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:

• Langdon Mill Apartments: now 85% bed bug-free
• Never assume the tenant who complains about bed bugs is the only tenant with bed bugs
• Self-treatment for bed bugs probably caused Cincinnati fire
• NH Bed Bugs: grassroots community organizing against bed bugs
• Entire Kansas City high-rise gets thermal treatment for bed bugs

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:

None Found

It’s always good when journalists and others in the media tell their own bed bug stories.

As far as raising public awareness about how bed bugs can (and will) infest anyone’s home, having a journalist or writer tell their bed bug story in the news media is almost as good as having a friend or relative tell you they had the problem. Here’s a person who seems to have it together: decent career, nice home (we imagine), he doesn’t look too sloppy in the mugshot next to his byline.

The point is driven home: this can happen to everyone.

Unfortunately, it seems to take a lot of this in order to educate the public about bed bugs. We’re getting there, but slowly. So I am always grateful to see first-person accounts of bed bugs in the print media, on TV, and on non-bed bug blogs.

And today, Michael Hann writes in the Guardian about his family’s bed bug problems.

I can’t decide where, in our battle with the bedbugs, we reached the nadir. Was it when my son’s reception class teacher called my wife to express her concern about the number of bites on his arms, body and face? “He says they’re … bedbug bites,” she said, disbelievingly. “That’s right,” my wife replied. “We’ve got an infestation that we’re being treated for.” “Oh, I understand – I’ve come across bedbugs, when I’ve been travelling in Africa.” The words “but not when I’ve been teaching in north London” went unspoken.

And there, my friends, we see the need for still more public awareness about bed bugs: the teacher was shocked a kid in her classroom had bed bugs.

The article goes through the various experiences the family goes through, including treatment, and undergoing a post-treatment deep clean, only to find bed bugs harboring happily in a bed frame.

The article includes quotations from Bedbugger forum participant David Cain, of Bed Bugs Limited in the UK. David Cain’s suggestion to avoid sitting on public transportation is included as is the advice to the family from an unnamed woman who performed a deep clean after treatment:

… a woman who advised us that, in addition to never sitting down on public transport, we should always remove our clothes before entering a bedroom.

Now, that’s caution.

One of the tips at the end under “How to spot an infestation” intrigued me:

Look for unexplained rashes, although one in 10 people doesn’t respond to bites. If you react badly, use antihistamines.

Jerome Goddard says as many as 70% of folks don’t react to bed bug bites. I am interested in the sources of either of these figures.

I know you’ll want to read the rest of Hann’s story here.Similar Posts:

• Bed bugs in the media: David Cain on British radio, Dr. Susan Jones in the Plain Dealer
• What percentage of people react to bed bug bites?
• Mary-Louise Parker talks to Letterman about her current bed bug scare
• More bed bugs at Wilkes University (in University Towers apartments)
• Halifax tenants dealing with with bed bugs and unsympathetic health department

This morning, a bit of history: the Post Office London Directory in two volumes, 1939, discovered at the New York Public Library. (Sorry for the graininess but let’s just say this was an accidental find — the camera phone was the only option.)

Note the advertisement around the edges: We Destroy Rats, Mice, Beetles, Moths, etc. on one side, a prominent picture of a bed bug on others.

The 1939 Post Office London Directory (apparently published by Kelly’s) in two volumes was the 1939 London “phone book.”  It tells us a few things:

• Bed bugs were big business: the company that could afford the most prominent advertising in London was a Bayswater (W1) pest control company.
• Bed bugs were a big problem in 1939: the only picture included in the ad is a really big bed bug.  Not a mouse, a rat, a beetle, a moth: the ad is primarily about bed bugs.
• This also tells us that: bed bugs were visually recognizable to all.

1939 was, of course, before DDT.

Similar Posts:

• We love Dr. Susan Jones, Entomologist
• British NHS hospitals have frequent pest infestations, including bed bugs
• bad news: APictureofMe’s Caryn’s got bed bugs, again
• A day in the life of a City of Westminster pest control operator
• A reader’s bed bug story

This Reuters piece was about how passengers on Nigerian motorcycle taxis were putting calabashes and portions of tires on their heads to avoid using the taxi’s passenger helmets, under a new law that requires motorcycle riders to wear helmets.

Newspapers quoted passengers as saying they feared the helmets could be laced with magic spells so as to knock the wearer unconscious and make them easier to rob, while others feared they would pick up an infection.

But the interesting point was this:

One columnist said transportation can already carry a health risk, and recounted how he had picked up a bedbug while sitting on a bus.

“The story is that people who have scabies, craw-craw, ringworm, dandruff and all other such diseases would easily infect others with them through the helmets,” Steve Nwosu wrote in the Daily Sun.

I’m not sure I’d want to share helmets with New York City motorcycle taxi riders either.

But Reuters readers should be aware you can get bed bugs from planes, subways, buses, and trams in Manhattan, Toronto, Prague, and the City of London, just as you can in Capetown or Lagos.

Enjoy!
Similar Posts:

• Residents sue motel on Staten Island due to bed bugs

I don’t have enough time at this moment to do much commentary on this, but I want to point you to New York vs. Bed Bugs, where Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs posted a new podcast with David Cain of Bed Bugs Limited (many readers will also know David from our Bedbugger forums, both for his knowledge of bed bugs and his sense of humor).

Among other things, the discussion covers David’s recent London Bed Bug Survey, and various types of bed bug monitors.

Thanks to Renee, and to David!Similar Posts:

• Post-recall, Nightwatch good to go

David Cain is well known to frequenters of the Bedbugger forums, and his company, Bed-bugs.co.uk has now completed a survey of the locations of bed bug infestations in London, with some interesting results the company has now made available.

By mapping bed bug infestations on a highly localised level, using postcode sectors*, the company has been able to both confirm certain theories and discount others about how this pest is spreading geographically.

(The notes tell us, “Postcode Sectors are the first part of a postcode plus the first digit of the second part e.g. SE1 1. Dependent on density, this gives a map resolution of approximately half a mile.”)

The report may help answer questions like:

Why… does the data show such a spike in 2004? And why do there appear to be distinct ‘hotspots’ and ‘corridors’ running through London?

Bed-Bugs.co.uk managing director David Cain says: “This is a real breakthrough in the fight against bed bugs. Mapping on this micro level has given us a hitherto unseen view of exactly how bed bugs are spreading across London”

“Most interestingly, the research shows that in certain areas (i.e. postcode sectors) infestations have been effectively tackled, with reported numbers considerably reduced. In other areas the problem has remained roughly the same but in some areas the number of reported infestations has risen alarmingly.

Our research also dispels the myth that bed bugs are a universal problem in London but confirms that in certain areas the problem has reached epidemic proportions and that current control methods are simply not working. The big questions are ‘why not?’ and ‘what can we do to address that?’ ”

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Councils were asked to supply data showing the number of infestations reported to them over the last 5 years, by Postcode Sector. The majority of Councils were able to comply with the request and the data has now been analysed and mapped.

The results show that, looked at on a macro-level e..g. by council or by postcode area e.g. SW or even by postcode district e.g. SW8 one receives a totally false picture of the problem.

Only when infestations are mapped on a micro-level such as Postcode sector e.g. SW8 5 does one get a clear and accurate picture of the problem. Across the Capital, we have identified numerous sectors showing large increases with many showing 300-400% year-on-year increases.

In other words, casting the net over a smaller geographical area yields more meaningful data and suggests patterns.

David Cain says his company will be sharing this information with all participating London councils at a conference on December 15th.

He also argues councils should all be tracking data on infestations (and doing so the same way), and that bed bugs should be a notifiable pest.

Want to get rid of bed bugs? Find out where they are, and keep track of how they spread.

We applaud Cain and his team for undertaking this research, and we hope all cities begin tracking infestations.Similar Posts:

• Bed bugs in Washington, D.C.? Yes! And growing in number daily.
• Hawaiian hotel is largest structure ever fumigated for bed bugs
• Bed bugs at Spring Valley, NY apartment complex
• Bed Bug Barrier passive bed bug monitor wins ABC’s “The New Inventors” episode
• Bed bugs on Today with Meredith Viera and Janice Lieberman, today

Alice Miles of the Times (UK), clad protective garb, follows City of Westminster pest control operator Uriel Bowen as he treats for bed bugs, mice, and more bed bugs.Similar Posts:

• Bed bugs as big business: 1939 Post Office London Directory
• bad news: APictureofMe’s Caryn’s got bed bugs, again
• British NHS hospitals have frequent pest infestations, including bed bugs
• A reader’s bed bug story

This article from the Hounslow Chronicle (in London) on Tuesday reports that some UK housing authorities are no longer paying for tenants’ bed bug treatment, due to the rise in cases.

It tells the story of Claire Prince, 24. She and her four children are sleeping on floors, air mattresses, and in a stroller, since their beds were discarded due to bed bugs.

Sadly, what’s coming between the family and a good night’s sleep is bed bug treatment. And the cost isn’t terribly high, by other regions’ pest control standards:

David [Cain of Bed-bugs.co.uk], who claims west London hotspots for bed bugs include neighbouring Twickenham (TW1), said the problem can only be fixed by professionals but many housing authorities are removing responsibility from tenancy agreements following the rise in cases.

In Claire’s case it would cost her £130 to have two rooms in her home treated by Hounslow Council pest control contractors. Hounslow Homes claim it is the tenants’ responsibility to eradicate the pests. But as a single mum, Prince says this is a cost she simply can’t afford.

I can understand why housing authorities might feel the pinch. Landlords, where required to pay for bed bug treatment, do too.

Unfortunately, if a family cannot get prompt and high quality bed bug treatment, they won’t get rid of their bed bugs. This puts their neighbors — and others who are in contact with the family at work or school or on public transit — at risk of getting the problem too.

Everyone needs treatment for bed bugs, regardless of ability to pay. Governments need to find a solution for this. “Each person for him or herself” does not work, because bed bugs can spread easily to others.

As long as someone in your community has a bed bug problem, so do you.Similar Posts:

• Bed bugs biting in Reading, Pennsylvania
• AgencySpy reports “there may be bed bugs at MediaVest”

I finally had a chance to listen to David Cain’s UK radio appearance last Friday via the BBC iPlayer interface (which requires a RealPlayer plugin; I’m on a Mac and I was able to listen; I am sure Windows users will have no trouble).

Go to this link.

Find “The Breakfast Show with JoAnne Good” in the list of programs and select the “Fri” button underneath the show title to select Friday’s program. You need a RealAudio plugin to hear it, so if it does not load automatically at this point, then click the button for assistance. I did, I installed it, it worked.

The show is 3 hours long and though David is only on at approximately an hour and a half into the program, there are some really interesting yet brief discussions of bed bugs leading up to that point.

So you don’t have to listen to the whole thing, consider scrolling through and finding at least some of these tidbits:

(Times are approximate minutes into the show, and may depend on the machinery with which you tune in.)

4:14 The topic of bed bugs is introduced: program host JoAnne talks about bed bugs as if they are dust mites

16:05 She mentions bed bugs again, and abandoned mattresses

17:45 Dean from Camden calls in about his real-life experience with bed bugs. He describes what clearly sounds like a bed bug infestation (he has spotted bed bugs in all the expected colors and sizes, and suffered many bites)

And then, unfortunately, “David” (not David Cain, mind you, but someone at the station), who thinks he knows more than the caller who actually had this horrific bed bug experience, attempts to correct Dean’s story, saying that this must have been fleas, not bed bugs, because “bed bugs eat dead skin.”

Actually, no, David-of-the-BBC (who JoAnne points out “was brought up with livestock”): you’re thinking about dust mites.

I can see David Cain will have his work cut out for him here, as far as spreading correct bed bug information.

Then, Dean goes on to explain what was involved in eradicating his bed bug infestation, and that they were indeed identified as bed bugs by pest control operators, and yet the radio folks nevertheless completely disregard his information and experience.

(I was throwing my hands up at this point.)

At some point, JoAnne starts to argue that since “this generation” has homes that are so warm, this is the source of the problem.

While it’s certainly true that central heating came very recently to Britain, it is also true that bed bugs survived quite well in the UK in the cold, dark days prior to World War II, not to mention the medieval period: and what could be colder or darker than the Dark Ages?

39:07 Again, more than 20 minutes later and a propos of nothing, announcer JoAnne declares she’s sure Dean had fleas, not bed bugs

46:00 John Kettley, the famous BBC weatherman, is asked by the host if he has ever encountered bed bugs while traveling, and he too appears to be thinking about dust mites when he replies that, of course, “everyone has bed bugs”

No! No! No! No! No!

They don’t.

1:08 JoAnne stops the presses to announce that, in fact, one of the show’s producers (Kate) had them (bed bugs, actual bed bugs, mind you) and confirms they are not the same as fleas (nor dust mites). She confirms she had to move out, get her place “fumigated,” “burn mattresses,” etc.

The JoAnne, once again, argues it’s the heating in British homes that is to blame.

At 1:27 David Cain comes on for about 10 minutes.

He brings a jar of bed bugs to show the hosts. He clarifies that bed bugs have not only risen by 250% in London, as JoAnne suggested, but in some areas of London, by as much as 1200% in the last three years. He also sets JoAnne Good straight about her “overheated homes” theory of the resurgence of bed bugs.

“Absolutely incorrect.”

Cain instead warns listeners about the fact that bed bugs can hitchhike from place to place and are spread by people moving them around. He clarifies the bed bug vs. dust mite difference for host Max, who still thinks “we all have them.” Cain also clues the audience in on the global nature of this resurgence in the last five years (a problem which has grown in that time, he says, from “an absolute rarity” to “a major problem”).

Astonishingly, and again, as if she did not listen to a word Dean said when he called in, JoAnne mentions his case to David Cain as that of someone describing flea bites. But the caller had bed bugs and his pest control operator knew it!

The topic of identifying what is biting one gave David Cain a chance to discuss signs of bed bugs, and how and where they can be detected.

Then Mohammed calls in to the show and describes the slow process of detecting the infestation in his flat. He woke up with swollen bites but did not understand the source. He thought they were mosquito bites. He then saw bugs he thought were ladybirds (ladybugs).

Only after he found black marks and blood stains in the bed did Mohammed approach his landlady, who ordered a solution off the internet “which didn’t work out.” Only then was David Cain called in. (It gets a little unclear at this point, sound quality-wise, but I think he said he eventually found out eight units in his building had been infested, for about 7-8 months.)

Of course, we knew David Cain would have much useful information to share. But by the time he came on the air, I was completely exhausted from the idiocy and misinformation that appeared to take up so much of the program to this point.

It’s a sign of how badly informed the general public is about bed bugs, I guess.

What makes me angry, though, is that anyone tuning in before David spoke would have been given so much useless misinformation about “bed bugs.” If they were not able to stick around for his appearance, the misinformation might stick with them.

We can imagine that many of those listeners who did not get the correct story on bed bugs would then not have bothered to tune in to the BBC television program Inside Out, which aired later that night, and which also featured David Cain talking about bed bugs.

After all, they’re in everyone’s bed, right? No big deal.

If you don’t trust my recap (which of course could not be entirely accurate since I kept throwing my arms up to the heavens and exclaiming with absolute horror), and you want to hear for yourself the train wreck that was the Breakfast Show (prior to David’s appearance, of course), you have one more day. The “Friday” program will be replaced Friday morning.

Enjoy. Similar Posts:

None Found