Imagine... being asleep in a soft, warm bed. In the middle of the night, you're awoken by an itching sensation...like something is crawling on you. You get up turn on the lights and there they are, Bed Bugs, your dreaming just became a reality!

"Good Night, Sleep Tight,
Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite . . . "

This doesn't just happen in underdeveloped nations. This is a reality for an increasing number of Americans. If you have ever experienced bed bugs, you may be embarrassed and frustrated, but it's not your fault. Bed bugs can appear in anyone's home - even the White House.

Once thought to be eradicated from North America, the legendary little pests known as bed bugs have been making an unwelcome comeback in hotels and homes. Lest you think bed bugs are relegated to fleabag motels, they have been spotted in the posher locales as well.

What are bed bugs?

Bed bug is the common name for Cimex lectularius, a reddish-brown, oval-shaped insect that can grow to a quarter of an inch long. Bed bugs are wingless and survive by sucking blood from a host animal, preferably a human.

Bed bugs are small, brownish, flattened insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is the species most adapted to living with humans. It has done so since ancient times. Bed bugs are mentioned in medieval European texts and in classical Greek writings back to the time of Aristotle. Other bed bug species prefer to feed on wild hosts, especially bats and birds.

Adult bed bugs are about 3/16-inch long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or cockroaches. The immatures (nymphs) resemble the adults, but are smaller and lighter in color. Bed bugs do not fly, but can move rapidly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas, depositing 1, 2 or more eggs per day and hundreds during a lifetime. The eggs are tiny, whitish, and hard to see on most surfaces without magnification (individual eggs are about the size of a dust speck). When first laid, the eggs are sticky, causing them to adhere to surfaces. Newly hatched nymphs are straw-colored and no bigger than a pinhead. As they grow, they molt (shed their skin) five times before reaching maturity. A blood meal is needed between each successive molt. Under favorable conditions (70-80°F), the bugs can complete development in as little as a month, producing three or more generations per year. Cooler temperatures or limited access to blood extends the development time. Bed bugs are resilient. Nymphs can survive months without feeding and the adults for more than a year. Infestations therefore are unlikely to diminish by leaving premises unoccupied. Although C. lectularius prefers feeding on humans, it will also bite other warm-blooded animals, including dogs, cats, birds and rodents.

Bed bugs are active mainly at night. During the daytime, they prefer to hide close to where people sleep. Their Dark spots of bed bug 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. Characteristically, these areas are marked by dark spotting and staining, which is the dried excrement of the bugs. Also present will be eggs and eggshells, the brownish molted skins of maturing nymphs and the bugs themselves. Another telltale though less frequent sign is rusty or reddish blood smears on bed sheets or mattresses from crushing an engorged bed bug. Heavy infestations may have a "buggy" smell, but the odor is seldom apparent and should not be relied upon for detection.

Bed bugs prefer to hide close to where they feed. However, if necessary, they will crawl several feet to obtain a blood meal. Initial infestations tend to be around beds, but the bugs eventually may become scattered throughout the bedroom, occupying any crevice or protected location. They also may spread to adjacent rooms or apartments.

Why are they called bed bugs?

Bed bugs commonly hide in mattresses, carpets, behind peeling paint or wallpaper, and in crevices in wooden furniture (like a bed's headboard or the picture frame above it). The bugs are nocturnal and typically bite people while they sleep, usually just before dawn

Why are bed bugs reappearing?

Bed bugs were all but eradicated with broad-spectrum pesticides such as DDT, which killed a wide variety of bug types. Concerns about health and the environment led to many of these broad-spectrum pesticides being removed from the market. Today, pest control methods are more focused, designed to kill a particular species (like cockroaches). Bed bugs, since they are not specifically being treated for, are slipping through the cracks.

Where did bed bugs come from?

Bed bugs travel surprisingly well, and are quite comfortable stowing away in luggage and even clothing. The bugs are increasingly found in urban hotels in America. Since they tend to stow away and travel with humans, any place that sees a number of world travelers is susceptible. Pilots, wealthy people, and business travelers can bring bed bugs along unwittingly.

Statistics are hard to come by, in part because bedbugs — which score high on the "ick" scale even though there's no evidence they transmit disease and they aren't related to a lack of cleanliness — are "a problem nobody wants to talk about," Potter says. Joe McInerney of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, a co-sponsor of the bedbug symposium, says "most hotel chains don't keep track because the number is so insignificant," and he adds that with 4.4 million hotel rooms in the USA and a 2006 projected occupancy rate of 64.4%, "you could count the number of cases per day on one or two hands."

But in a survey in December 2004 by Pest Control Technology magazine, respondents said hotels and motels were the most common location for bedbug invasions, accounting for 37% of calls. In a recent survey of 700 client hotels, the pest-control company Steritech found that 24.4% required treatment for bedbugs from November 2002 to April 2006, though only .6% of 76,000 rooms were infested. Overall, the National Pest Management Association says bedbug reports increased 71% from 2000 to 2005, with member companies that had received one or two calls a year now logging 10 to 50 a week.

REVOLUTIONARY BREAKTHROUGH IN BED BUG TEST
Testing conducted by Rutgers University

Monday August 17 2009 @ 01:16 PM
The Southwestern Cedar Oil Cedar Oil Blend product is advertised as a safe, effective insecticide for controlling a variety of public health pests including Bed Bugs. Bed Bug Central and Rutgers University have partnered to put a variety of Bed Bug products to the test. Cedar oil Blend is the first in the series. Cedar Oil Blend was chosen due to the claims being made by the manufacture, to the public for use in controlling bed bugs.

Bed Bug Central funded Rutgers University's, Dr. Changlu Wang to conduct research that examined the effectiveness of Cedar Oil Blend. The research examined the effectiveness of the cedar oil product on both bugs and eggs that were treated directly with the product as well as the residual effectiveness of the product once dry. This is a brief summary of the research findings.

The product tested was our cedar oil and hydrated Silica formulation, specifically our Cedar Oil Blend products. This product is a category 25b EPA exempt product that contains 10% cedar oil and 90% hydrated silica. The bed bugs used in this research were from a field collected strain.

Direct Spray on Bed Bugs and Eggs.

The direct spray of our this product caused immediate immobilization of the bed bug nymphs, followed by 100% mortality within 1 minute of the topical application. In addition to being 100% effective on bugs directly treated with the product, it also proved to be effective against eggs that were directly treated. None of the 61 treated eggs hatched after 17 days compared to 75% egg hatch in a non-treated control group

The Results showed that our cedar oil product is highly effective against bed bugs including eggs when applied directly.

Additional Notes of Interest

"We were quite surprised with the findings of this study, particularly when it came to the eggs. This prompted some additional investigation into the effectiveness of the two constituent materials, cedar oil (10%) and hydrated silica (90%). No mortality was observed when either generic cedar oil or hydrated silica were directly applied to bed bugs. This clearly raises some interesting questions regarding the effectiveness of the "Cedar Oil Blend" cedar oil product. The fact that the each of the constituent ingredients are ineffective when tested alone suggests that there is something unique about the type of cedar oil or hydrated silica used by the manufacturer or that there is something about the formulation process that gives the product it's insecticidal activity.

Rick Cooper noted that Bedlam (a bedbug insecticide) is one of the only products to have ovicidal effects for pests. The Cedar Oil Blend did show promising signs that it too, has this effectiveness on bed bugs. More research is needed to confirm this, but ultimately we found this very surprising and unexpected."

More Information on the SWCO Cedar Oil Blend Products

SPRAY APPLICATION
Cedar Oil Blend can be applied to all areas requiring a direct or indirect treatment by using any conventional trigger forced air or compression sprayer utilized for the application of solutions in a mist or liquid stream. Cedar Oil Blend will not stain. It can be used on all types' fabric, leather, wood, tile and cellulose materials. DO NOT APPLY TO PLANT LIFE. This product can be used on Human, Canine, Feline, Equine, Bovine and Poultry of all species. Safe to use on carpet, bedding, in cupboards and pantry areas or around food stuffs of any type. DO NOT DILUTE this product with any aqueous or hydrocarbon solvent.

NOTE
Cedar Oil Blend can also be used on fleas, ticks, mites, other ectoparasites, moths, mosquitoes, gnats, flies and other flying insects. Cold non-thermal fogger is the preferred delivery method. Cedar Oil Blend is ready to use. Do not dilute. Cedar Oil Blend is of commercial quality and maybe used in other environments. Ask your authorized representative for other application ideas and methods. Cedar Oil Blend is not a fertilizer or a pesticide.

Keep out of reach of children. Store in cool, dry area, away from direct sunlight.

INACTIVE INGREDIENT: HYDRATED SILICA 90%
ACTIVE INGREDIENT: CEDAR OIL 10%
EPA Registration: This product is exempt from EPA registration under 25b regulations. Southwestern Cedar Oil offers global distribution of natural bed bug control spray, non toxic bed bug treatment, natural bed bug removal solution and organic bed bug control products.