Issue: # 19 JAN/2009
Happy New Year! Welcome to another issue of Arizona Pest Control Co.’s informational newsletter. We hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Bed bugs are pesky critters and in this issue we explain how to prevent, and identify if you have bed bugs. Enjoy!
BED BUG IDENTIFICATION
Adult bed bugs are straw-colored to reddish-brown, oval-bodied, wingless insects. Their bodies are clearly segmented, and covered with short, golden hairs. Before feeding, they are 1/4-3/8″ long (about the size of a pencil eraser) and nearly as flat as a piece of paper, which is why they can fit into such narrow crevices. Their appearance changes dramatically after they’ve fed; they become rounded and dark red. Their eggs are white, slightly pear-shaped and about 1/32″ long, about the size of a pinhead, with a ‘lid” at one end through which the young will emerge. The eggs are laid in crevices, in clusters of 10-50. Newly hatched bed bugs are nearly colorless but otherwise resemble the adults, only smaller. Bed bugs are gregarious, so you may find adults, young, and eggs in the same location. Inside buildings, bed bugs can breed all year. They typically have up to three generations per year. Their average lifespan is ten months to a little over one year, and in that time, a female may lay from 200-400 eggs, depending on the temperature and the amount of food available.
MANAGING BED BUGS
Managing bed bugs using IPM (Integrated Pest Management)
Inspect and monitor for bed bugs constantly, they arrive with people and their belongings. Inspect clothing and other cloth based material.
Vacuuming is an effective way to remove bed bugs and the dirt that provides them with shelter.
Bed bugs are sensitive to extreme temperatures in all of their life-stages. So toss all bedding and infested clothing in a hot (140°F) dryer for 20 minutes. Steam cleaning is effective. However, when possible, dispose of all bedding, beds, drapes, pillows, anything fabric. Bed bug eggs have been found to survive cloths dryers.
Eliminate shelter by sealing cracks and crevices with a silicone based sealant. Seal around utility conduits.
Remove clutter.
Contact Arizona Pest Control company, who is a expert in bed bug elimination.
Pyrethrin-based sprays can be used to flush them out of crevices.
Do not give up, it will take a concerted effort and collaboration with your pest management specialist.
Pest Management Professionals will use a combination of pesticidal crack and crevice treatments, silica gel dusts, steam or dry heat treatments, to best eliminate bed bugs in a safe and effective manner.
http://ag.arizona.edu/ENTO/
Sincerely,
Bruce Tennenbaum
Arizona Pest Control Co. Serving Tucson, Sierra Vista, Vail, Marana, Casa Grande, Cochise County, Green Valley/Sahuarita, Bisbee, Tubac, Patagonia, and Oro Valley since 1947!
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