Bed Bug

According to the text, how does the mechanism of action for desiccant dusts differ from chemical poisons?

• They target the nervous system of the insect
• They scour the waxy film that keeps the bug from drying out, causing dehydration ✓
• They prevent the insect from feeding on human blood
• They interfere with the insect's ability to molt

Answer: Where pesticides are used, desiccant dusts work mechanically: they scour the waxy film that keeps a bed bug from drying out, so it dehydrates rather than being poisoned.

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Which statement best describes the risk bed bugs pose regarding human disease?

• They are known to pass various diseases to humans
• They pose a high contagion risk but a low comfort risk
• They are not known to pass diseases to people ✓
• Their risk is categorized as high due to potential contagion

Answer: The good news: unpleasant as the bites are, bed bugs are not known to pass diseases to people.

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Which of the following is a recognized sign of a bed bug infestation?

• A foul, oily odor during heavy infestations
• Dark, ink-like fecal spots
• Pale shed skins
• Eggs found in seams
• All of the above ✓

Answer: The clearest evidence is the bugs plus what they leave behind: dark, ink-like fecal spots, blood smears on bedding, pale shed skins, and eggs in seams; heavy infestations can give off a foul, oily odor.

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What is a key characteristic of the bed bug's life cycle regarding blood meals?

• Nymphs do not require blood meals to advance through stages
• Only adults require blood meals for development
• Each nymphal stage requires a blood meal to advance ✓
• They only require a blood meal during the final nymphal stage

Answer: Young bugs pass through five nymphal stages, each requiring a blood meal to advance.

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How does the appearance of an adult bed bug change after it has taken a blood meal?

• It becomes smaller and more colorful
• It becomes swollen and reddened ✓
• It develops wings to facilitate movement
• It becomes pale and colorless

Answer: Unfed, the body is brownish and thin; a blood meal leaves it swollen and reddened.

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When distinguishing a bed bug from a bat bug, what specific morphological feature should the applicator examine?

• The presence or absence of wings
• The width of the prothorax behind the head
• The length of the hairs on the front of the pronotum relative to the eye's width ✓
• The color of the insect when unfed

Answer: The tell for a bat bug is hair length on the front of the pronotum: shorter than the eye's width on a bed bug, longer on a bat bug.

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What is the primary reason why pyrethroid sprays may fail against many modern bed bug strains?

• Bed bugs have developed resistance to these chemicals ✓
• The insects have evolved to no longer feed on humans
• The chemicals are diluted by the insect's waxy coating

Answer: Resistance is why chemistry can't carry the job: pyrethroid sprays that once worked now fail against many bed bug strains that have evolved to shrug them off

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When managing an infestation using heat, what is the lethal threshold mentioned for commercial services?

• Near 113°F ✓
• 130°F to 140°F
• 10 to 15 minutes
• Two to three hours

Answer: commercial services hold about 130 to 140°F for two to three hours (lethal threshold near 113°F)

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