Bed Bugs are small, secretive, normally nocturnal insects that feed on blood. They spend
most of their time hidden in tiny cracks and spaces close to where their host rests, and
usually only venture out to feed when it is dark and quiet. Their small size, secretive
behavior, and preferred harborage make them the perfect hitchhiker, and one of the
easiest pest insects to inadvertently transport between locations on personal belongings
and furniture.
Initial infestations of Bed Bugs usually consist of just a few insects, sometimes only one female or even a few eggs, and
at this stage the problem is rarely detected. However, most modern buildings provide everything needed for Bed Bugs
to thrive. They contain numerous safe places to hide with no natural predators, ample food provided by the human
hosts, and controlled temperatures close to optimal for their development. Under these conditions a small Bed Bug
population can rapidly grow to a signicant size.
Given everything they need, Bed Bugs are prolic. Females start to produce eggs only 3 days after mating, lay between
3 and 5 eggs each day, and each female may scatter up to 500 eggs in the local environment during her life. The eggs
hatch in about a week, and the young Bed Bug that emerges will pass through ve developmental stages in one to
two months, each requiring at least one blood meal. The male and female adults also feed on blood, and the females
require at least one blood meal in order to produce eggs. Under these conditions, just a few Bed Bugs can develop into
a population of several thousand over a period of 6 months.
The available resources will become limited as the Bed Bug population grows. Even though Bed Bugs may take
between 5 and 8 times their body weight in blood at each feed, the rst resource to become stressed is usually the
availability of suitable hiding places near to the host. This causes the population to spread through the structure, and
even migrate to connected or adjacent buildings. If the Bed Bug population grows large enough they may even be
found living outside cracks in plain view, and have been found to feed on household pets and even chickens if their food
supply becomes limited.
The BB ALERT® Bed Bug monitors are scientically designed to exploit the Bed Bug’s natural behavior.
The BB ALERT® ACTIVE Bed Bug monitor and detector simulates clues that Bed Bugs use to nd their host, and will
attract both adult and immature Bed Bugs in search of the blood meals they require. The BB ALERT® PASSIVE monitor
(also available from Midmos Solutions) provides the ideal secure harborage Bed Bugs prefer, and is very attractive to
Bed Bugs when placed close to the potential host’s resting site. When used as part of a Bed Bug monitoring program,
the BB ALERT® products can provide early evidence of Bed Bug activity while the population is still small
and contained, a factor critical to minimizing the extent, disruption, and cost of remedial treatment.
Bed BUgs 1
MidMos is a subsidiary of Brandenburg UK Ltd
BB ALERT®
is a registered trade mark of MidMos Solutions Ltd. BB ALERT® Active and BB ALERT® Passive are subject to various patents
