WLOX.com reports that a bed bug education session was held in Gulfport, Mississippi yesterday:

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) – Don’t let the bed bugs bite! That’s what local pest control employees, state health officials, and people in the tourism industry learned Tuesday.

About 70 people took part in a training session in Gulfport to learn more about the tiny insects that can inflict very painful bites.

In a video which accompanies the article, an unnamed member of the pest control industry explains that the focus of the event was on preventing bed bug infestations and learning to identify them and detect them.

That’s really exciting, because the best time to learn how to prevent, identify and control bed bugs is before your facility ever gets infested.

Being prepared isn’t just for the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. It’s the best way to fight the spread of bed bugs, everywhere.

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• Interview with Sam Bryks on Integrated Pest Management; also, we learn about the origins of Bug n’ Scrub

Here’s an excellent discussion between Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs and Sam Bryks, a pest management expert from Toronto (and one of the advisors of the Toronto Bed Bug Project.

There’s so much that is wonderful here, including a thorough exploration of what Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is, and isn’t.

I particularly enjoyed this tidbit, from which I learned more about the origins of Toronto’s Bug n’ Scrub, a program we’ve long been fans of here at Bedbugger. Sam Bryks says,

An example of a really wonderful program in Toronto is that of Seaton House, the largest shelter. I was asked to visit some years ago and I gave my overview then as well as I could. The shelters were experiencing major problems. One of the staff who has a social work background, Richard Grotsch, decided to use the men in the shelter to attack the problem as part of their looking after themselves and he developed a process of non-chemical treatment and prevention that knocked the problem down amazingly and then, he worked like the devil to get support for those guys providing services to others. They are called the Bug n’ Scrub team and they do fantastic work in helping clean up units in preparation for bed bug treatment. They are very busy.

You gotta love a program that helps people gain very useful skills, gives them work, and gets rid of bed bugs at the same time!

What could be better?

And how interesting and inspiring that it started with residents being asked to learn how to get rid of bed bugs in order to deal with their residence’s infestation.

I can only hope the program spreads.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg as far as the interview goes, so I know you’ll want to read the entire conversation, here. 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)

Today, I am pleased to point you towards the new Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Bed Bugs in Shelters and Group Living Facilities, which was produced by J.L. Gangloff-Kaufmann and C. Pichler of the New York State IPM Program at Cornell University.

It is an excellent guide which you can download in four PDFs from the link above. (It’s also being added to the other guides in the links page, so you know where to find it later.)

“IPM” is Integrated Pest Management, the basic premise of which is that you can (and in fact need to) do a whole lot of things other than spray pesticides in order to control pests. Sometimes this means dealing with bed bugs without pesticides, but I think that in practice, it usually means taking a bunch of steps to remove bed bugs, make the premises unfriendly to them, and use pesticides carefully to complete the treatment.

The guide specifically does not discuss the use of pesticides, but goes into many other areas from bed bug detection methods and tools, to ways of killing and removing bed bugs and eggs (such as steaming and vacuuming), specific guidelines for those managing an infested facility, and for social workers working with clients with bed bugs.

Even though this is aimed at the managers of shelters or group living facilities, I would stress that nearly all of the information would also be useful for managers of multi-unit buildings, and even individuals with bed bugs. Do check it out.

Thanks to co-author Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann for sharing this with us!Similar Posts:

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• New York City Housing Authority: “bed bugs = emergency” + “wait a month” do not compute

While most claims of an effective bed bug trap have to date been much ado about nothing, a new product which seems to be the real deal is only a month or two away.

The trap I am talking about is the NightWatch by Biosensory, Inc.

In the past, this innovative company has produced an effective mosquito product and some other units which use inhibitors or attractants or both. This new unit attracts bed bugs via CO2 heat and a 7-part kairomone lure. The results have been studied for over a year by independent housing authorities and respected individuals and now the trap is scheduled for distribution early October.

The price for a unit which covers a 16×16 room will be around $400 [editor's note: we're not sure of the price at this time]. Overnight, the trapped bed bugs will be contained in a pit which you empty each morning. This trap sounds like a great step forward but remember they themselves state that the unit is for detection, monitoring and as part of an Integrated Pest Management program. In addition the manufacturers state, “If the premises have not been treated with additional EPA-registered insecticide(s) and/or steam heat, this protocol should be considered.”

Having been involved in trying to develop a prototype trap not associated with this one, as well as having dealt with bed bugs from an educational and control standpoint, I think this will be a great tool in the war against bedbugs. Sleep tight.

Editor’s note: Thanks, Winston!

Winston O. Buggy is the pseudonym of a bed bug professional. Read more about the science behind NightWatch here.

Update 10/5/2008:

Editor’s note: Sean of the Bed Bug Resource points us to a Canadian distributor offering pre-orders. (I don’t know anything about the store, personally.) For $100 CA or $95 US down (out of the total cost $400 CA / $380 US), they say your Nightwatch trap will ship when released (11/15 is the expected date). They will be sold to anyone, apparently. The protocol on the Nightwatch website does appear to be something laypeople could do.

Note: They haven’t been released yet so we can’t really say much about them (but I do know someone with bed bugs, if Nightwatch wants to send me one to review (hint, hint!)

The data looks promising, but read all the info. on the Biosensory site, and caveat emptor.

Update: 5/2009: the Nightwatch has been available for several weeks and has now been voluntarily recalled, so the manufacturer can fix a potentially defective switch. Similar Posts:

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The article from Joe Fiorito yesterday (and my post on that article) mentioned an initiative being tried out at Seaton House, a City of Toronto-run shelter for men that has been operating since 1959. Men who live in the shelter are being given paid training as “pesticide technicians.” They’re being paid a good wage ($12-15/hour) while they study and work.

It’s worth noting that Wikipedia claims Seaton House is the largest homeless shelter in Toronto, housing at times as many as 700 men.

I found more information on this initiative in this PDF at the City of Toronto website. (”Bug and Scrub” is item #2.) They even have a great name, though if they are only dealing with bed bugs–and this is not clear from the description–they might have gone with “Bed Bug and Scrub” to make this clearer.

It sounds like the program provides full-service assistance with bed bugs (from detection, to cleaning and prep for treatment, pesticide application, and follow-ups):

Bug and Scrub is an all in one service that incorporates responsible and reliable measures to deal with the bed bug issue. Following an Integrated Pest Management protocol, full treatment is provided including assessment, prep work, spraying of the bed bugs, removal of belongings and follow up. The business has already proven successful and has provided many low-income, vulnerable individuals with this unique service.

Staff at Seaton House support clients during their training and employment phase. Anyone residing in the City of Toronto can receive the Bug and Scrub service. Fees operate on a sliding scale and can range from $250 -$800 based on the type of work required.

For more information please contact Richard Grotsch at 416-392-5572.

Remember, contrary to some misconceptions, IPM doesn’t mean no pesticides are used. It means fighting bed bugs on multiple fronts, trying to remove them as much as you can, and then treating to kill what’s left.

I have to say, the Bug and Scrub concept excites me: these men are getting training in what is unfortunately a growth field, they’re getting support as they make an educational/career transition, and Toronto residents are hopefully getting good, reasonably-priced pest control service.Similar Posts:

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Frank at the War on Bed Bugs is not a PCO, but he’s an amateur with a very determined IPM approach to beating bed bugs.  His recent post on caulking is good advice.Similar Posts:

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