Hairy Bed Bugs
Billy The Exterminator Steaming Bed Bugs In Florida
Hairy Bed Bugs
Since my own hairy encounter with a bed bug infested hotel room in West Hollywood some years ago, Ive been researching and writing about the little bloodsuckers.
And yes, I’ve experienced a few bouts of passing paranoia over my close call where I literally escaped with my blood intact.
Unfortunately, bed bugs are an increasing problem which some bed bug experts label as epidemic. Even A&E’s Billy The Exterminator had an episode dedicated to battling a major bed bug infestation in Florida.
It was very informative, but still creepy. Billy used scalding hot steamers to kill the bugs, but it was noted that it is an ongoing process that is not cleared with one treatment.
As the bed bug population has exploded, a lot of misinformation has followed. Luckily the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been busy putting together helpful facts about Integrated Pest Management (IPM), Non-Chemical Treatments and even Pesticide Treatment Alerts.
Bed Bugs Attacking Hair And Scalp
Recently I received two different emails from people who were bitten on their scalps, along their hairline and throughout their hair and roots. This seemed surprising since NBC Dateline consulted with Dini M. Miller, Ph.D., an associate professor in Urban Pest Management at Virginia Tech’s Department of Entomology to answer some of the questions viewers e-mailed Dateline about bedbugs.
Dr. Miller pointed out that while bed bugs can get into hair, they really don’t navigate as easily on areas of densely popular strands. Why? Unlike fleas and lice that have bodies or claws that are specifically designed for navigating through hair, the common bed bug does not have these modifications.
Bed bugs need to set their front claws in a particular position so that they can insert their mouth parts into the skin just so, in order to be in the proper feeding position. Hair can make this difficult for them. Or so it was thought.
However, while bed bugs prefer to feed on hairless bare skin, if they’re hungry enough or the swarm is large enough, they will in fact bite the scalp, the hairline and throughout the strands. While many people report bites on their face or some other less hairy areas, they have been reporting biting in the hair.
If you’re bald or suffer from thinning hair it’s even more likely they will bite your scalp, face, hairline and near the line of any hairy sites on your body.
Ultimately, no body part is really safe if you insert your body into a bed bug infested bed, couch, room or house. Hair or not hair, they will not be stopped once they have you in their detection zones.
Products To Protect Hair And Scalp From Bed Bug Bites
Unfortunately there is no shampoo, conditioner or other treatments known to protect hair, scalp or related areas like the hairline or face from bites. At this time we are not very good at curing bed bug problems.
There is no pesticide or application method that works 100 percent of the time. Even fumigation which can cost up to $20,000 in some cases can not completely eradicate bed bugs at one time, which is why it is best to find them and prevent them from coming to your home or abode.
What The EPA Says
The EPA strongly suggests use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management which relies on a combination of common-sense practices including taking precautions against getting bitten by proper bug infestation identification and management.
The EPA is concerned that any use of pesticides used to manage the pests do the least possible damage to people, property, animals and the environment.
Non-Chemical Treatments and even Pesticide Treatment Alerts.
Bed Bug Pesticide Alert
Many people are concerned about the growing bed bug problems and question whether new pesticides will be made available to the public to fight the battle.
There is news of companies currently developing new bed bug pesticides.
Why? Dr. Miller pointed out that all pesticides, including those for managing bed bugs labeled for use in the United States must be registered by the EPA. To get an EPA registration, the pesticide product has to be thoroughly tested for acute and chronic effects on mammals (laboratory rats and dogs), the potential effects on birds, fish, and honeybees has to be documented, and the environmental fate (half-life) of these products in water or soil also must be quantified.
The cost of having a product registered is now estimated to be around $100 million. This cost automatically limits the number of products which ever make it to the marketplace. Also, there has been a 10 to 15 year trend in reducing the number of pesticide products which receive registration for use in the indoor environment.
Bottom line, it’s very difficult to get new pesticides registered which are specifically labeled for indoor use which is different from agricultural use.
Like the EPA, many people have concerns about applying chemicals where children or pets sleep or play. But, if bed bugs should become as big a problem as they were at the beginning of the 20th century, the public may demand that the federal government accelerate the registration of pesticide products which are effective against bed bugs.
Meanwhile, the EPA has their own warnings about using pesticides indoors to combat bedbugs. The EPA pesticide warning are listed below:
- Never use a pesticide indoors that is intended for outdoor use. It is very dangerous and won’t solve your bed bug problem.
- Using the wrong pesticide or using it incorrectly to treat for bed bugs can make you sick, may not solve the problem, and could even make it worse by causing the bed bugs to hide where the pesticide won’t reach them.
- Check if the product is effective against bedbugs — if a pest isn’t listed on the product label, the pesticide has not been tested on that pest and it may not be effective. Don’t use a product or allow a pest control operator to treat your home unless bed bugs are named on the product label.
- Before using any pesticide product, READ THE LABEL FIRST, then follow the directions for use.
- Keep in mind that any pesticide product without an EPA registration number has not been reviewed by EPA, so we haven’t determined how well the product works.
For more information about bed bugs or EPA guidelines for management, control and elimination visit http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/bedbugs/.
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