[Pest Perspectives] Speaking About Bed Bugs with a Single Voice

We are living in unprecedented times in the industry. Bed bugs have emerged and still nobody really can explain why. Control is possible but not easy and everyone hopes for that magic bullet to control this pest. The news media finally has found a pest that they can really play on with every broadcast piece ending in the grossly overused, "Sleep tight; don't let the bed bugs bite." All companies, large and small, are sought-after experts by customers, potential customers, friends, government officials, lawmakers, media as well as groups representing apartments, schools, homeowners, health-care officials and more. As we learn more about this pest, our industry must speak with a single factual voice about this pest so that we don't have conflicting information. There are gray areas certainly, but the more we are all consistent in our comments, the better. A few key facts that are common talking points should be refined in your repertoire of expertise so that your audience gets a clear picture. There are only limited minutes for key points and generalizations are easy, but sometimes clarification is necessary. Here are the most used generalizations to consider.
 

Bed bugs live for more than a year without food.
True enough, there are documented cases of bed bugs living much beyond the one-year mark. In fact, Usinger's famous 1966 Monograph of Cimicidae talks about bed bugs that have been observed far longer than one year without a blood meal. We must make sure that the audience knows that this is in some cases only and that most bed bugs, especially nymphs, do not typically survive that long. It is best to note that bed bugs can live for more than a year without food in certain cases.
 

Bed bugs are a public health threat.
For years, the industry through NPMA has said that bed bugs do not transmit disease, or at least there has never been a documented case of disease transmission. This is true as a direct transmittal; however, infections from scratching can lead to infection and the psychological effects of bed bugs can really be a health problem. It is true that human pathogens have not been documented as spread by bed bugs, but there are health implications. The threat of bed bugs and superbug staph infections as recently published is not recognized as conclusive science even though CDC had its logo on the study. So, bed bugs have not been proven to spread disease but health consequences may arise regardless.
 

Heat or steam or cold will sterilize a room.
Areas that reach above the thermal death point of bed bugs will control all stages of life. To use the terms "sterilization of a room" can be misleading, though, if it can be implied that it kills every organism in the room. Temperatures inside the walls might not get to that temperature, hot or cold, and not only will bed bugs not be controlled, but no other organism will either. Be careful if using the term sterilization.
 

Bed bugs die at 113°F.
The long published thermal death point of bed bugs is 113°F. This is true in that bed bugs cannot survive long term at that temperature. That temperature, though, still must be maintained for a period of time for adults and for hours to control eggs. If using that published temperature as the thermal death point, make sure that it is not implied that all stages are instantly controlled at 113°F. If you want quick kill of all stages, it is more likely 122°F or higher (Kells). And this temperature is the bed bug exposure temperature; not the ambient air temperature.
 

We can't get control since bed bugs are resistant to currently used products.
While it is true that some bed bug strains are resistant to certain pyrethroids, the resistance might vary from strain to strain of the bed bug and the amount of previous exposure even within a population. Sublethal exposure can lead to development of resistance, but bed bugs are not resistant to all of our tools used today. Not all pyrethroids exhibit lack of effectiveness. There are still people who lament that DDT could solve the problem. Ignoring that bringing back DDT wouldn't even be considered by regulators, it wouldn't matter anyhow as today's bed bugs show significant resistance to DDT. The smart choice is to use a combination of products and practices.

Where do we go from here? We are now getting a better understanding of the biology of today's bed bug thanks to university research. Some old published beliefs are being shattered with new tools such as DNA resistance gene mapping to better understand resistance. Understanding current research findings and telling the whole story will present an industry united when we are showing our industry expertise.

Greg Baumann is a technical services director with Orkin (www.orkin.com) and has more than 30 years of varied pest management experience. Learn more via Facebook at www.facebook.com/OrkinPestControl or join the conversation at www.twitter.com/AskTheOrkinMan.