Bed bugs are becoming increasingly common in patient care facilities. The key to effective management is early detection and containment.
This requires education and involvement of all staff including administration. The role of the pest control provider is important also, but no more so than that of hospital personnel. All employees should know what procedures to follow when they see or receive word of a possible bed bug incident.
It helps to have an on-site coordinator to respond to incidents, including interviewing persons suspected of bringing in bugs and confirming that they are indeed bed bugs. Temporary isolation and containment of such people and their infested belongings is crucial to stemming building-wide occurrences.
Some patient care facilities use clear plastic zip-lock bags or other tight-fitting containers to store personal belongings in examination or patient rooms. If bugs are found in an examination, patient or waiting room, the room should be thoroughly inspected.
While bed bug insecticides are not particularly hazardous, they should be used sparingly in health care settings. Spot killing of bed bugs on beds, sleep chairs, furniture or flooring often can be accomplished with disinfectants used for terminal cleaning.
Vacuums and steamers also can be deployed against small numbers of bed bugs found in accessible locations. Infested beds and furniture should ideally be treated with heat in a designated area of the hospital. Care should be taken not to dislodge bed bugs during transit and it is often wise to wrap the items in plastic. Frequency of inspection should depend on the history of prior incidents and risk of future infestation.
If there is reason to believe incoming patients, family members or visitors are harboring bed bugs, instructions may be given to remove belongings from the building and take them home to be laundered.
Bed bugs also can be transported into the workplace. As with schools, libraries, etc. Some employers help coordinate inspection of residences with their own pest control provider to lessen the chance of further introduction. Small numbers spotted in offices, schools, libraries, stores, etc. In offices and such where there are no beds or recurrent sleeping hosts, introductions of a few bed bugs are less likely to multiply and result in the type of infestations observed in homes and apartments.
Bed bug eradication is difficult. When resources allow it is prudent to hire a professional. However, treatment can be expensive, often costing several hundred dollars.
Those who cannot afford this may need to tackle the problem themselves. A step individuals can take to combat bed bugs is to install bed encasements. Encasing the mattress and box spring can help to eliminate a substantial portion of the population— especially if the bugs are discovered early when most tend to congregate in the bed area. Care should be taken not to tear the encasement, especially during installation over metal bed frames.
Ideally, both mattress and box spring should be encased. Encasements to protect against bed bugs are available through retailers or pest control firms. Bug-proof encasements also are available for sofas.
With persistence and a flashlight, householders can become adept at finding and destroying bed bugs. The process is made easier by reducing clutter, especially in sleeping areas.
Any bugs that are spotted can be eliminated with a vacuum, wad of duct tape, or over-the-counter insecticide approved for such use. Dish-shaped traps e. Installing a trap under each bed leg also creates a barrier between bed and floor that can help reduce bites.
Most bed bug sprays intended for householders have limited effect after the spray has dried. Consequently, it is important to contact as many of the bugs as possible with the spray itself. Directions should be read carefully as some products should not be used on beds and seating. Diatomaceous earth, often touted for its safety and effectiveness, is messy to apply and will seldom help much to eliminate infestations.
Another insecticide dispensed as a powder silica gel, marketed as CimeXa can be very effective, though, if applied correctly. The easiest way for householders to apply it is with a paintbrush. The trick is to apply tiny amounts barely visible to the naked eye to seams, tufts, folds and crevices where the bugs are present or likely to reside. Since airborne particles can be irritating and the powder has a drying effect on skin, eye protection and disposable gloves should be worn during application.
The incidence of bed bugs in the United States and throughout the world has increased to the point where vigilance is prudent. Familiarity can help to avoid infestation, or at least prompt timely intervention by a professional. The use of some products may not be legal in your state or country. Please check with your local county agent or regulatory official before using any pesticide mentioned in this publication.
Bed Bugs. Bed Bug Basics Bed bugs are small, brownish insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. Bed bugs depicted in a book published in Adults, nymphs, eggs, shed skins, and fecal spots on a mattress. Dark spots on mattress and box spring are a telltale sign of bed bugs, occasionally accompanied by reddish smears or stains.
Bites and Health Concerns Bed bugs usually bite people at night while they are sleeping. How Infestations Occur It often seems that bed bugs arise from nowhere. Bed bugs can be introduced on backpacks, luggage, and other belongings. Controlling Infestations Bed bugs are challenging to eradicate. Where They Hide Bed bugs can live in almost any crevice or protected location. Bed bugs most often congregate along seams and edges of mattresses and box springs. Blackish spots are excrement.
Bed bugs also congregate along seams of sofas and recliners. Photo at right shows bugs hiding near a recessed screw under a nightstand note the presence of fecal spots. Bed bugs often reside along baseboards. Photo at left shows eggs, nymphs, adults and fecal spots near a carpet edge.
Cooperation is Important Cooperation is important during bed bug treatment. Encasements are an economical alternative to discarding infested beds. Vacuuming, Steaming, Freezing As mentioned earlier, household vacuuming of floors and surfaces seldom reaches the areas where bed bugs typically hide. Steamers and vacuums can help eliminate infestations. Heat Treatments Some pest control firms use specialized heating equipment to de-infest furnishings, rooms, and entire dwellings of bed bugs.
Heat treatments are an effective way to eliminate bed bugs quickly, but may be more costly than conventional treatment methods. Insecticides While the former measures are helpful, insecticides are also used by most professionals. Discarded beds and couches might be infested and should be left alone. Dish-shaped traps placed under beds and sofas can help to reveal bed bugs and reduce bites. Business and Leisure Travelers Checking your bed for bed bugs was a common practice years ago, especially when traveling.
To help guard against bed bugs while traveling, take a moment to inspect beds. Human Symptoms. Life Cycle. Do it Yourself. By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies to analyze website traffic and improve your experience on our website. Learn more about the types of cookies we use by reviewing our updated Privacy Policy. Back to previous page. The top three places you should always check for bed bugs in a room are: The box springs.
Please click here to see any active alerts. If you have a bed bug infestation, it is best to find it early, before the infestation becomes established or spreads.
Treating a minor infestation, while an inconvenience, is far less costly and easier than treating the same infestation after it becomes more widespread. However, low-level infestations are also much more challenging to find and correctly identify.
Other insects, such as carpet beetles, can be easily mistaken for bed bugs. If you misidentify a bed bug infestation, it gives the bugs more time to spread to other areas of the house or hitchhike a ride to someone else's house to start a new infestation.
Learn about identifying bed bugs. These bugs have the ability to sense a change in carbon dioxide and equate it to the ring of a dinner bell. Probably because humans emit a lot more carbon dioxide during sleep, and sleep is when we're in the perfect position for a bed bug to feed on us. You are probably aware that hotels and motels are a prime location to pick up bed bugs.
But, is it the only place you can get these bugs? To answer this, you must ask yourself another question: How do bed bugs get in hotels? This is a hitchhiking bug that rides into hotels and motels on guests. They can be in luggage, pocketbooks and even clothing. For this reason, bed bugs have been found in taxis, buses, trains, planes and other forms of transportation.
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