3. History
•In Ancient Greece (Before Christ) used as medicine1
•Early 1900s, 1/3 residences in some European cities
were infested2
1,2
Potter, M.F. The History of Bed Bug Management: With lessons from the past, American Entomologist, Spring 2011, available at
http://entsoc.org/PDF/2011/AE-Potter-spring2011.pdf, accessed April 7, 2014
4. Resurgence Today
• DDT banned in United States in 19723
• Greater global travel4
• Increased resistance of bed bugs to pesticides5
3
Potter, M.F. The History of Bed Bug Management: With lessons from the past, American Entomologist, Spring 2011, available at
http://entsoc.org/PDF/2011/AE-Potter-spring2011.pdf, accessed April 7, 2014
4,5
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Joint Statement on Bed Bug Control in the U.S. from the CDC and EPA, May 8, 2013,
available at http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/publications/bed_bugs_cdc-epa_statement.htm, accessed April 7, 2014
5. Resurgence Today
95 percent of U.S. pest control
companies report that they have
encountered a bed bug infestation
in the past year compared to 25
percent prior to 20006
6
National Pest Management Association, July 26, 2010, The NPMA Releases First-Ever Comprehensive Global Bed Bug Study to Determine
Extent of Resurgence, available at http://www.pestworld.org/news-and-views/press-releases/press-releases/the-npma-releases-first-ever-
comprehensive-global-bed-bug-study-to-determine-extent-of-resurgence.aspx accessed April 10, 2014
6. Bed Bug Science
• Feed on the blood of birds or mammals
• Active at night, usually just before dawn – Hide during day
• Reddish-brown, oval shaped, flattened and 1/4 inch long
• No documented cases of disease transmission from bites
• Migrate in a myriad of ways
• 1 pregnant female can lay up to 4 eggs per day
Source: Penn State University, (2014), available at http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/bedbugs; Anchorage Daily News, March
18, 2014 available at http://www.adn.com/2014/03/18/3381335/bed-bugs-calling-alaska-home-at.html, accessed April 7,, 2014
…So, what are we dealing with?
7. Bed Bug Science
Source: Presentation by Vincent Valiente, Environmental Health Specialist, Department of Health and Human Services, Nevada Division of Public
and Behavioral Health, available at http://health.nv.gov/HCQC/BED_BUGS_PowerPoint.pdf, accessed April 8, 2014
8. Bed Bug Science
…Tell-tale signs of bed bugs
Check between mattress seams Red, itchy skin bites, usually in rows
Source: WebMD, Bedbugs Slideshow: An informative look at bedbugs, October 31, 2011, available at http://www.webmd.com/skin-
problems-and-treatments/ss/slideshow-bedbugs#, accessed April 8, 2014
9. Bed Bug Science
• A bed bug feeding on a human can increase its weight 5 times7
7
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Insects in the City, available at http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/biting-stinging/bed-bugs/ accessed
April 7, 2014.
10. Headlines
What is not talked about makes control difficult
A) Social stigma
B) Public health departments are on the sidelines
C) Divergence of research on effective control
D) Lack of public awareness of what to do caused by B & C
11. Headlines
“Honolulu Ambulances
Have a Growing
Bedbug Problem”8
8
ABC News.com April 5, 2014, available at http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/04/honolulu-ambulances-have-a-growing-bedbug-
problem/ accessed April 7, 2014
9
Huffington Post Money, June 3, 2013, available at
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/03/maryland-bedbug-lawsuit-faika-shaaban_n_3378001.html accessed April 7, 2014
“Maryland (Woman) Awarded
$800,000 In Suit Against
Landlord”9
…but the media can help reduce stigma
12. Headlines
Source: The Dr. Oz Show, September 14, 2010 available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlnFz3STqHE accessed April 7, 2014
…and increase public awareness
14. .
• DO look for welts, itching and inflammation from a bite
• DON’T assume problem is not serious if you aren’t allergic
and bites are not visible
Prevention & Control
15. .
Prevention & Control
• DO inspect new furniture before you bring it into your home
• DON’T take secondhand articles or furniture off the street
into your home
16. .
• DO assume everything around the bed is infested
• DON’T remove anything from the infested room before
inspection/ treatment
Prevention & Control
17. .
• DO assume that getting rid of bed bugs will require effort
• DON’T assume that only discarding beds and bedding is a
sound approach to getting rid of bed bugs
Prevention & Control
18. .
• DO call a professional
• DON’T attempt do-it-yourself bed bug control
Prevention & Control
19. .
• 35 years in operation, fully licensed and insured
• Community-based, but regional footprint – NJ, PA & DE
• Marketing to increase public awareness and reduce stigma
• Community engagement, e.g., Bed Bug Co-op Program
• Research, e.g., Integrated Pest Management Principles10
10
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Integrated Pest management Principles, Fact Sheet May 9, 2012, available at
http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/ipm.htm, accessed April 7, 2014.
About Us
21. Contact Us
Natural Pest Control Company
622 Cooper Street
Camden, New Jersey 08102
Phone: 215-276-2962 or 856-338-1229
Fax: 856-338-1484
Website: www.naturalpest.com
Twitter: @Natural_Pest
