Don’t Let The Bedbugs Bite!

1. Don’t Let The Bedbugs Bite! Presented by: Advantage Pest Management

2. History of the Bedbug • Originated from the Bat Bug • Has been around for over 3,300 years • In the 1950s, bedbugs were nearly eradicated • Product called DDT • 1990s started to see a resurgence of bedbugs • Early 2000s, started to see a huge increase in infestations

3. What Do They Look Like? • Adults • Dark brown in color, reddish-brown after a blood meal • About the size of an apple seed when engorged • Flat when they have not been fed • Nymphs • Start out pale colored to nearly transparent • Gradually get darker through every instar stage • Egg • Look similar to an uncooked piece of white rice • Can be difficult to see on a mattress

4. Bedbug Lifecycle • Females can lay 1-5 eggs per day (avg. 540 eggs in a life time) • Eggs are typically laid in cracks and crevices and rough areas • Box springs, mattress seams, headboards • Nymphs take 21 days to reach adulthood after hatching • They molt 5 times • Must have a blood meal in order to molt

5. Feeding Habits • Bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide and heat • Tend to feed on hosts at night due to being sedentary and exposed skin • Will feed at any time of the day • Usually in heavy infestations • Each feeding lasts from 5-10 minutes • Insert two feeding tubes • One injects saliva that acts like an anesthesia and the other draws blood • After feeding, they will hide for 5-10 days where they molt, mate and lay eggs

6. Detecting Bedbugs • Early detection is key to preventing infestations • Signs of bedbug activity: • Bites: small raised welts, everyone has a different reaction, typically in a row, one bug bites 2-3 times per feeding • Fecal: small dark spots typically found on box springs and mattresses • Shed skins: bedbug exoskeletons after molting, typically in cracks and crevices of box springs

7. What Do We Look For?

8. Treatment for Bedbugs • Contact a pest management company immediately • DIY treatments usually fail and change the behavior of the bug, usually making them move to different areas of a room spreading the infestation • Heat • Extensive process, heat unit to 120°F for several hours, costly, typically completed in one treatment • Chemical • Multiple treatments used, prep work may be necessary, cost less than heat • Cryonite • Newer treatment, non-toxic, freezes pesticide resistant bedbugs

9. Advantage Pest Management Treatment Procedure • Low Prep / No Prep • Minimal prep work needed for treatments • Population Reduction • Eliminate the visual verification of and bedbug • Break the Lifecycle • Use steam to destroy eggs that may be hidden within the seams of the mattress and box spring • Residual Insecticide • A combination of chemicals used to eliminate and new bugs or hidden bugs • Statically charged dust sticks to bedbugs passing by • Follow-Up Treatments • All treatments come with 2 follow-ups • Monitor • A variety of monitoring tools help ensure that your home is bedbug free

10. Preventing Infestations • Do not take furniture from the roadside or trash • Check hotel rooms on travel • Wash and dry clothes immediately after travel • Do routine checks while cleaning • Keep homes free of clutter • Apply mattress encasements • In the event of finding a bedbug use 91% rubbing alcohol for a quick knock down and call a pest control company

11. Quick Bedbug Facts • Scientific tests have shown that bedbugs DO NOT carry diseases • Have an ability to travel undetected • Bedbugs are found anywhere regardless of sanitary conditions • Bedbugs can survive months without a blood meal • Many people will not react to bedbug bites • Bedbug infestations have jumped 500% over the past several years • Bedbugs are methodical feeders. They have similar patterns, not all feed at the same time • Bedbugs do not fly or jump, but are great climbers

12. QUESTIONS