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Stephen L. Doggett’s A code of practice for the control of bed bug infestations in Australia (2nd Ed.)

By nobugsonme on Jul 19, 2007 in bed bugs, bedbugs, best practices, dorms, entomologists, health, heat, ice, multi-unit buildings, professional pest-control services: reviews, suggestion, stephen l. doggett, technological advances, thermal, treatment, treatment in hotels, treatment in institutions, treatment preparations, treatment: single-family

Behold: new for July 2007, an updated draft of Australian bed bug researcher Stephen L. Doggett’s Bed Bug Code of Practice–click to load a PDF. You can also download a PDF of just the modifications to the new edition, which include the latest information on non-chemical uses of heat and cold, as well as a section on bed bug dogs.

Also see the classic (2004) by Doggett: “The resurgence of bed bugs in Australia with notes on their ecology and control.”

And you were excited about the new Harry Potter installment coming out tomorrow at midnight?
Looks like we have something to keep us busy until then. Thanks, Stephen Doggett!

And for those who keep claiming bed bugs are not in any way a health concern, please note that Dr. Doggett is a medical entomologist.

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2 Comment(s)

hopelessnomo | Jul 20, 2007 | Reply

Thanks Nobugs for that 2004 Doggett article I had not seen before. To continue along your thoughts from the forums, first I wondered if maybe Australia has a different culture in the areas of both a) litigation and b) the public health system that might account for the evident alacrity in tackling this problem in a rational way.

Now I think the reason the Australians are ahead is Stephen Doggett himself. This was the purpose of the 2004 article:

This article provides documented evidence for the recent rise in bed bug numbers and attempts, for the first time anywhere in the world, to examine how they may have been introduced.

And this is how he and his colleagues did it. I’ll quote in full to make my point:

Evidence was sought to substantiate the anecdotal reports of the increase in bed bug infestations. The number of specimens submitted to the pathology service of the Department of Medical Entomology was tallied over time and information on when each was submitted, along with the species identity, was recorded. Three large local pest control firms were contacted and information on the number of bed bug treatments and the type of premises treated was requested. Health workers across the country were also contacted regarding the apparent increase. To determine how the bed bugs may have been introduced, a list of the interceptions by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) was requested from the Pest and Disease Information Database (PDID), Market Access and Biosecurity, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the AQIS Incidents database, covering the period 1 January 1986 to 31 January 2004. This also provided a time line of the interceptions, which could contribute evidence for the alleged upward trend in bed bug infestations.

Nothing remotely approaching this has been attempted here.

Reading the preface to the second edition of the CoP and remembering David’s noting of the economic impact stats, and noticing also the new section on infestations in the socially disadvantaged, it’s overwhelmingly clear how far behind we are in the U.S.

Finally, you have to admire the candor and the practicality. No politicizing here, no ranting about grandstanding entos or hysterical sufferers.
hopelessnomo | Jul 26, 2007 | Reply

Actually, ‘nothing remotely approaching’ is overstated, sorry — Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann and colleagues did survey pest control firms in 2005. You can read the results in this PDF.

Of the listed oddest locations where bed bugs were found, a shower head is what surprised me.