Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Detection / Identification of bed bugs
Swallow Bugs (Bed Bugs' Birdy Cousins)
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Stay_Calm
newbite
Joined: Jun '11
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Posted 1 year ago
Fri Aug 19 2011 22:33:38
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A while back I posted about a bed bug scare I had. After much paranoia, sheet washing, bug hunting and some help from a few university experts I found out I had "swallow bugs". Since I learned quite a bit about these critters I thought I would share a post with some of my findings.
Swallow bugs go by Oeciacus vicarius in the scientific community. They are in the same family as bed bugs and they look scarily similar to the naked eye. In fact, even up close you'd be hard pressed to spot a difference. There are a few key characteristics that separate these guys from bed bugs though. Swallow bugs are little hairier than bed bugs and they have slightly different antennae. The best site I found to help see the difference is here:
patriotpestcontrolalbuquerque.com/how-to-get-rid-of/bed-bugs/identify-what-a-bed-bug-looks-like-bedbug-pictures-and-more/
Note how the swallow bug has a hairier neck (for lack of a better term). You can see this under a decent microscope but the best way to be sure is send a bug sample off to a university extension office. I had good help from the University of Minnesota (http://fwd4.me/09ST) and Colorado State (http://fwd4.me/09SU).
Of course, swallow bugs act differently too. One good clue to whether you have swallow bugs or bed bugs is whether or not you have swallow nests near your windows. We had dozens outside out apartment and while we found the bugs in our rooms and even beds, they tended to gather near the windows. Swallow bugs live with swallows - they feed off them in their nests just as bed bugs feed off people in their beds.
This presents some problems - first, swallows are very habit driven and will return to the same locations year after year. While they are gone the swallow bugs go into a kind of hibernation. But as the birds return year after year the bug population grows and can get so bad that some birds are forced to abandon their nests and I heard sometimes young swallows will even jump the nest before they are able to fly to escape the bites.
When the swallow bug population is really bad, or when the swallows start to leave in the fall, the bugs often look for other hosts - that can mean you! They will bite and those bites can hurt and cause problems. Here is one informative and entertaining account of a Denver man's battle with the bugs (http://fwd4.me/09SW) and his tips for keeping them away (http://fwd4.me/09SX). Swallow bugs are also known to awake in the spring and will search out food before the birds return.
But while they can bite and make your home theirs temporarily, humans are a "dead end host" for these pests. I have been told they cannot reproduce without swallow's blood. So while they may harass you they cannot set up shop like bed bugs and there isn't much fear of them traveling with you and spreading elsewhere unless there are swallows there too.
So what's the best way to handle swallow bugs? Well, I was told there is not much you can do if you have them. Swallows are federally protected and once they set up their nests there is no taking down those dirt clods. It's illegal to poison the bugs' home since you'd end up poisoning the birds too. Once the swallows leave you can use a hose to power wash the nests down - but be careful! When we did this the bugs started coming inside our windows in minutes. Make sure you seal your windows before spraying.
Outside of that, your best bet is to stop the birds from coming in the first place by putting up barriers and nets over where they would build their homes. There are bird control professionals who can help with this.
So far we haven't spotted any bugs after a few weeks of removing the nests. We'll see what happens when the slumbering bugs awake in the spring - and when the swallows return.
I hope this helps. If you suspect you have swallow bugs grab a sample and make sure you have a professional check it out. Whether it's bed bugs or its birdy brethren, you are better off knowing for sure.
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mindoverbbs
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Joined: Feb '12
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Posted 1 year ago
Sat Jun 9 2012 14:19:35
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I know this is an old post, but it has a lot of contextual data that I have a couple questions for the entomologists and PCOs about.
1. Is it true that the swallow bugs require swallow blood to reproduce? (similar to the way sarcoptic mange mites in dogs can infest humans but self-limit after a few weeks because they can't complete their reproductive cycle) Or do they prefer swallows but can adapt to other hosts and reproduce in the absence of birds?
2. Same question for bat bugs.
3. Assuming the original source of the bugs is eliminated, what is the difference in treatment approach for these bugs vs. bedbugs once they're in your home?
4. Please forgive me if this is a dumb question with an obvious answer. I'm new to this and don't have a strong foundational background in science which I'm not especially proud of. : $ According to Dr. Google, swallows and many species of bats are voracious insect eaters. So why don't they eat the parasitic insects in their nests? (thinking of the swallow nests that get so overrun by the bugs that the hatchlings fail to thrive or are forced to fledge prematurely due to the bugs.) Why don't the bugs just become a tasty (and easy) snack for the swallows?
No urgency in reply. This is just something I have been wondering about.
Mindover
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
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Posted 1 year ago
Sat Jun 9 2012 14:24:07
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This is a timely "refresh", Mindover, because it seems like it must be swallow bug season. Some suspected cases here right now (as well as at least one suspected bat bug case). I can't ask your questions, but perhaps some of the experts can.
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oldtimer
Joined: Feb '09
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun Jun 10 2012 18:53:42
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Let's start from number 4...
According to Dr. Google, swallows and many species of bats are voracious insect eaters. So why don't they eat the parasitic insects in their nests?
a - Swallows and bats feed only on flying insects . They don't feed in the nest or on the ground (floor for bats...lol)
b - swallows are diurnal while swallow bugs are criptic and nocturnal
c - bats are blind and localize their flying preys using a sort of sonar. How could they find a crawling bug on a wall?3. Assuming the original source of the bugs is eliminated, what is the difference in treatment approach for these bugs vs. bedbugs once they're in your home?
They are easier to kill than BBS, because they're NOT resistant to chemicals and they don't infest homes.
Questions 1 & 2: Dunno. Ask Lou or Richard Naylor...
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
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Posted 1 year ago
Sun Jun 10 2012 20:04:04
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What a great start, thanks Franco!
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loubugs
old timer
Joined: Mar '07
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Jun 11 2012 12:18:26
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1. Is it true that the swallow bugs require swallow blood to reproduce? (similar to the way sarcoptic mange mites in dogs can infest humans but self-limit after a few weeks because they can't complete their reproductive cycle) Or do they prefer swallows but can adapt to other hosts and reproduce in the absence of birds?
As far as I know, certain cimicids are fine tuned to their normal hosts and actually require proper blood to continue their life cycle. Some will feed on people, but don't do well over time.2. Same question for bat bugs.
Same as the swallow bugs. Certain cimicid species won't bother feeding on people even if their natural host is no longer around.This presents some problems - first, swallows are very habit driven and will return to the same locations year after year. While they are gone the swallow bugs go into a kind of hibernation. But as the birds return year after year the bug population grows and can get so bad that some birds are forced to abandon their nests and I heard sometimes young swallows will even jump the nest before they are able to fly to escape the bites.
There are certain birds that do not return for 2 years and the bed bugs have to wait for them. -
loubugs
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Posted 1 year ago
Mon Jun 11 2012 12:24:21
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Let's start from number 4...
According to Dr. Google, swallows and many species of bats are voracious insect eaters. So why don't they eat the parasitic insects in their nests?
a - Swallows and bats feed only on flying insects . They don't feed in the nest or on the ground (floor for bats...lol)
b - swallows are diurnal while swallow bugs are criptic and nocturnal
c - bats are blind and localize their flying preys using a sort of sonar. How could they find a crawling bug on a wall?The birds and bats feed on flying insects. They would be able to pick off bugs if these are crawling about and in some experiments they have done so. However, cimicids produce alarm pheromones and their hosts do not care much for feeding on them because of it. So that could be the reason for the swallows and bats not feeding on their bed bugs. You are able to look at swallow nests and find cimicids and birds would also, but it's possible that the alarm pheromone odor is remembered by the birds and bats and they ignore the bugs. The bats aren't really blind and the echo location could allow them to "see" the bugs on the walls, but it's possible that the alarm pheromone has something to do with it.
Some tests with mealworms and mice/bats (if my memory is working) also showed that the mice/bats liked mealworms, but didn't like them any longer when bed bugs were rubbed on them.
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bittenbitter
junior member
Joined: Aug '12
Posts: 73offline
Posted 9 months ago
Wed Sep 5 2012 3:35:44
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Loubugs, is this the same for bird mites? Are you positively CERTAIN beyond a doubt that they can't reproduce from human blood? Some people out there seem to think differently and nobugs says they're alarmists. I certainly hope so...
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