The Social Q’s etiquette column in the New York Times covered a bed bug issue Thursday.  The anonymous letter writer said,

My brother has bedbugs. He told our mother and made her promise not to tell me. But she called me immediately. Apparently, he hasn’t told his landlady or called an exterminator, or done anything to contain their spread.

We are all going on a family trip soon. The bedbugs will surely be among his belongings and will set up camp in the home of the relative we’re staying with, and perhaps find their way back to my place.

Although the answer from columnist Philip Galanes was more about the issue of mom spilling the beans on the brother’s secret than anything else, the answer was clear: brother’s refusal to deal with bed bugs (and therefore the possibility he would infest everyone on the upcoming trip) was not acceptable, and the letter writing sister needs to step in and help him grab the bed bug bull by the horns.

See: Social Q’s – A Secret, Itching to Be Told – NYTimes.com.

Bed bugs also appeared in in the Business column On the Road on Monday ,  and in the Patient Money column last Friday.

Given how concerned the New York Times seems to be with bed bugs right now (bed bugs in hotels, bed bugs and etiquette, bed bugs and health/finance), why won’t someone in the “official” media mention the tiny issue of the still-unfilled NYC Bed Bug Advisory Board?Similar Posts:

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Renee Corea of New York vs. Bed Bugs has another new interview — this time with Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force (COBBTF) Chair Paul Wenning of the Franklin County Board of Health

New York vs Bed Bugs: We are very impressed with the task force and understand it’s a volunteer organization?

Paul Wenning: We’ve known it was just a matter of time before bed bugs became a large problem in Greater Columbus. I had a series of conversations with officials from Cincinnati and Hamilton County (Greater Cincinnati) in the early autumn of 2008, and the astronomical rise in the number of cases there over a five year period convinced me that we had to take action and quickly. I began conversations with Dr. Susan Jones, from the Ohio State University Extension Office, who is also a leading expert on bed bugs. We quickly created a Bed Bug Summit, to which representatives of the City of Columbus, the suburbs, and County agencies were invited. It was well attended, and at the end of the program, I asked for volunteers to help establish a Bed Bug Task Force for Columbus and Franklin County. We held our first meeting in November, and I set forth a series of goals and objectives for the group to discuss.

I know you’ll want to read the rest:

The Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force: an interview with Paul Wenning — New York vs Bed Bugs.Similar Posts:

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A BBC news story Friday featured interviews with John Furman of BOOT-A-PEST (a pest control operator also known as KillerQueen in our forums), and Renee Corea of New York vs. Bed Bugs.

The BBC asked KillerQueen about the rise of bed bugs in New York, and asked Renee about the new Bed Bug Advisory Board established by the New York City Council:

The proposals are being welcomed by Renee Corea from campaign group New York Vs Bedbugs.

“Infestations are not being discovered quickly so they are growing. By the time people are discovering them it’s harder to eradicate them.

“Then they are being mismanaged, either by the property owners, by the residents themselves or even the pest management companies,” said Renee.

“If we increase everybody’s knowledge then we can tackle the problem more quickly.”

via BBC – Newsbeat – Health – Bedbug cases on the rise in NY.

My only complaint?

The UK bed bug sufferer in the story is a British tourist who suspects she got bed bugs on a trip to a NYC hotel (certainly a plausible scenario) — which makes it sound like Londoners don’t have their own serious bed bug problems.

Which, of course, they do: the article rightly notes, near the end,

The UK has seen similarly large increases in the number of infestations. London is among the worst affected areas.

The unstated question: “When will London take action on bed bugs?”

I will go ahead and ask it right now.

Congratulations to both John and Renee! Similar Posts:

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Stop Bedbugs DC is tomorrow.

As Renee Corea says in her post Leadership and hope: Stop Bedbugs DC on the New York vs. Bed Bugs blog,

If you care about bed bugs in the District, this is the only ticket in town on Friday.

As Renee also notes,

Consider that agenda for a moment. Anything you can think of, they have it covered: legislation, enforcement, education, data collection, exploring a bed bug task force.

I could not have said it better myself.

The cooperation between the Norwood Tenants Association and city agencies is wonderful to see.  The NTA blog notes,

The goal of the summit is to learn about bedbug biology, bedbug control, and to establish a DC wide task force that will address enforcement, education, data collection, and legislative approaches. Presenters will include Dr. Dini M. Miller, Associate Professor, Dodson Urban Pest Management Laboratory at Virginia Tech, Ray Lopez, the 2008 recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leader Award for his innovative approaches on controlling bedbugs without using pesticides, as well as representatives from the pest management industry who will share the latest industry approaches. The summit will take place on Friday, March 27, 2009, at 441 4th Street NW, Room 1107 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

The NTA also thanks (among others) Renee Corea, as well as Jessica Kevan of Chicago vs. Bed Bugs.  Inter-city bed bug advocates are networking.

It sounds like the winds of change are blowing.

The Washington City Paper also has a story on this event here.

We look forward to reports from anyone who attends.Similar Posts:

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We’ve previously mentioned the upcoming EPA bed bug summit on April 14-15 and the upcoming Washington DC bed bug summit on March 27.

We now refer you to New York vs. Bed Bugs, where Renee has compiled all the details and links on the EPA National Bed Bug Summit (4/14-4/15) and Stop Bed Bugs DC (3/27); RSVP is strongly recommended for the April event and required for the March event, so please do follow those links for more information on that.

I encourage you to participate in person or virtually (in the case of the EPA Bed Bugs Summit, where teleconferencing / webinar options are said to be in the offing).

Also, on Friday, I received a message from Gale Brewer about the signing of Intro. 57a, the Bed Bug Advisory Board bill, which will take place tomorrow (3/18) and is open to the public:

Dear New Yorker:

Thank you for your advocacy on the creation of a bed bug task force.

Because I share that goal, I introduced Intro 57-2006 which prohibits
the sale of reconditioned mattresses and calls for the formation of a
bed bug task force. On Wednesday, March 11, 2009, the Council
unanimously approved the Int 57-2006 at the full Stated Council meeting.

The bill will be signed into law by the Mayor on Wednesday, March 18,
2009 at 3:30pm in the Blue Room, in City Hall. All bill signings are
public hearings and all members of the public are invited to attend.

There will also be the opportunity to offer short comments.

Sincerely,

Gale A. Brewer

City Council, District 6:
Manhattan

Many of you may wish to attend and show your appreciation; we will all be there in spirit, I am sure.

Two other recent links of note from New York vs. Bed Bugs:

First, Renee examines the fact that the New York City Housing Authority is drastically under-responding to bed bug complaints in public housing in NYC. They just can’t keep up. And you know what that means, right? More bed bugs for everyone.

Also, Renee shares a notable letter from August 2008, in which Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Michael J. Kussman outlines the best practices for dealing with bed bugs in VA facilities.

Prompted by this, Renee asks whether some centralized agency might collect and disseminate such resources, rather than every single agency and institution, large or small — in every city, county, state or nation — having to reinvent the wheel.

Excellent question.

Reinventing the wheel is the name of the game when it comes to disseminating bed bug information, isn’t it? How many universities have their own bed bug fact sheet — some of them quite outdated, making recommendations no longer commonly offered by experts?

What would the humble bed bug fact sheet look like at its very best, compiled by a committee of the most reputable bed bug specialists, with access to the latest research and a keen awareness of how bed bugs act in the field? There are some like this, but in their presence, why do the others still exist?

Why do we so rarely get that information at its best?Similar Posts:

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I just received the following message below from Gale Brewer, updating us on the status of the Bed Bug Task Force bill, Intro. 57.

Another section of the same bill — the part which bans the sale of reconditioned mattresses — is not being voted on concurrently. Since support for the Bed Bug Task Force was unanimous and strong at the 2/24 New York City Council Hearing on three bed bug bills, but support for the section of the same bill banning reconditioned mattresses was not unanimous, the consideration of 57-A (the Bed Bug Task Force Advisory Board) independently of the reconditioned mattress legislation is good news, in my opinion, since it surely makes it easier for this part of the Bill to get through, quickly.

And we do need this New York City Bed Bug Task Force Advisory Board to get to work, quickly.

We actually need a Bed Bug Task Force; hopefully the Advisory Board will advise: action!

[Emphasis in bold, below, is mine.]

Dear New Yorker:

Thank you for your advocacy on the creation of a bed bug task force. Because I share that goal, I introduced Intro 57-2006 which prohibits the sale of reconditioned mattresses and calls for the formation of a bed bug task force.

On Tuesday, February 24, 2009, the Council Committees on Health, Consumer Affairs and Sanitation held a public hearing on Introductions 57-2006, 872-2008 and 873-2008. Entomologists, exterminators, health care professionals, advocates and members of the public offered testimony for 5 hours in Council Chambers. Representatives from the following NYC Departments: Health and Mental Hygiene, Housing Preservation and Development, Consumer Affairs and Sanitation all testified in support of the creation of a Bed Bug task force.

I am pleased to announce that the Council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs is scheduled to vote on Intro 57A-2006, which creates a Bed Bug Advisory Board, on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 10am in the Committee Room of City Hall. The text of the final bill is below. The measure is expected to pass and it will then be voted on the same day by the full Council at the Stated Council Meeting, which is scheduled to start at 1pm in the Council Chambers. All members of the public are invited to attend, although there will be no opportunity to offer testimony during either meeting.

After the Council approves the bill (which it is fully expected to do!), the Mayor has 30 days to sign it into law. We will share the bill signing information with you as soon as it available as you are all invited to attend.

We still have a long way to go in addressing bed bugs in our City, but thank you for your tireless efforts in getting us to this important milestone.

Sincerely,
Gale A. Brewer
City Council, District 6: Manhattan

Int. No. 57-A

By Council Members Brewer, The Speaker (Council Member Quinn), Foster, Gentile, Gerson, Gonzalez, James, Mark-Viverito, Martinez, Mendez, Nelson, Palma, Sanders Jr., Weprin, White Jr., Koppell, Liu, Recchia Jr., Sears, Vallone Jr., Garodnick, Jackson, Avella, Arroyo, Dickens, Mealy and Lappin

A Local Law in relation to the creation of a Bed Bug Advisory Board.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Legislative findings and declaration. Sometimes referred to as “red coats,” “chinches,” or “mahogany flats,” bed bugs, Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, are blood-feeding parasites of humans, chickens, bats and occasionally domesticated animals. Bed bugs are wingless and spread from infested to non-infested areas through the transportation of clothing, luggage, furniture and bedding. In the early stages of infestation, bed bugs are found mainly in the tufts, seems and folds of the mattress and bed covers. However, they later spread to cracks and crevices in the bedsteads.

According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”), bed bugs often seek refuge in bedding during the day and feed on occupants at night. Bed bugs feed primarily on humans by piercing the skin as people sleep. Although bed bugs are not generally considered human disease carriers, they inject a fluid to assist in drawing blood, which causes a welt that becomes irritated, inflamed and uncomfortable. After feeding, bed bugs crawl back into hiding, where they may remain for 80 to 140 days before returning to feed.

Bed bug infestations diminished substantially after the development and use of modern insecticides, such as DDT. However, pest management professionals have noticed a marked increase in bed-bug related complaints since 1995. Experts believe this may be related to the increased number of people traveling and returning from abroad with these insects hiding in their suitcases and clothing.

According to the DOHMH, the use of appropriate pesticides and the thorough cleaning of all bedding with water at extremely high temperature may help reduce the chance of infestation. However, even with professional extermination, a bed bug problem may be impossible to eliminate. If even one adult female bed bug survives, the area may quickly become infested again as the adult female lays one to five eggs every day and each egg takes only 17 to 28 days to hatch.

The Council finds that the Cimex lectularius population is ubiquitous and affects the quality of life of residents throughout the City. Based on this finding, the Council determines that it is necessary to create an advisory board to study this issue further and draft concrete recommendations for the most effective methods for treating and preventing bed bug infestations in New York City .

§2. Bed Bug Advisory Board. a. There shall be an advisory board to study health concerns associated with cimex lectularius, commonly referred to as the bed bug, and to make specific recommendations to the mayor and council for the prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations throughout the city.

b. Such advisory board shall consist of ten members as follows:

i. Three members shall be appointed by the mayor, provided that at least one such member shall be from the pest management industry and shall have experience in bed bug control and/or extermination and at least one member shall have advanced specialized training in and knowledge of entomology;

ii. Two members shall be appointed by the speaker of the council, provided that at least one such member shall have a background in community health;

iii. The commissioners of the department of health and mental hygiene, the department of consumer affairs, the department of sanitation, the department of information technology and telecommunications, and the department of housing and preservation, or the designees of such commissioners, shall serve ex officio.

iv. At its first meeting, the advisory board shall select a chairperson from among its members by majority vote of the advisory board.

c. Each member, other than members serving in an ex officio capacity, shall serve for a term of 9 months, to commence after the final member of the advisory board is appointed. Any vacancies in the membership of the advisory board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A person filling such vacancy shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term of the succeeded member.

d. No member of the advisory board shall be removed from office except for cause and upon notice and hearing by the appropriate appointing official.

e. Members of the advisory board shall serve without compensation and shall meet as necessary.

f. The advisory board shall issue a report to the mayor and council no later than nine months after the final member of the advisory board is appointed. Such report shall include specific recommendations on the following topics:

i. Prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations in private dwellings;

ii. Prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations in public accommodations and institutions, including, but not limited to, schools, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, jails and residential shelters;

iii. Tracking and reporting of bed bug infestations;

iv. Disposal of bed bug infested items;

v. Bed bug training and/or education for urban pest management professionals;

vi. Bed bug training and/or education for city workers;

vii. The development and most effective distribution of public education and resource materials on bed bug prevention and treatment, including, but not limited to, information on the rights and responsibilities of landlords, tenants and homeowners.

g. The advisory board shall terminate upon the publication of the report.

§3. This local law shall take effect immediately.

Similar Posts:

• New York Mayor Bloomberg signs Bed Bug Advisory Board legislation
• Allegheny County Health Department is tracking increase of bed bugs in Pittsburgh
• Bed bugs bite in Edmonton sleep disorder clinic
• Horrific story from Ottawa: bed bug sufferer overdoses
• Johnson City’s John Sevier Apartments tenants get new mattresses

The press is starting to appear about the hearing yesterday.

Frank Lombardi in the Daily News said,

Prodded by rising complaints and pressure from some elected officials, activists and the media, the Bloomberg administration gave limited support Tuesday to launching a war on bedbugs.

Testifying at a City Council hearing, representatives of the health, housing and sanitation departments announced their support for Council legislation to establish a task force to study the city’s widening bedbug problem and recommend remedies.

Although it is true that some of the experts and departmental officials who testified rejected some or other of the bills or provisions (more on that in a later post), I am not sure how limited the support was. Among those who testified, support for the Bed Bug Task Force was unanimous, and I suspect this had a profound effect on the City Council Members.

Done properly, and quickly, and peopled with the right individuals, a bed bug task force can really make things happen.

City Room blog (NYTimes.com) quoted Gale Brewer, the City Council Member who has so long been trying to pass legislation on this issue that her City Hall peers call her “The Bed Bug Lady:”

Ms. Brewer is optimistic about the formation of a task force, though there is considerable debate over the specifics, such as the mattress legislation.

“I was glad that all the questions are all out there,” she said in an interview during the hearings. It is a multifaceted problem involving the city’s health department, public housing agencies, the Police Department (since prisons are infested), the Sanitation Department (since it involves disposal of furniture), and Department of Consumer Affairs. “You have to do it as a collaborative effort,” she said.

AMNY covered the event too, and gave a taste of what people with bed bugs go through:

Those who have lived with the pests say it often takes multiple exterminations – and sometimes thousands of dollars – to get rid of them.

“I threw away everything,” said Sirajul Laskar, 42, of Jackson Heights, who added that 22 of the 52 apartments in his building have had bed bugs. “They sprayed three times and still bedbugs.”

Overall, I had a positive impression of the event. The City Council members took the testimony very seriously, and do seem to grasp the importance of the bed bug problem — especially the wonderful Council Member Robert Jackson, who himself lived with bed bugs as a child, and who mentioned having seen bed bugs recently, in New York city, in public places.

It’s nice to have someone on the City Council with this sort of first hand experience and awareness of the problem, though of course we don’t wish bed bugs on anyone.

I also want to say how grateful I am to everyone who testified, especially Renee Corea who represented New York vs. Bed Bugs, and a second of my fellow New York vs. Bed Bugs co-founders who represented herself in testimony, entomologists Lou Sorkin and Jody Gangloff-Kauffmann (both also Advisors to New York vs. Bed Bugs), Rick Cooper and Gil Bloom, and the many citizens who had battled bed bugs themselves and testified about their experiences. The witnesses did a wonderful job of conveying the problems of bed bugs, which are complex indeed.

I am also grateful to everyone who showed up to support the speakers and the cause.

I will be posting more of my impressions and notes later today…

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Renee Corea of New York vs. Bed bugs broke the news today that the EPA is holding a meeting on bed bugs on April 14th.

Renee writes:

We have just received information, from our one and only contact at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that EPA is set to hold a public meeting on bed bugs on April 14 in Washington, DC.

We think this is a watershed event. The public health interest is clear and can no longer be ignored. No more dithering about bed bugs and their public health importance. This attention is utterly warranted and, in fact, overdue.

It’s really wonderful to see this happening.

I know you’ll want to follow up by reading the rest of the post over at New York vs. Bed Bugs.

And, New York City folks, you surely already know our big day is tomorrow (Tues. 2/24/2009), when the City Council is holding a public hearing on three bed bug bills.

If you can come, it starts at 1 pm at City Hall, directions here; if you are able to testify for 2 minutes, you can sign up on the spot.

If you can’t testify, just come out and support those who will be speaking. The more of us that show up, the better, because it makes a strong statement about how much New York City citizens and voters care about solving the bed bug problem in New York City.

More details, on the hearing tomorrow and on the bills under consideration, from New York vs. Bed Bugs.Similar Posts:

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This is great.

As New York vs. Bed Bugs reports today, the New York City Council is going to hold hearings on three bed bug bills on February 24th at 1 pm at City Hall.

It’s a joint hearing by the Consumer Affairs, Health, and Sanitation committees on bills Intro. No. 57, Intro. no. 872, and Intro. no. 873.

Intro. 57 calls for a ban on reconditioned mattresses in New York City, and the creation of a bed bug task force.

Intro. 872 calls for disposal regulations which require people disposing of mattresses to obtain from the city a disposal bag and bed bug warning stickers.

Intro. 873 calls for the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to provide training to landlords and pest control operators on bed bugs and their proper elimination; a list of PCOs so trained to be made available to the public via 311; bed bug information to be provided on the DOMHH website; and a toll-free hotline for citizens to call to report bed bug infestations and/or get information about bed bugs.

Intro. 57 was originally submitted in 2006, and there was a hearing on September 18th of that year which I know at least a few of you reading this attended. This is a NY1 article about the testimony, one from the New York Sun, and a cynical item from Gothamist.

But that was 2006, when bed bug stories were less common. Back in 2006, when you told someone you had bed bugs, you had to explain what they were.

It’s 2009 now, and The New York Sun is defunct, but bed bugs are positively thriving. While the lousy economy is cruel to newspaper producers, it’s a boon to bed bugs, who thrive when people have the least amount of money to spend in fighting or preventing them!

It’s high time we got that bed bug task force that we need even more now than we did in 2006.

You can read our posts referencing Intro. 873 here.

You can read New York vs. Bed Bugs’ posts on Intro. 873 here.

If you’re in New York City, please try and attend the hearing on February 24th at 1 pm. You can testify there as to what bed bugs have done to your life. You can help make this happen.

Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs (of which I am also a founding member) promises to share details and tips on how to do so, so keep an eye on New York vs. Bed Bugs, and start with Renee’s post on Thursday’s exciting new development!

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I just wanted to remind everyone how important it is to call, or write, your elected officials (city, state, and other representatives) and let them know what a tremendous hardship bed bugs can be.

I did this today, and not for the first time.  But I always feel like I am getting a load off my chest.

Those of you in New York City, please sign on with me and the other members of New York vs. Bed Bugs.  Since there’s currently a bed bug bill (Intro. 873) under consideration, it’s especially important right now.  Renee shows you how to get involved and contact your reps here. And then come back to New York vs. Bed Bugs and leave a comment on this post, letting the group know you did it.  (This is important, so New York vs. Bed Bugs can keep track of the effects it is having.)

If you’re not in New York, google the name of your city council or county elected officials.  All the local websites I’ve seen tell you who your representatives are, and how to call, write, or email them.

Do some research here and on New York vs. Bed Bugs about what’s being done by other cities like Cincinnati and Toronto, who have bed bug task forces.  And tell your elected officials what a mess bed bugs made of your health, skin, schedule, sleep patterns, living room floor (covered in plastic bags), etc.  Tell them how much money you spent on your bed bug problems.  Tell them how long you had the problem, why it was hard to get rid of, how hard it was to detect in the first place.  Tell it like it is: politicians need to hear your stories.

This does not have to be a long conversation/letter/email.  But do it, all the same.

It believe that if we all do this, it can make such a difference.Similar Posts:

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