Special thanks to ONPHA for allowing CHFT to modify and publish their bed bug information.

Bed Bugs: Treatment techniques, strategies, and specifications

Once a bed bug infestation has been identified, it is important to act quickly to prepare and treat the unit. But what does preparing and treating the unit mean? Should adjacent units be sprayed as well?  What preparation is required prior to spraying? What type of treatment is most effective for bed bugs and their eggs? This section will answer some of these key questions.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) model is recommended to address all types of pests, including bed bugs. The IPM model is a pest management model that focuses on making informed, strategic, and proactive decisions to eliminate or control the pest in a building or complex.  The IPM model focuses on gathering information and making thoughtful, well considered decisions that ultimately provide more cost-effective and higher quality pest management than treating a single unit at a time.

Notifying neighbours

One of the key steps in the implementation of an IPM model is information gathering. This work is particularly important in order to identify the nature and extent of an infestation and will allow staff to make better decisions about the type of treatment to use.

Once an infestation has been identified in a unit, it is important to determine whether or not there is infestation in adjacent units as well. If infestation is identified in adjacent units, the unit(s) neighbouring those units should be notified as well. Proceeding in this manner will help staff to identify the size and severity of the infestation and to remedy it at once; reducing the likelihood that treated units will be re-infested with bed bugs from untreated neighbouring units.  This approach also allows staff to use insecticides and other chemical treatments more sparingly and cost-effectively than annual, building-wide sprayings or spraying individual units as the need is identified. This type of proactive approach will not only reduce infestations and pest management costs over the long-term, it will also demonstrate a co-op's on-going responsiveness to a challenging issue.

Preparing the unit

Unit preparation is the single most important factor in the successful treatment of a bed bug infestation. A properly prepared unit will allow the contractor to access, and treat, all parts of the unit, minimizing the need for repeat spraying. But how does someone properly prepare a unit? 

"Preparing a unit" generally means that the household should:

• Wash and dry all clothes, linens, and bedding. Items should be washed in hot water and dried for approximately 60 - 70 minutes at highest setting to ensure that the heat has killed any bed bugs or eggs that may be present. If items are already clean or are not washable, placing them directly into the dryer for 60 - 70 minutes at highest setting will kill any bed bugs or eggs present.  Once the items have been cleaned, they should be sealed in air tight plastic bags until the entire treatment process (including follow-up treatments) has been completed.

• Double bag when taking clothing to the laundry room and discard bags immediately outside the building.  Use fresh bags to take clothing back into units and seal tightly at the top.

• Vacuum and / or mop all flooring in the unit including crevices along the baseboards. Clean wet areas of the unit such as the kitchen and bathroom(s).

• Vacuum mattresses and all furnishings (including upholstered furniture, such as sofas and chairs, and things such as dressers, cabinets, and bed frames). Make sure that the vacuum bag is disposed of in a tightly sealed bag once the preparation is completed.

• Arrange and organize possessions, removing clutter and garbage that could inhibit treatment and / or provide bedbugs with somewhere to hide.

• Move all furniture a minimum of 6 inches (15 cm) from the wall to make it easier for the pest control operator to spray baseboards and electrical outlets.

Members should be reminded not to dispose of furniture or possessions without first sealing them in plastic. Removing unsealed furniture, mattresses, or possession may spread the infestation to the common areas or to other units!  Special storage/disposal plastic and bags are available for this through CHFT's Co-op Cost Cutters program.  For more information about Co-op Cost Cutters can help, contact Miriam Wohl  at 416 465-8688 extension 212, or miriam@coophousing.com .

The pest control operator may have additional requirements for unit preparation that they will outline in an information sheet. The bed bug life cycle typically means that follow-up sprayings are necessary approximately three to five weeks after the initial spraying.  Clothing and bedding that is used during this period should be washed and dried regularly and the unit should be cleaned, and furniture moved, prior to each follow-up treatment.

For staff, it is important to follow-up with members prior to the first spraying to ensure that unit preparation is taking place. Doing so will also allow staff to identify members who may need assistance to prepare their unit. Depending on the community, there may be programs or resources that will help a member to prepare a unit for treatment. Take the time to look for community-based programs so that staff can connect members in need as quickly as possible.

In other cases a member may have community, family, or peer supports that can assist them to prepare their unit. In other cases, however, the only people in place to assist the member may be staff. While assisting a member to prepare their unit may place additional demands on already busy staff, inconvenience in the short term can go a long way to eliminating the infestation (and need for repeat treatments) and to improving the members' quality of life.   CHFT is also working on a bed bug package that will include services to assist members in the preparation of units.
 
Types of treatment

There area numerous types of treatment available to co-ops to control and eliminate ed bugs.  Ultimately, the types of treatments available to staff will depend on the communities in which staff are operating.  But knowing the basics about all of them will help staff to better understand which option is best for their co-op.

Chemical treatment

Chemical or "conventional" treatments involve the application of insecticides for the purpose of eliminating bed bugs. There are two broad types of chemical treatment, residual insecticides and non-residual (or "on contact") insecticides.

Residual insecticides are used in areas of the unit where there will be minimal contact with members and pets, such as behind baseboards or inside a wall. As the name implies, residual insecticides will remain on the surface for a longer period of time and will kill insects that cross over the surface. Residual insecticides will lose their potency over time and may be reapplied depending on future infestations.

Non-residual or "on-contact" insecticides are used in areas where there will be a high level of contact between the treated surfaces and the household. These insecticides are designed to kill bed bugs and eggs upon contact and will dissipate after a short period of time.

Some pest control operators may combine the use of insecticides with the use of other treatments, such as steam.  In either case, members must not return to the unit for approximately six hours after the treatment has been completed.  Members are also advised to open their windows prior to treatment to allow air to circulate within the unit.

Temperature treatment (Extreme heat or cold, including steam)

Treatments using different temperature extremes can be used independently or in conjunction with chemical treatment. They are popular because, unlike chemical treatments, they may not require the members to be out of the unit for any length of time after the treatment and because they are perceived as more environmentally friendly. Reports also suggest that, unlike other forms of treatment, steam will kill bed bugs in all stages of the life cycle, reducing the need for follow-up treatments. Steam is commonly used on soft furnishing such as mattresses, sofas, and chairs.

There are differing views on the effectiveness of using temperature-based treatments in isolation. There is agreement, however, that for this type of treatment to work effectively, the heat or cold must be applied instantly and not simply allowed to build up. Slowly raising or lowering the temperature may give the infestation the opportunity to migrate to neighboring units or to acclimatize or to go into hibernation. Ideally, any objects which are being treated using temperature-based treatments should be wrapped and sealed prior to treatment in order to prevent bed bugs from escaping.

Diatomaceous earth

Diatomaceous earth is a naturally occurring sedimentary rock consisting of fossilized diatoms, a type of algae. The rock is quite soft and can be easily crumbled into a white powder, which has been used as an insecticide.  It is commonly applied behind base boards, electrical outlets and other places where it will not be disturbed because it can pose an inhalation hazard. Diatomaceous earth functions by absorbing fats from the exterior of insects that crawl over it, resulting in dehydration. It is not recommended for severe infestations nor is it recommended for use with other insecticides.

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