What's biting me? Is it Bed Bugs?

What's biting me? Is it Bed Bugs?

Edited from Dr. Richard Cooper’s article – Bed Bugs: A New Day

Dr. Richard Cooper, a frequent speaker at industry trade shows and educational events, shares his recommendations for implementing a successful bed bug program. Dr. Cooper is a well-known pest control consultant with more than 35 years of industry experience. He is the owner and president of R. Cooper Consulting, an independent firm providing consulting services in urban entomology and pest management. Cooper also holds a research position in the Urban Pest Management Lab at Rutgers University, Department of Entomology.

This tiny pest has plagued humankind throughout recorded history, but the pest management industry has learned a great deal in recent years. Go beyond biology and behaviour in the following piece, which covers client preparation and cooperation, inspection tips and tricks, management versus elimination, and more.

The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius L., is about 4.8 mm long and 3.2 mm wide, broadly oval and flat. It is brown to reddish-brown in colour, with a three-segmented beak, four-segmented antennae, and vestigial wings. Prior to feeding, nymphs appear translucent or pale in colour. Bed bugs have very thin, vertically flattened bodies covered with short, golden-coloured hairs.

Bed bugs are nocturnal insects that feed exclusively on blood, which is required for their development and reproduction. Humans are their primary host, but bed bugs will also readily feed on birds and other animals (Usinger 1966).

PERFORMING AN INSPECTION

When dealing with active infestations, inspection and the implementation of control measures go hand in hand and are often done simultaneously rather than as separate activities. For a comprehensive review on inspections and monitoring, refer to Vaidyanathan and Feldlaufer (2013) and Cooper and Wang (2018a).

The most common type of inspection is a..............

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