We look forward to hearing more about what happened in Arlington, Virginia these last two days, at the EPA National Bed Bug Summit.

This video from the Associated Press has some nice snippets from Dini Miller, Harold Harlan, and others, speaking at the conference.

Pete Grasso of the PMP blog liveblogged the bed bug summit.

Here are some tidbits from Grasso’s blog:

Tom Neltner, from the National Center for Healthy Housing said (4th update, 10 am):

“People who are the least able to afford extermination are at the highest risk for poor health outcomes as a result,” Neltner said. “This is a good time for Federal agencies to take a leadership role on this issue.”

Of Michael Potter, University of Kentucky entomologist (6th update, 10:37 am), Grasso says:

He questioned why bed bugs are not considered a public health concern, because they once were.

You know a few years back, I started the first unofficial Dr. Michael Potter fan club, don’t you?

I know you’ll want to read the rest of Pete Grasso’s account, which begins here. He also talks about the breakout brainstorming sessions here. Perhaps most exciting, the list of recommendations the brainstorming produced, which is in part three, here.

Many thanks to Pete Grasso of PMP for blogging the summit!

The popular media was going crazy the last few days, but most articles were just reprints of one from the Associated Press. Here’s the Today Show, which showed footage of Connor’s Pest in Virginia doing a thermal treatment and searching with a bed bug sniffing dog.

I am so glad this event happened, and I so wish I could have been there. (My job kept me away.)

Were you there? Tell us all about it, please!Similar Posts:

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• Room for Debate on bed bugs: a must-read!

WNYC reports on the EPA National Bed Bug Summit which is happening tomorrow and Wednesday in Arlington, Va.

WNYC’s Fred Mogul interviewed New York City Assistant Health Commissioner Dan Kass:

KASS: There are folks who have done a tremendous amount of study, about the kinds of products and practices that work well, there are other jurisdictions that may have some ideas about how to encourage property owners to act quickly. We’d like to hear some of those.

Kass says he wants to see what regulations other states have to police over-the-counter pesticides – many of which he says are dangerous and ineffective.

The city health department for years said bedbugs were not a public health problem, because they are a nuisance but do not transmit disease. Kass says his agency now is committed to assessing the problem thoroughly and helping property-owners, tenants and exterminators work together more effectively.

See: WNYC – News – Conference to Address Bedbugs.

I’m really glad Dan Kass is enthusiastic about the EPA Summit.

We really need housing and health officials to learn as much as they can from entomologists who study bed bugs, and can speak to various issues around their control and spread.

We also need public officials to share their experiences and learn from the experiences — both good and bad — of their counterparts in other locations.

You can get all the information on the EPA Summit from this post at New York vs. Bed Bugs.

I look forward to hearing about the EPA National Bed Bug Summit, which I unfortunately cannot attend due to work commitments. Perhaps some of our regulars would report back to us about the event.Similar Posts:

• Soundbites from the EPA National Bed Bug Summit

Dacorum Borough Council used to provide free treatment for bed bugs to householders who could not afford it.  Alas, no longer.

One local resident, Alex Francis, was concerned:

“If there are people with bed bugs or mites who can’t afford to have them treated privately, will they just be living in those conditions, whereas before they could have them treated?” he said.

Well put.

It is understandable that the council is trying to save money at this time, and since bed bug cases are growing everywhere, the borough’s cost of providing treatment is likely to get bigger and bigger.

The move was included in cuts of £2.8million agreed by the council as part of its budget in February.

And,

Cutting the pest control service will save £84,000.

John Clarke, head of public protection at the council, advised residents with problems to use a private contractor.

This does not help people who cannot afford treatment.

Interestingly, the council will continue to treat for rats:

“From April 1 the council only offers a free rat treatment service for domestic premises, as they are a danger to public health,” he said.

(Emphasis mine.)

While it is true that bed bugs are not currently known to spread disease (as rats most decidedly do), they are nonetheless a public health problem.

I fear that this loss of service will mean many in the borough are forced to live with this problem because they cannot afford proper treatment to get rid of bed bugs.

And here’s a reminder to the people of Hemel Hempstead:  if your neighbors have bed bugs, you have bed bugs.

When it comes to bed bug treatment, it really is best for everyone if no one is left behind.

via Pest control cuts start to bite – Hemelhempstead Today.Similar Posts:

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Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs has more details on the upcoming EPA National Bed Bug Summit (April 14-15) in Arlington, VA):

Sharon Heath of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will speak at EPA’s National Bed Bug Summit on April 14. It’s a portion of the session titled “How Public Health Agencies View Bed Bug Infestations,” with Mike Herring from CDC, Dr. Camille Jones from the Cincinnati Health Department and Sarah Norman from Baltimore City Health Department.

and…

EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs has made the meeting agenda (PDF) available. Topics include bed bug basics, impact on public and private housing, control methods and challenges and the government response to bed bugs.

For the details, and the links to the agenda and details on the webinar broadcast, see NYC Department of Health at National Bed Bug Summit (plus agenda and webinar details).Similar Posts:

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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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Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs is bringing the updates on the Toronto Bed Bug Action Committee Toronto Bed Bug Project here and here, and a rundown on what’s up with the Cincinnati / Hamilton County Joint Bed Bug Task Force Strategic Plan here.

Definitely check out those posts, and the links Renee provides.Similar Posts:

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I want to direct you to this excellent interview over at New York vs. Bed Bugs, a discussion between Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs and Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann of The New York State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program at Cornell University.

In the interview, Jody talks about the wonderful new Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Bed Bugs in Shelters and Group Living Facilities, which she co-authored, and which we mentioned last week.

Just to give you a wee taste of the interview:

NYvsBB: What are your thoughts about our situation in the city, do you think we have a chance to achieve control? Or are we going to be living with them for some time?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: [pause]

NYvsBB: [laughter] What do you see happening?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: I think what will happen is that this problem will get worse…

That reminds me of Lily Tomlin’s quip: “Things are going to get a lot worse before they get worse.”

Seriously, though, I do believe we need government assistance (both in terms of policy and money) in order to make bed bugs much less of a problem. Dare I say it, in order to make them almost go away again, like they almost did before.

We have to expect that government agencies will not take bed bugs seriously unless they see the problem is huge and they see that people are agitated about it and willing to vote along those lines.

So read. And if you’re in New York City, tell the government this issue matters.

If you’re not in New York, you’re not off the hook! Write to your mayor, alderman, city council member, state senator, US senator, state and US representatives. If you’re not in the US, write to your local, regional and national representatives.

Tell them what bed bugs did to your life, your home, your sleep patterns, your skin, your bank account. If you don’t tell them, how will they know this matters?Similar Posts:

• Philadelphia School and Community IPM educational session on bed bugs (10/21/09)

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle’s Mary Frost did a second article on bed bugs Tuesday, following up from one two weeks ago.

Readers may recall that it was just last February when another reporter from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Dennis Holt, was mocking the idea that the city might spend money to work on the bed bug problem. (He was responding to the Bed Bug Seminars the Housing and Preservation Department presented in the spring.)

So it’s good to see this paper give some space to serious coverage of what is a real and worsening problem plaguing this city and many others. Mary Frost cites Rick Cooper, who calls for federal assistance for people dealing with bed bugs (a position this blog has also held since it began in 2006):

Without intervention at the federal level, Cooper predicts that some segments of society will see bedbug infestations rise dramatically. While the wealthy will have the resources to deal with the problem, bedbugs will evolve into a lower-class problem. “The past two or three years we’ve seen the number in the lower economic sectors rise dramatically.

“We’ll also see major instances in senior centers and in senior living residences. We’re dealing with people whose eyesight is not good and who may already have rashes. If we don’t have proactive and educational programs, the bugs have the opportunity to spread.”

I couldn’t agree more.

You can read the rest of Mary Frost’s article here.Similar Posts:

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Bed bugs are now more widely found on media reports on broader topics than bed bug infestations and new bed bug-proof mattress encasements. For example, this article from Time about Barack Obama’s upcoming week-long vacation visit to his native Hawai’i:

Obama is also scheduled to hold a fundraiser at the posh Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki that could rake in more than $500,000, reaping the rewards of being the first presidential nominee to travel to Hawaii since Richard Nixon in 1960. There’s no word on where he might be staying during his visit, but he may want to avoid that particular hotel, which suffered a plague of bed bugs in April, according to the Pacific Business Journal.

This is a past story from Bedbugger about a woman who claimed to encounter bed bugs at a function at the Halekulani Hotel, and bring them home.

You may be interested to know that, unlike the head of the Tennessee Hotel and Lodging Association who was quoted here yesterday as calling bed bugs a “non-issue” in Tennessee hotels, the Hawai’i hotel industry group is admitting bed bugs are a problem in Hawai’i, and is taking steps to improve the situation.

According to this article in the Pacific Business Journal,

The state House approved a nonbinding resolution in 2006 that asked the Department of Health to work with the state’s tourism liaison and the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association to raise awareness on dealing with bedbugs.

A symposium on dealing with bedbugs is in the works, said Murray Towill, president of the Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association.

Great news! I am glad to hear that government and industry are admitting there is a bed bug issue in Hawai’i, and working to address it together.

There’s no doubt in my mind that bed bugs are spreading in hotels in all fifty states. Hotel industry folks everywhere should be working on stopping the spread of bed bugs, not playing ostrich and hiding their heads in the sand.

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Remember the House of Representatives’ Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2008? It would institute a grant program for states to inspect hotel rooms for bed bugs.

Well, according to the Library of Congress’s Thomas system, it’s now being considered by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The Washington Watch site now has five comments up and a poll (to state whether you’re for or against the Bill).

I’d encourage more people who’ve had bed bugs to weigh in, since the poll is currently 90% against, 10% for.

Of course, members of the House of Representatives are likely more intelligent than certain members of the public who comment on such sites, but why not express our point of view?
However, keep in mind that online polls do little or nothing to affect politics.

As always, writing your representative is the only way to be sure s/he knows this issue matters. Have you dropped your Representative and the Committee on Energy and Commerce a note yet, expressing your support of the bill?

Please find your state Representatives here (you can search by your zip code), and drop them a quick email or give them a quick phone call telling them you support HR 6068.

And since the bill is currently being considered in the Committee on Energy and Commerce, I strongly urge you to drop them a note, telling them why the bill matters. You can do it here.

It takes only a couple of minutes to tell political representatives why this bill matters. Similar Posts:

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