Bed Bugs
Bed bugs, Cimex lectularius, are a fast-growing pest of public health importance in the United States. In multi-family housing units, bed bugs spread by moving from one apartment to another, by bed bug-infested furniture being brought into the building, by travel, resident turnover, and by visits from friends and family of residents.
Research has found that 53% of apartments that were adjacent to infested apartments were also infested. In addition, 50% of the interviewed residents who had infestations were unaware of the bed bug problem in their own apartments.[1] Clearly, there is an urgent need for public education, catching the problem early, and adoption of more effective bed bug monitoring and intervention programs to curb the exploding problem of bed bug infestations.
The health department responds to bed bug complaints from residents at rental properties and multi-unit housing situations such as apartments, boarding homes, hotels, nursing homes, etc. If you suspect a bed bug infestation, save the insect in a vial or sealable bag so that it can be positively identified.
The department will not pursue complaints from residents who live in their own single-family home, but we will provide education on how to get rid of the problem and identify insects if needed. You can submit a complaint by calling the Housing and Community Environment Program at 412-350-4046 or by filling out our online complaint form.
If you are a landlord, further information on the role you play in the complaint process can be found in ACHD's guide: Controlling Bed Bugs in Multi-Family Housing: A Guide for Landlords(PDF, 160KB).
Practical "Do It Yourself" Steps for Dealing with Bed Bugs
It takes a lot of time and persistent effort to get rid of bed bugs. They can hide inside of anything and may survive without feeding for one year. Do not assume that they are gone until eight weeks have passed since the last bite. The following steps are practical suggestions compiled from published research on dealing with bed bugs. These do-it-yourself steps should be paired with a comprehensive bed bug control program that includes residents, landlord, and a commercial pest control contractor.
As 70% of bed bugs are in the bed or where you sleep, start work there. Take the bed completely apart. Clean and vacuum all folds of the mattress and box spring with a stiff furniture brush and crack and crevice tool. Treat the bed with a pesticide labeled for bed bugs (always follow the label). After cleaning and treatment, cover the mattress and box spring with bed bug proof encasements sold at retail stores and online.
Move the bed away from the wall, other bedroom furniture, and household items where the remaining 30% of bed bugs are hiding. Make sure that nothing on the bed is touching the floor (e.g. blankets, bed skirts, etc.) besides the legs of the frame. Install sticky traps or insect interceptor traps under each leg of the bed.[2] The traps will collect bed bugs for identification and keep them from climbing back on the bed. Traps will also help you judge how well the control effort is working.
Clean and treat the remaining furniture by the bed and in other rooms where people rest and sleep. Female bed bugs glue their eggs in hidden areas, making it difficult to remove 100% of them with a vacuum cleaner. Move and scrape the crevice tool along seams, folds and along the edge of wall-to-wall carpet. Heavily upholstered furniture that has a lot of folds, ruffles, buttons, etc. can provide many hiding places for bedbugs. This type of furniture may need to be discarded. Remove clutter to eliminate bed bug hiding spots and follow all sanitary recommendations made by your landlord and the commercial pest control company.
Pesticide products labeled for bed bugs will kill bugs on contact, but their residual effect is limited, meaning that the chemicals don’t stick around for long on the surface they are applied to. Rubbing alcohol will kill bugs on contact, but it is flammable, dangerous and has no residual effect. Essential plant oil pesticides with clove, peppermint, cedar, and geraniol have proven almost as effective as commercial grade pesticides.[3] They work slower but kill all stages, including eggs, and provide residual effect on cotton for several days. To date, they are only sold by retail outlets on the internet.[4]
Bed bugs survive cold temperatures well, but do succumb to heat. For items that can be laundered, use water at least 160°F to be effective on all life stages and tumble dry on hot cycle (120°F) for at least 30 minutes. Un-washable items may be treated with a heat gun, hair dryer, or commercial grade steam cleaner. Dry cleaning chemicals also kill bed bugs.
Mattresses, box springs, luggage and small furniture may be treated with a Mattress & Luggage Treatment Kit available online and in hardware stores. The kit contains a pesticide strip and a large sealable plastic bag.[5] Items sealed inside the plastic bag are exposed for 7 days to a controlled-release vapor of an organophosphate pesticide called Vapona (also known as Dichlorvos or DDVP). It kills all stages of bed bugs. Be sure to wear gloves when using pesticide and always follow the directions for use on the label.
For people who must remain in an infested home until a more comprehensive control effort is conducted, a portable cot with bed bug traps set under each leg will help to prevent bites. A mosquito bed net or a small, finely screened tent set on top of a cleaned and treated bed (with traps under each leg) may also alleviate bites. According to a 2013 study, DEET, the most commonly used insect repellent applied to the skin, provided a high level of repellency against bed bugs.[6] The label on repellents should always be read thoroughly before use.
If you have any questions about this information please call the Housing and Community Environment Program at 412-350-4046.
These recommendations are provided only as a guide for managing bed bugs until a more comprehensive program is implemented by a professional pest control contractor. It is always the pesticide applicator's responsibility, by law, to read and follow all label directions for any pesticide being used. No endorsement is intended for products mentioned, nor is criticism meant for products not mentioned. The author and the Allegheny County Health Department assume no liability resulting from the use of these recommendations.
References
[1] Changlu Wang, Kurt Saltzmann, Eva Chin, Gary W. Bennett, and Timothy Gibb, “Characteristics of Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), Infestation and Dispersal in a High-Rise Apartment Building,” Journal of Economic Entomology 103 (Feb. 2010): 172-177.
[2] Bed Bug Traps: https://www.insect-interceptor.com
[3] Narinderpal Singh, Changlu Wang, and Richard Cooper, “Potential of Essential Oil-Based Pesticides and Detergents for Bed Bug Control,” Journal of Economic Entomology 107 (Dec. 2014): 2163-2170.
[4] Plant Oil Products: https://ecoraiderusa.com and https://www.naturasil.com/collections/kill-bed-bugs-with-all-natural-bed-bug-patrol-spray/products/naturasil-kill-bed-bugs-24-oz-spray
[5] Mattress & Luggage Treatment Kit: http://www.hotshot.com/products/bed-bug-control/bedbug-mattress-luggage-treatment-kit.aspx
[6] Changlu Wang, Lihua Lü, Aijun Zhang, and Chaofeng Liu, “Repellency of Selected Chemicals Against the Bed Bug,” Journal of Economic Entomology 106 (Dec. 2013): 2522.
Bed Bug Resources