In January 2006, we reported on the reemergence of bed bugs in the Northeast. Unfortunately, bed bug infestation problems in condominiums have not lessened at all during the ensuing period of time. Quite the contrary: property managers, hotel executives, and pest control operators are grappling with increasing numbers infestations in residential living areas.

Multi-Family Suits a Bed Bug Just Fine

To the bed bug, multi-unit condominium complexes share the same ideal conditions offered by hotels and motels, nursing homes, dormitories, and apartment buildings: large numbers of occupants living in close proximity to one another. And these days, bed bugs are on the move, literally. In areas where the real estate market is hot, resident turnover also increases, affording many opportunities for the insects to be transported into new locations. Another conduit can be the overnight guest who, unwittingly, imports an unexpected second visitor: the bed bug.

From the bed bug's point of view, what makes multi-unit condominium complexes and apartment buildings so attractive—and the insect's chances of survival in those structures so great—is the cluttered conditions that are so often found in overstuffed living quarters. Clutter and close living conditions provide almost limitless areas for bed bugs—just like their brethren, cockroaches—to hide, flourish, and evade extermination efforts.

Unlike apartment buildings, multi-unit condo complexes offer some unique challenges when it comes time to exterminate bed bugs. Because parts of each condo building are jointly owned and much of the interior space is individually owned, formulating a unified approach to pest management inside units, and in particular, securing resident cooperation, may be difficult. This creates problems for the complex as a whole.

Multi-Family Suits a Bed Bug Just Fine

To the bed bug, multi-unit condominium complexes share the same ideal conditions offered by hotels and motels, nursing homes, dormitories, and apartment buildings: large numbers of occupants living in close proximity to one another. And these days, bed bugs are on the move, literally. In areas where the real estate market is hot, resident turnover also increases, affording many opportunities for the insects to be transported into new locations. Another conduit can be the overnight guest who, unwittingly, imports an unexpected second visitor: the bed bug.

From the bed bug's point of view, what makes multi-unit condominium complexes and apartment buildings so attractive—and the insect's chances of survival in those structures so great—is the cluttered conditions that are so often found in overstuffed living quarters. Clutter and close living conditions provide almost limitless areas for bed bugs—just like their brethren, cockroaches—to hide, flourish, and evade extermination efforts.

Unlike apartment buildings, multi-unit condo complexes offer some unique challenges when it comes time to exterminate bed bugs. Because parts of each condo building are jointly owned and much of the interior space is individually owned, formulating a unified approach to pest management inside units, and in particular, securing resident cooperation, may be difficult. This creates problems for the complex as a whole.

Although pest issues, including bed bug infestations, bring with them social considerations that may make it difficult for owners to discuss the problem, dealing with bed bugs requires a community-wide approach. Individual owners who try to control their own infestations by themselves may not be aware that the unit(s) adjacent to theirs are experiencing the same pest problem. This sometimes results in occupants seriously misusing pesticides, causing bed bugs to migrate to other areas of the building.

Prevention Is the Best Remedy

The best thing is to avoid importing bed bugs in the first place. To keep the bugs out, you must take appropriate precautions. If you travel, when you return home, wash all clothing that accompanied you, and store your suitcases and traveling bags as far away from sleeping spaces, including those preferred by your pets, as possible. If you stay at a hotel or in unfamiliar lodgings, do not allow your suitcases or personal effects to ever be placed on a bed, couch, or chair. A recent field trial in Cincinnati, Ohio, along with surveys performed by my own company, noted that 90 percent of bed bugs were discovered in close proximity to beds and furniture.

Also helpful is to limit clutter inside your condo. Clutter-free settings make it more difficult for any bed bug to survive. Repair any cracks and crevices in your unit, where bed bugs hide between meals of mammalian blood.

Found One?

If you suspect any pest issues exist in your unit, communicate with your community association management company immediately. Rather than applying any pesticides yourself, seek professional advice from a licensed applicator for best results. Most over-the-counter insecticides are not supposed to be used on the beds, couches, and recliners that bed bugs find so attractive. Even more confusing for the homeowner grappling with bed bugs is that information on how to eradicate the pests is not included on many product labels, and even when it is, the directions are vague.

Next is to verify that the pest you are facing is indeed bed bugs. The entomology departments of both state and private universities will identify insects for a small fee. Pest management firms will identify insects free of charge, and inspect your unit for a fee of about $100. If bed bugs are noted in the inspection, the inspection fee is often used as a down payment toward the cost of future treatments.

What to Expect

If your condo is home to bed bugs, eradicating them will follow a predictable path. Most bed bug treatments require several service visits within a month's time and follow-up monitoring for 6 months to a year after the treatment is completed. Homeowners must be prepared to invest time and money, in addition to enduring numerous disruptions to their daily life, while the process is taking place.

Among the most disruptive intrusions are:

• Removing all linens from beds and laundering them in hot water with detergent and drying them in a hot dryer. Linens may be returned to the bed after treatment that evening.

• Removing all clothing from dressers, bureaus, storage chests, and closets, laundering them in hot water with detergent, and drying them in a hot dryer. Any articles of clothing that cannot be washed must be dry-cleaned. All clothing must be sealed in plastic containers for the duration of the treatments (at least one month).

• Storing any clothing removed from the containers to be worn in separate, sealed plastic bags until they can be laundered and returned to the original container.

• Laundering all stuffed animals and plush toys in water with detergent, drying them in a hot dryer, and storing them in a sealed plastic container for the duration of the treatments (at least one month).

• Emptying all closets and storage areas in bedrooms, living rooms, and family rooms. All contents should be washed and then stored in sealed plastic containers for the duration of treatments (at least one month).

• Removing all curtains and drapes, laundering them in hot water with detergent, and drying them in a hot dryer. Any drapes that are not washable must be dry-cleaned.

• Removing all picture frames, decorative wall hangings, and collectibles from walls for inspection.

• Submerging all plastic toys in the bathtub, in hot water, for a few hours and then storing them in a sealed plastic container for the duration of treatments (at least one month).

• Removing all drawers from dressers, armoires, nightstands, coffee tables, lamp tables, entertainment centers, end tables, and so forth, and storing them in the middle of the room so the framing of the furniture can be treated.

• Thoroughly vacuuming all mattresses, box springs, furniture (couches, chairs, etc.), as well as the entire residence. After vacuuming, place the vacuum cleaner bag in a sealed plastic bag and discard off the premises immediately.

• Removing excess clutter and stored items so the technicians can perform a thorough service.

• Vacating the property during the service and for at least four hours after the treatment. All people and pets must be off the premises, and any fish tanks should be covered in plastic. Air intake hoses to fish tank filters should be detached.

Recognizing the Culprit

Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas and deposit up to five eggs a day and up to 500 during a lifetime. The eggs are whitish and hard to see on most surfaces without magnification. Individual eggs are about the size of a dust speck. When first laid, the sticky eggs adhere to most surfaces.

Newly hatched nymphs are no longer than a pinhead. As they grow, nymphs shed their skin five times before reaching maturity. A blood meal from a human or other animal is needed between each successive molt. Under optimum conditions-—namely, an ambient temperature of between 70 and 90 degrees—the insect can complete development in as little as a month and produce three or more generations per year. Nymphs can survive months without feeding, and adults can last for more than a year. Infestations are, therefore, unlikely to diminish if the premises are left unoccupied for a period of time.

Adult bed bugs are about 1/8-inch long with reddish-brown, oval flat bodies. Nymphs resemble the adults but are smaller and somewhat lighter in color. Bed bugs feed solely on the blood of animals. The common bed bug,

Bed bugs are not fussy about their hiding places. Although most opt for the bed itself, some—that other 10 percent—may select any area that is in close proximity to the preferred sleeping spot of a warm-blooded animal. They will also take up residence in rooms other than the bedroom, particularly if the family pet sleeps in that room. During a recent inspection, I found bed bugs in the kitchen because the family dog slept there on a thick blanket.

Being a Good Neighbor

A bed bug infestation often leads homeowners to change their habits and lifestyle. When they travel, they are more aware of their hotel room surroundings. Although they don't or can't restrict their future travel plans, they monitor what enters their unit, and where things are stored. As good neighbors, these homeowners make it a practice to communicate their experience with property management and their fellow owners because they understand that this pest issue is not caused or associated with the way anyone lives in the community. They also tend to more readily discard clutter and other unused items, so as not to provide a habitat for a bed bug.

In the coming decade, bed bugs will transform themselves into the most pervasive nuisance pest. Condo owners are well advised to take a proactive approach to preventing pests from ever entering their unit. But if a pest issue should arise inside their unit, open communication with the community association manager and reliance on a pest management professional can bring any pest problem under control and to successful resolution in a short period of time.