A new article in The West Australian warns readers of the spread of bed bugs, citing some Australian statistics:

Their numbers declined until about 10 years ago – rendering risks to travellers within Australia and many other parts of the world relatively low.

But the bugs have bounced back – with a vengeance.

“I’ve seen a mind-boggling 7000 per cent increase in reported cases of bed bug infestation in Australia since 2003,” reveals Garry Jones, operations manager at Sydney-based Ecolab Pest Elimination Group.

“That’s utterly astounding,” adds Jones, who belongs to an academic working party studying ways to combat the pesky critters.

The article also refers to Stephen Doggett’s oft-cited statistic:

“Reported cases in Australia have increased by 4,500 in the past eight years,” says Stephen Doggett, senior research scientist in the medical entomology department at Sydney’s Westmead Hospital.

Doggett is the author of the ever-impressive and useful A Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bugs in Australia (click for PDF of 2nd Ed., November 2007).

Useful, I want to stress, in any country where you find yourself facing down bed bugs.

The article also provides suggestions on bed bug identification, treatment, and avoidance from Jones and Doggett.

You can read the full article, “Bed bugs back biting,” here.Similar Posts:

• Stephen L. Doggett’s A code of practice for the control of bed bug infestations in Australia (2nd Ed.)
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• Bed bugs on the increase in Australia too
• Bed bug infestations on the increase in Australia, says The Age
• New NYC DOHMH factsheets on bed bugs