Many public housing agencies (like other landlords) only treat units as residents report them infested, neglecting to inspect adjacent attached units. It’s not surprising that many infestations continue a year or more after the initial treatment.

Other public housing agencies leave bed bug inspections to apparently inexperienced building managers rather than enlisting experienced professionals, and some lack basic education about the pests, blaming tenants for the presence of bed bugs, and erroneously linking infestations to cleanliness of tenants’ homes.

Yesterday The Patriot-News reported that the Harrisburg (PA) Housing Authority seems to be reacting more aggressively than many public housing authorities:

The Harrisburg Housing Authority is dealing with regular bed bug uprisings. Before 2006, the problem was nonexistent, said LeRoy Robinson, an assistant to the authority’s executive director. The most intense problems have been at Morrison Towers, a 12-story high-rise for seniors on Chestnut Street.

Authority officials received a complaint from a resident about two months ago. The authority had the unit sprayed. But after another 10 or so complaints of bedbugs, they decided to spray the entire building.

To prevent a comeback, they now spray parts of the building twice a month, Robinson said. Treating all 12 floors costs $12,000. “It’s an expensive proposition, but you have to do it,” Robinson said.

It took two months and ten complaints before they treated the whole building. Perhaps they could have responded more swiftly, but this is more aggressive than many of the cases cited above.

Of course, one spraying, even of the whole building, is unlikely to suffice. Traditional treatments don’t kill bed bug eggs, which will hatch in 10-14 days after treatment. Any units with bed bugs need to be retreated at 10-14 day intervals until all bed bugs are gone and there are no further bites. And since many do not react to bed bug bites, whether bed bugs are gone can be hard to assess.

Regular follow-up inspections and treatments are vital, since tenants may be continually exposed to the same bed bugs originally brought in. Staff and tenants need education about how to prevent such reinfestations.

Public Housing Authorities would do well to consider the aggressive approach being taken by Toronto Community Housing, in refurbishing public housing units (sealing cracks is just one focus), setting treatment standards and response times for pest control vendors, and developing enterprise initiatives that hire and train residents to work as expert bed bug pest control technicians.

As voters and taxpaying citizens, we should all take an interest in the way our local public housing authorities respond to complaints of bed bugs, and pressure public officials to improve these responses.

• Indianapolis Housing Authority vs. Bed Bugs
• Bed bugs bite in White Plains, NY public housing
• 25 Grant Street in Denver, Colorado: bed bugs for two years
• Cincinnati government discovers bed bugs are not easily treated, news at 11

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According to the state’s order, health department inspectors found violations of law “which constitute an imminent danger to the health, safety and welfare of the facility’s residents.”

The order says the building’s flat roof needs replacement, and that leaks have caused “severe structural degradation” and that the ceilings of six rooms have partially collapsed, plaster walls are peeling or bubbling, adjoining rooms and halls have water damage and steel ceiling support struts are rusting.

The order says “a foul smell of mold permeates the air. Water stains, mold and a generally moist environment are present,” and protection against the elements is “substantially compromised.”

As you likely suspect by its mention here, yes, the conditions included a bad infestation of bed bugs:

On May 2, inspectors found live and dead bedbugs and bedbug eggs in 40 beds. Inspectors saw several residents with bedbug bites, who reported complaining to the adult home’s staff for months about the problem. No corrective action has taken place, the DOH said.

The Health Department order suspends Monticello Manor’s operating license, and the state is preparing an order to permanently revoke the license and impose civil penalties on the operator, Charles Benson.

All seventy residents are being relocated. Forty beds contained “bed bugs and bed bug eggs”.

As in the case of Evie Kelly, complaints about bed bugs were made and not acted on for some time (in the case of Monticello Manor, this went on for “months”).

And only “several residents” complained about bed bug bites.

Managers of adult residences (such as this one), dorms, senior housing, and other facilities need to be more proactive about bed bugs. It is not sufficient to wait until large numbers of people come to complain.

This story reminds us that they won’t.

A few people will come, and they will often represent huge numbers of people who may not be aware what is causing their problem, or may not be aware they have one, or who may fear repercussions for complaining about bed bugs.

The complaints of those who do step forward must be taken seriously. Bed bugs should be searched for aggressively, whenever someone comes forward to complain. Because in so many of these cases, those complaints represent a fraction of the people affected by bed bugs.

More on Monticello Manor’s closing here.

• Bed bug news round-up: Waterbury, Connecticut; MIT
• A tale of another city: Monticello, NY low-income tenants 1, slumlord 0
• Rockford, IL: half of Red Roof Inn shut down due to bed bugs
• Bed bugs in hotels: how to report (and check up on) bed bug infestations

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bed bug nymphs, eggs, feces, on wood

Originally uploaded by louento.pix

Lou Sorkin describes this photo he took at a serious infestation:

“CD shelf with some cases removed shows different sized bed bug nymphs, eggs and feces attached to wood. Some feces might be from german cockroaches.”

Click on photo then select “all sizes” and “large” to see detail.

• bed bugs with german cockroach
• Amazing photos from Lou Sorkin
• close up of bed bugs on mattress
• closeup of female bed bug with eggs

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