So you've been waiting for my article on bed bugs, eh? Well, please accept my apologies for the delay in getting to this important topic, but FINALLY here is the first installment!
Be sure to checkout the links also. I'm sure they will be of great use to you.
Bed bugs are the most challenging problem for pest control professionals. Why? Bed Bugs are small little creatures. You need magnification (a hand lens) to accurately see the eggs. I like to say that adult bed bugs are as big as "God" on the head of a penny. You know, "In God we Trust". And frankly that word isn't large at all. So... something which comes out at night (mostly), "sucks" your blood and leaves before you awake... that qualifies as more than just a pest in my book. And herein lies another concern, these bugs are literally driving people mad. It's becoming a psychological problem in a big way, not only because they're difficult to control in our current surroundings, but also because it's very hush, hush... nobody wants to say they have a problem. Then they unwittingly bring the bug to work, and before you know it they're coming home with you for dinner.
So below are a few links to useful resources. There is plenty of information to share, but time does not allow me to cover this topic completely in one article. The following I copied from an email I sent to a caller who struggles with a bed bug problem... mainly due to the high cost of professional control.
Thanks for your patience. Here are a couple of links to help you understand and prepare to address the bed bug problem. Remember, the Bed Bug Best Management Practices are guidelines which all professional pest management companies should be striving to comply with when exterminating bedbugs... and they are evolving along with the bed bug challenge nationwide.
http://allthingsbedbugs.org Lots of great info here for consumers.
http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Publications/Bed_Bugs_CDC-EPA_Statement.htm (CDC page for bed bug control)
http://bedbugcentral.com/ (This site has practical information on a variety of subjects as they relate to bed bugs)
http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/52/2/200.short (This link discusses bed bugs as disease vectors)
There are more questions than answers as it relates to the upcoming study to be published in the CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal (EID) June 2011 on bed bug disease transmission. While the inferences in this study may be plausible they cannot be construed to demonstrate "routine" transmission. Without a doubt, the key to effective control is scientific research which is comprehensive and authoritative; and hopefully one step ahead of the current bed bug resurgence.
