Here are several articles from Southern Region Integrated Pest Management (SR-IPM) on bedbugs
UF/IFAS research: Typical populations of bedbugs can cause harmful blood loss in humans
For years, bedbugs have been turning up in sometimes odd and random places, such as subways, movie theaters, dressing rooms and schools, but scientists believed that to flourish, the insects would need more frequent access to human blood meals.
Turns out they don’t.
A new University of Florida study, published online this month by the journal Medical and Veterinary Entomology, shows the blood-sucking insects can do much more than survive — they can even thrive — with far less access to human blood than previously believed.
CDC issues advisory about misuse of pesticides for bed bugs
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are alerting the public to an emerging national concern regarding misuse of pesticides to treat infestations of bed bugs and other insects indoors. Some pesticides are being applied indoors even though they are approved only for outdoor use. Even pesticides that are approved for indoor use can cause harm if over applied or not used as instructed on the product label.
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of bed bug-related inquiries received by the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) over the past several years, with many involving incidents of pesticide exposure, spills, or misapplications.
IPM Resources for Bed bugs
Having policies and protocols in place to prevent and eliminate bed bugs in educational facilities is key to protecting students and should be an integral part of your IPM (integrated pest management) program.