City of Portsmouth, Health Department, 1 Junkins Avenue, Portsmouth, NH 03801. Tel: (603) 610-7273



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Bed Bugs

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are wingless, brownish-red oval-shaped insects with flattened abdomens. Adults are approximately ¼ inch in length. The young bugs, or nymphs, are difficult to see because of their small size and colorless appearance. Bed bug eggs are tiny, white-to-translucent in color and quite difficult to see.

Bed bugs hide in mattress seams, cracks in walls and furniture, and in severe infestations can be found just about anywhere, including lighting fixtures and outlets, on walls, behind pictures, and under carpeting. They are nocturnal, moving and feeding at night. Bed bugs prefer to bite and draw a blood meal from humans. They are not known to transmit disease to humans.

To prevent bed bugs from entering your home, use caution when accepting used furniture. Remember that the adult bugs are adept at hiding and the eggs and nymphs are difficult to see on visual inspection; therefore, just because something "looks" clean, it does not mean it is pest-free. Inspect your baggage and purchases when returning home from traveling. If you notice any bugs in a shared laundry facility, notify the property manager immediately.

The elimination of bed bugs from a dwelling is difficult. It can be done by the occupant, or a licensed pest control operator can be hired. It is important that this process be done, start to finish, without interruption, or an infestation may not be controlled and may easily spread between apartment units, or to the homes of friends and family via belongings. To treat the dwelling, begin with securing the supplies needed to complete the job. Make sure you have adequate time to complete these steps.

For the Occupant to Treat for Bedbugs:

You will need the following items:
  • A vacuum cleaner (a vacuum with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtration is best)
  • Ample heavy duty trash bags with twist ties
  • A pesticide spray effective against bed bugs - most sprays that can be used for head lice control are effective against bed bugs, check the can label
  • Allergen-free zippered mattress and pillow covers
  • Access to a hot water washing machine and hot air clothes dryer
  • A face mask approved for use with aerosols/pesticides is recommended
  • Adequate coins if coin operated laundry
Complete the following steps:
  1. Collect all bedding, clothing, pillows, and washable materials from all rooms (including bathroom throw rugs, curtains, and dish towels) and place into trash bags. Seal bags well with the twist ties.

  2. Wash all laundry, bedding and other washable items in hot water and dry in a hot dryer. Do not place cleaned items into used plastic bags. Discard the original trash bags in a trash receptacle away from the building.

  3. Do not bring bedding, clothing and other clean items back into dwelling unit until treatment is complete.

  4. Vacuum all surfaces with a strong suction vacuum. If available, a HEPA-style vacuum works best. Vacuum all walls, floor crevices, around heating units, baseboards, picture frames, and all furniture and mattresses. Be sure to immediately discard vacuum cleaner bag in a sealed trash container away from the dwelling. Spray canister vacuum with approved pesticide spray (see 5 below) when finished.

  5. Heavily infested pieces of upholstered furniture such as couches and chairs are difficult to treat. You may wish to consider discarding them. If so, call the Public Works Department 427-1530 for special pickup. (If you are able to see bugs in daytime or find them with little effort consider the infestation to be heavy.)

    Before using any pesticide spray, make sure that you have the correct spray. Use a spray for lice or bed bug control that is meant specifically for the surface treatment of bedbugs and use in accordance with the manufacturer's directions. General pesticides for other uses are not effective and could be dangerous if misused. If you have questions on a pesticide spray, call the Portsmouth Health Department at 610-7273.

  6. Before beginning, make sure that all children or any person with asthma or other respiratory concern are out of the dwelling. They should remain out of the unit while mattresses, upholstered items and carpeting are sprayed and for at least 6 hours after spraying. Pets should also be relocated during this time.

    Ventilate the dwelling during and after spraying by opening windows, doors, and running fans. ALWAYS FOLLOW THE MANUFACTURER'S DIRECTIONS ON THE LABEL OF THE SPRAY CAN. A face mask approved for use with aerosols/pesticides is recommended.

  7. Remove the mattress and box spring from the bed and take apart the bed frame.

  8. Remove the fine mesh on the underside of the box spring and discard.

  9. Vacuum all surfaces of mattresses, box springs and bed frames.

  10. Spray all surfaces of mattresses, box springs and bed frames with bedbug spray, making sure to spray up into the corners of the box spring where the box spring covering material is gathered.

  11. After vacuuming, spray all upholstered furniture, applying an even coat on all surfaces. Be especially careful to treat all seams/folds/buttons of upholstery. Spray other furniture, wall coverings and picture frames as needed.

  12. Spray carpeted rooms after vacuuming. Pay particular attention to carpet edges and room corners.

  13. After vacuuming and spraying box springs and mattresses, cover both with zippered allergen-free mattress covers. Leave zippered covers on for at least one year.

  14. After washing and drying pillows, cover with zippered allergen-free pillowcases. Leave zippered cases on for at least one year.
A second treatment may be required if bed bugs are discovered after the first treatment. Contact the Health Department at 610-7273 for more information.

If infants or young children reside in the dwelling, have them play on blankets on the floor, and cover treated furniture before children sit on it, for a few weeks after treatment. Be sure that children's hands are washed frequently, especially after contacting sprayed surfaces.

If a Licensed Pest Control Operator is hired, follow the directions supplied by them.

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