infestations represent a lucrative opportunity for profits. To capitalize on this business, become more informed about bed bugs and educate employees and customers about this bloodthirsty pest.