Bed Bug TV » bugs

How Do I Know If the Bed Bugs are Gone?

admin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:05:33 +0000

In this episode, Jeff talks about different ways to help you determine if bed bugs are present in your home. Many times people are dealing with infestations, their homes are treated and they want to know how to tell if the bugs are gone. BedBug Central uses the “50-60 day rule” in that we want to see the people in the homes go 50-60 days without seeing any bugs or receiving any bites.The reason we use 60 days is that bugs feed every 10 days or so and eggs take about 10 days to hatch. What we’re starting to see is that when you apply pesticides to control bed bugs, it can cause the bugs to act “odd” and sometimes not feed at their regular interval. It has been documented that bugs may go into a “non-feeding” period after pesticide exposure due to adverse conditions. This 60 days allows the bug time to come out and feed, even if it has been affected by pesticide exposure. You can also consider using interception devices or other monitors to help you determine if you still have a problem but keep in mind that there is no 100% definitive way to determine if you still have a problem. That being said, if you know you react to bed bug bites and perform inspections on the beds in the home and use the 50-60 day rule, there is a good chance that the bugs have in fact been eliminated.

Bed Bugs in Schools

admin — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:21:37 +0000

In this episode Jeff will talk about bed bugs being found in schools and the issues surrounding this topic. Unfortunately, bed bugs are being found in more and more schools and with bed bugs making the comeback that they are, this will probably be an occasional occurance moving forward. What happens is that a student has a problem with bed bugs at home and mistakenly transports a bug to the school on their backpack, personal belongings or clothes. The first thing to be aware of is that at this point it seems that bed bugs being found in schools is not a common occurance. In addition, there are really two different types of bed bug issues at schools: was one bug introduced and it does not turn into a reproducing infestation or is the problem more than one bug that is feeding and reproducing in the school. Obviously, if one bug was introduced and it was found and removed it is much less of a concern than if a reproducing infestation is found. Jeff will also discuss some steps parents can take to prevent bugs from being brought into their homes.

How to Inspect a Bed for Bed Bugs

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 22:53:42 +0000

In this episode Jeff will explain the areas on a bed you should inspect if you want to inspect your bed for bed bugs. As information spreads about bed bug infestations on the rise, more and more people want to inspect their bed for bed bugs. This episode will walk you through a bed inspection and the critical areas you should look if you want to inspect your bed for bed bugs. Please be aware that a visual inspection can be unreliable when trying to detect low level infestations of bed bugs. Therefore, if you perform an inspection and don’t find any bed bugs, it does not necessarily mean you don’t have bed bugs in your home. A knowledgeable professional should always be contacted if you think you may have bed bugs.

Nightwatch Bed Bug Monitor

admin — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:20:56 +0000

In this episode Jeff will talk about the Nightwatch bed bug monitor, how to set the monitor to trap for bugs, ideal situations to set the trap in and what to expect when setting the trap. The Nightwatch bed bug monitor is an active monitor that release attractants that are intended to attract hungry bed bugs. Always remember that not all bed bugs in a given infestation are going to be attracted to a monitor and therefore a zero-trap-catch does not necessarily mean that bed bugs are not present. This monitor is intended to be used to help evaluate if bed bugs are present in a given environment. Studies have been conducted that did show that this monitor can be effective for detecting low level bed bug infestations. Some ideal situations for this monitor are in situations where it does not compete with other hosts (ex. humans, although it has been shown to be effective for detecting bugs in the presence of humans) such as: offices, schools, vacant apartments or homes, pre-move-in inspections, etc…

Advisory – Dry Ice Bed Bug Trap Update

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:41:24 +0000

In this episode Jeff will recap some of the information discussed in the original episode about the DIY Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap and further discuss some potential hazards associated with some of the information being reported by the media. Since the concept of this trap was released by Rutgers University researcher Dr. Changlu Wang at an entomological conference in December, several media outlets have run stories about a “great DIY bed bug trap that is affordable to make and anybody can use it”. While some of this information is true, a few news stories have began to report this monitor as a control device that can eliminate bed bugs from your home for a very small amount of money. THIS DEVICE IS NOT A CONTROL TOOL AND THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE IT WILL NOT ELIMINATE YOUR BED BUG INFESTATION. The stories that discuss this as a control tool can be very misleading and again, this is to be used as a monitor to help you determine if you have a problem, not to control your problem. Also, there are a few concerns about pest control companies using this monitor which include the hazards associated with dry ice. Please tune it to this episode to make yourself aware of some of the concerns we have about the DIY bed bug dry ice monitor so that if you do decide to set it in your home, you can do so in a knowledgeable fashion.

Related links:

Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap

ABC NY Original Story (NOT A CONTROL TOOL!)

Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:11:49 +0000

In this episode Jeff will discuss the recent news on a simple and easy to make bed bug monitor created by Rutgers University to monitor for bed bugs. The Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap is an easy to create monitor for bed bugs that utilizes dry ice as the attractant that hungry bed bugs are attracted to. It is true that bed bugs are attracted to the monitor and this monitor can be the most effective that we currently have available to us, but there are some things you should be aware of if you do try to create this monitor on your own (do-it-yourself). Please also be aware that even though this monitor was shown to outcompete the commercially available monitors (CDC 3000 and Nightwatch), those devices were also very effective in detecting low level bed bug infestations. First, this monitor is not intended to be used by pest control companies as there are hazards associated with dry ice that may create liabilities for pest control companies setting this monitor in clients homes. Pest control companies should consider using the commercially manufactured devices (CDC 3000 and Nightwatch) that were found to also be effective for detecting bed bugs Also, please remember that a zero-trap-catch does not necessarily mean that you do not have bed bugs. These monitors are intended to attract hungry bed bugs to them and therefore not all bed bugs are attracted to these types of monitors. In order to create this monitor you will need: a dog bowl (that can be used similarly to a Climbup device), dry ice, a thermos to place dry ice in, talcum powder, tape or sandpaper and possibly a towel. Please watch this episode for some pointers on how to construct this device properly.

Related Topics:

Bed Bug Dry Ice Trap Article

Praxair’s Dry Ice Safe Handling Site

Bed Bug Central

Bed Bug TV Episode 20: Climbup Devices

Phantom Insecticide for Bed Bug Control

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:04:02 +0000

In this episode Jeff will explain why Phantom insecticide may be one good option for bed bug control and why if you are evaluating a pest control company and their protocol, you may want to see this pesticide being used. Phantom insecticide is a pesticide that, in some areas, may be used as part of a bed bug control plan. As stated previously, a multi-disciplinary approach to bed bug control is highly recommended (steamers, Cryonite, vacuums, etc) but when pesticides are needed, Phantom may be a good option to choose. Laboratory studies have shown that Phantom may be a good option to address pesticide resistant bed bugs as this pesticide falls into a different class of chemicals compared with the commonly seen synthetic pyrethrins. In addition, this pesticide has shown some residual effects with bed bugs. One concern is that Phantom has been shown to take 7-14 days or more to kill bed bugs and this may be a concern if people are being bit by bed bugs and the pesticide that has been applied takes 14 days to address those issues. Either way, many progressive bed bug control companies are incorporating Phantom into their bed bug treatment plans and when selecting a pest control company to treat your bed bug infestation, this may be a product you want to see incorporated into their protocol.

DIY #1 – Using the Heat of the Sun to Kill Bed Bugs

admin — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:18:12 +0000

In this episode Jeff will describe the best techniques to use the sun’s energy to eliminate bed bugs from items that cannot be laundered or treating with pesticide. Please be aware that using the sun to eliminate bed bugs is not recommended by Bed Bug Central due to the risk of failure and infesting items that weren’t previously infested. Nonetheless, in many area of the world the heat created by the sun during the summer months can be warm enough to achieve lethal temperatures (above 120^oF) for eliminating bed bugs. By following the techniques explained in this video, you provide yourself with the best opportunity to use the sun’s energy to eliminate bed bugs from items.

Bed Bug Prevention

admin — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:27:53 +0000

In this episode, Jeff will discuss what bed bug prevention truly means and steps you can take to hopefully prevent bed bugs from infesting your home and items you can consider purchasing that will help in their early detection and quick elimination. Bed bug prevention is a very interesting topic because there really is no true form of bed bug prevention. There isn’t one thing you can do to prevent bed bugs from infesting your home. “Preventing” bed bugs starts with educating yourself about what bed bugs look like, how to avoid bringing them into your home and the signs and symptoms of bed bugs so you can detect their presence in your home as early as possible. Also, you can consider purchasing such items as Protect-A-Bed encasements Climbup Insect Interceptors and the Packtite portable heating unit which could help you detect bed bugs presence as early as possible as well as assist in preventing bed bugs from entering your home and infesting your bed.

Related Links:

Bed Bug Central’s Bed Bugs 101

University of Kentucky’s Bed Bug Page

Protect-A-Bed Encasements

Bed Bug Central’s Travel Products

Bed Bug Central’s Home Products