Print Bedbugs Brochure 

Bedbugs: a Recurring Problem

Bed bugs are small, oval, wingless insects that reach about 1/4 inch in length. Bed bugs have flat bodies and are reddish-brown in color. They may sometimes be mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches. Bed bugs feed by sucking blood from humans or animals. They do not develop wings and cannot fly.

 In recent years, bed bugs have also made a comeback in the U.S. They are increasingly being encountered in homes, apartments, hotels, motels, health care facilities, dormitories, shelters, schools, and modes of transport. Other places where bed bugs sometimes appear include movie theaters, laundries/dry cleaners, furniture rental outlets and office buildings. Immigration and international travel have undoubtedly contributed to the resurgence of bed bugs in the U.S.

Bed bugs are active mainly at night. During the daytime, they prefer to hide close to where people sleep. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into tiny crevices — especially those associated with mattresses, box springs, bed frames and headboards. Bed bugs do not have nests like ants or bees, but do tend to congregate in habitual hiding places instead.

Bed bugs usually bite people at night while they are sleeping. They feed off human blood with their elongated beak.  Symptoms after being bitten vary with each individual. Many develop an itchy red welt or localized swelling within a day or so of the bite. Others have little or no reaction, and in some people the reaction is delayed. 

Getting rid of bed bugs is not an easy process.  The pest control company can help you determine if the mattress can be disinfected or must be discarded. Since beds cannot readily be treated with insecticides, it's often necessary to discard infested mattresses and beds.

 

More Bedbug Information: 

EPA Bed Bug Web Site: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/bedbugs/ 

 EPA Region 5 (Chicago) Bed Bug Resources: http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/ptb/pest/r5bedbugs.html 

 EPA Top Ten Bed Bug Tips: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/factsheets/bed-bugs-faq-fs.html 

 EPA Funded National Pesticide Information Center on Bed Bugs: http://npic.orst.edu/pest/bedbug.html 

 EPA Bed Bug Pesticide Product Search Tool: http://cfpub.epa.gov/oppref/bedbug/ 

 CDC/EPA Joint Statement on Bed Bug Control: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/Publications/Bed_Bugs_CDC-EPA_Statement.htm 

 EPA Consumer Alert about Careful Selection Bed Bug Pesticides: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/eeffe922a687433c85257359003f5340/8eb47640cbe9ceb78525777b0059388a!OpenDocument 

Selecting a Pest Control Company: http://npic.orst.edu/pest/selectpco.html 

Ask EPA a Question, or Search Common Pesticide Questions: http://pesticides.supportportal.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=23008