Cincinnati officially classes bed bugs as “vermin”

nobugsonme — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:44:07 +0000

Oh, ignorance most surely is bliss!

To think that someone, somewhere, had to be convinced that bed bugs are indeed vermin.

Reader, I envy those people.

I am treading the dangerous space of quoting too much from an article, to make sure this information is preserved for posterity. The Enquirer, cinncinnati.com reports:

By adding them to Cincinnati Municipal Code Section 1601-17, bedbugs are among the critters the city ordinance requires owners and occupants of buildings to control.

Council also voted Wednesday to ask the Cincinnati Board of Health to change all its regulations regarding vermin infestations.

Until council added bedbugs, it was illegal in Cincinnati to permit an infestation of “rodents, fleas, lice, roaches, weevils” and unspecified “other vermin.”

Harboring a vermin infestation is a fourth-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine.

But in saying that “owners and occupants” must eliminate bed bugs or face a fine or jail time, can someone tell us if tenants = “occupants”?

In other words, are landlords liable for eliminating tenants’ bed bugs in Cincinnati?

In still other words, what happens when people can’t afford proper treatment to eliminate bed bugs? Will there be any assistance for them?

Bottom line: is this ruling going to mean fewer people suffer from bed bugs, or that more people face fines and jail time?

Got bed bugs? Bedbugger.com » illegal to harbor bed bugs

Cincinnati officially classes bed bugs as “vermin”