Best Practices for Controlling Bed Bug Infestations

Dr. Bob Davis, BCE
Technical Services Representative - BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions

If your residential and commercial accounts are experiencing problems with bed bugs, it’s important to quickly reduce the population, especially in accounts where there are active clusters. Vacuuming is certainly a good way to reduce those numbers. Other tips to collect and remove bed bugs include:

1. Use a crack & crevice cleaning tool (C&C) and set the suction to high (if adjustable).
2. Concentrate efforts on infested areas, cracks & crevices, seams and folds. Bed bugs can cling to fabrics. The C&C tool and high suction can help capture them.
3. Place tape over the nozzle when moving vacuum to different areas of the structure during service. This helps to not accidentally spread bed bugs within the account.
4. It is critically important to remove the bag from the vacuum after use as many bed bugs survive the vacuuming process. Remove and seal the bag with tape, then place the vacuum bag in a separate plastic bag, seal the outer bag and dispose in the trash.
5. If you use a bagless vacuum, wash it out thoroughly with hot soapy water, then rinse after each use. If there is a filter, clean or replace it. If you or your customer experience allergies to insects, dust, etc., a vacuum with a HEPA filter is an excellent choice. 

Dr. Bob Davis, BCE, is a technical services representative for BASF Professional & Specialty Solutions. His career has included various positions, including fisheries biologist, serving as the technical director for ABC Pest & Lawn Services of Austin, TX, and as a technical field representative for Aventis and Bayer Environmental Sciences. Bob is a board-certified entomologist and is active in the Entomological Society of America. He has authored multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals and has provided educational materials, presentations and articles through extension and professional magazine venues.