In the television news spot below from WQAD.com in the Quad Cities of Iowa and Illinois, it is noted that

Environmental Health Specialist Jackie Hall of the Scott County Health Department [where Davenport, Iowa is located] says cases of bed bugs have been very rare in the county. Their most recent report of these was in October of last year.

Because the Scott County Health Department has not had a call about bed bugs since October, 2008, and they are assuming that this means that there have been no bed bug cases in the county since then.

We suspect they are probably wrong. After all, people of Davenport, did anyone tell you, that you should notify the Scott County Health Department, should you find bed bugs in your home? I suspect they did not.

Davenport, Iowa is part of the Quad Cities of Iowa/Illinois (which actually now includes five cities: Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa; and Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island, Illinois).

Reporters in the story below from Davenport imply that locals only need to worry about encountering bed bugs when they travel. Not so — two large local complexes — Joseph Fulton Homes East Moline, and Warren Tower in Rock Island County — suffered from publicized bed bug infestations in 2007.

So if you suffer from bed bugs in Davenport, at home or in a public place, please, call your local Health Department and let them know!

Update 4/20: According to the Reporter News Online, public health officials in Abilene, Texas also claim to not have a local bed bug problem.

Bedbugs may be biting in some parts of the country, but so far, Abilene does not seem to be plagued by the pesky little insects.

“I am not aware of any problems we are having with bedbugs in our area,” said Kay Durilla, nursing program manager for the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District. “However, it seems it is a recurring problem along the East Coast.”

Not just the East Coast. Bed bugs are in all 50 states, according to national pest control companies.

Again, people of Abilene, TX: if you have bed bugs, be sure and let the Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District know that bed bugs are a problem in your area.

The truth is that unless Abilene is inside a sealed airtight bubble, and no people or goods are allowed in and out, there are or will soon be bed bugs in Abilene.

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There’s a new New York Times Editorial on bed bugs today, and of course, we are always glad to see bed bugs mentioned in the media, especially in articles calling for New York City officials to do more about the problem.

The editorial carries no byline, and calls for a bed bug task force.

It also calls for more education and better training for pest control workers (two concerns, incidentally, which are addressed by Intro. 873 currently under consideration by the New York City Council, a bill which adds a bed bug report-and-information hotline to boot; more on that in a moment).

Unfortunately Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has done much on other quality-of-life issues, has not made bed bugs a big deal. We hope Ms. Brewer, other Council members and state lawmakers — and the mayor — will press for better training and more rigorous certification of exterminators, more public education about these pests, tougher standards for used furniture and a task force to figure out how to stay ahead of an army [of bed bugs ] that seems to be growing every year.

Can’t really argue with any of that, since we’ve been making many of the same recommendations around here since 2006.

But I have to say the article seems a bit understated, frankly.

It seems really odd to publish a bed bug editorial calling for the city to take action, right now, and not mention the bed bug bill, Intro. 873, currently being considered in the city council. Brewer was one of the 17 primary sponsors of the bill — but she’s the only city council representative mentioned in the article, where she’s portrayed as being on a one-woman anti-bed bug campaign.

If you want the city to make a change, why not mention Intro. 873, which readers might tell their city council representatives to support? The article does not say a word about its existence.

Or if you don’t like that bill, why not say so, and say why?

We know the media isn’t saying much about Intro. 873, but surely the New York Times editors have heard of it?

Most New Yorkers are likely to have no idea it’s under consideration right now.

Curious, isn’t it?

See our previous posts on Intro. 873, and those of New York vs. Bed Bugs — and, it goes without saying, any New Yorkers who agree that New York needs to take action on bed bugs should sign up and make their views known to their political representatives. New York vs. Bed Bugs makes it easy, with links to your City Council reps, and to a sample letter. Similar Posts:

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Cincinnati’s health department got almost 11 times as many requests for help with bed bugs in 2008 compared with 2007 (the number jumped from 70 to 750).  And the Cincinnati Enquirer reports today that they’ve now ceased inspecting for bed bugs.

Hmpf.

We knew this was coming when the 2009 budget did not include the $291K needed for this purpose.  The City is trying to find this money from other sources.

MSNBC sings the “Cincinnati has bed bugs” song today:

Health officials said the best way to combat the city’s bed bug problem was to raise awareness, and now the whole world knows about the area’s resurgent pests.

But awareness is only one factor in the fight against bed bugs.

MSNBC also notes that while 15% of Cincinnati residents has had bed bugs, only 31% are using licensed pest control specialists to get rid of them.  It is important to understand that licensed PCOs are not necessarily experienced or knowledgeable about bed bugs.  You’d be surprised by how many licensed PCOs still don’t “get” bed bugs.  And don’t forget that even knowledgeable PCOs may be stymied in their bed bug treatment by the inability to treat neighboring units in buildings.  (This may come down to money, tenants’ or landlords’ refusals to have inspections or treatment of adjacent units.)

Inadequate or incomplete bed bug treatment (which likely includes most self-treatment, and probably a lot of professional treatment as well) is likely a key factor in why more than 10 times as many people called the Cincinnati health department in 2008 compared with 2007.

It’s really hard to get rid of bed bugs even if you know what you’re doing.

Public education and the willingness to receive such reports likely accounts for some of it too: how many more people suffered from bed bugs, vs. how many more called the city about the problem (where they might have kept it to themselves).

But come on, Cincinnati!

Don’t you realize citizens and city alike will have much worse financial problems if in 2009, you see a rise in bed bug cases?

And come on, news media!

Let’s put two and two together.  It isn’t enough to be the city that understands the depth of its bed bug problem.  They also have to come through with more than awareness: cold hard cash, legislation, action.Similar Posts:

• Towels under the door: when cities abandon tenants with bed bugs
• A tale of two bed bug-troubled cities: Cincinnati, Columbus
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• Indianapolis Housing Authority vs. Bed Bugs

Click here to listen to this brief news item on New York City Council’s Intro. 873 from WNYC news, New York.

The tone of the item is dominated by the Health Department’s reminder that bed bugs are only “a stressful and unpleasant nuisance,” and that the health department already has a page on its website about bed bugs, and that “the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development takes complaints, performs inspections and issues violation summonses when appropriate.”

Yes, and the city’s response to bed bugs so far has been so effective that bed bugs are (somehow, still) spreading at an alarming rate. I judge this only by the reports to HPD, since we don’t have a more complete set of data.

Some cities, like Cincinnati (well, okay — only Cincinnati), actually attempt to find out what percentage of their inhabitants have (or have had) bed bugs. The answer — in Cincinnati? 14.5%.

I would not be surprised if a similar percentage of New Yorkers had been afflicted with bed bugs.

But the way things are going, we will never know, because we are completely in denial about it and no one is asking the question and therefore we don’t have to deal with the answer.

As a general rule, I don’t wish bed bugs on anyone. Not even my worst enemy.

But I do wish a knowledge of what it is like to have bed bugs on those who feel they are merely “a stressful and unpleasant nuisance.” Lice are a stressful and unpleasant nuisance. Detected and treated, they usually do not trouble a person for more than a few days.

We regularly hear from people in New York, Cincinnati, London, Boston, Vancouver, and all points in-between who are getting bed bug treatment and yet are troubled by bed bugs for weeks and even months on end.

They lose a lot of sleep.
They suffer a lot of stress.
They use money — often thousands of dollars which should go to health insurance, or medications, or buying vegetables for their kids — to pay for treatment, endless rounds of laundry, plastic bags, and more treatment.
They get their belongings gassed with sulfuryl flouride.
They sometimes have to move.
They go to job interviews with red welts all over their faces and remain unemployed.
They stop having friends and family over, for fear others will become infested.
Those in multi-unit buildings who cannot afford to move may never get rid of the problem.

Think this causes very real psychological and physical health problems? You bet.
It is a lot worse than a nuisance.
The health effects of bed bugs are often a lot more serious than a bit of stress.

In this economy, in this expensive city, the Health Department is being a bit short-sighted not to see the potential of any problem that causes ongoing stress and saps one’s financial resources as a genuine health concern.

More on Intro. 873 here.

And read Renee’s response on New York vs. Bed Bugs. She did not receive the Health Dept.’s comments well either.
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Gawker reports a rumor that the Marie Claire offices in the Hearst building have been infested with bed bugs; a Gawker tipster said:

“Marie Claire magazine in the brand new hearst tower was infested by bed bugs on Friday, courtesy of a fashion intern. employees in the affected area were sent home on Friday.
Over the weekend, total fumigation of the floor. Will it appear in the reality show they’ve been filming up there?!”

Gawker said the whole office was told bed bugs were brought in by an intern.

I am fascinated by such claims, since it is very hard to establish how bed bugs got into a particular space.

I am also fascinated that in workplace scenarios, it always seems to be a lowly staffer who is blamed as the “source”.

Bed bugs don’t discriminate: I hear pricey coops are among the most bed bug-infested buildings in the city.

Thanks to the reader who pointed me to Gawker today.Similar Posts:

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Bedbug Hotel

Originally uploaded by Frank Synopsis

From the film “Nancy Drew: Reporter,” which was released in 1939, before DDT swept through such places.Similar Posts:

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Lots of news items are appearing, as the plan we heard of on Tuesday was officially announced yesterday.

NY1’s Cindi Avila quoted Gale Brewer as to the reason New York is taking action:

Last year, the city’s 311 hotline got 7,000 bedbug related calls, almost four times more than just three years earlier. Now the city is taking action, educating the public about the painful problem.

“The bottom line is bed bugs must be dealt with. And they are a mental health issue if they are not a physical health issue,” said City Councilwoman Gale Brewer. “New Yorkers really need to know their government is behind them in trying to get rid of bedbugs.”

We look forward to knowing more about what’s happening in these educational events:

Wednesday the city announced plans to hold three seminars aimed at educating the public about the blood-sucking parasites.

“To ensure they know when they have bedbugs, to ensure they know how to exterminate the bedbugs, and to ensure that they identify if a neighbor may also have bedbugs that could spread into their homes,” said City Councilman Miguel Martinez of the purpose of the meetings.

These three goals are far more difficult than perhaps even Councilman Martinez understands. Bed bugs can be hard to locate. Perhaps the most important thing New Yorkers need to know is that entomologist Michael Potter estimates as many as 50% of people don’t react to bed bug bites. So you can have them and have no idea.

And tipping your mattress over often does not lead to enlightenment, as many bedbuggers have found–it’s not that easy to detect bed bugs.

Meanwhile, AP reporter Deepti Hajela wrote an article that was picked up all over, including Newsday.

Hajela spoke with officials about the reason for the campaign:

“It’s about quality of life,” Luiz Aragon, deputy commissioner in the Department of Housing and Preservation, said. “We know that people are sometimes attempting to deal with this problem but they don’t know how to.”

In my experience, knowledge is crucial, but only part of the battle.

For tenants, getting landlords to treat properly, using licensed Pest Control Operators and treating until a problem is fully gone, is the real struggle.

I am sure many landlords, PCOs, and bedbugged neighbors, would also complain about some tenants not cooperating with preparations, or not reporting the problem, or trying to self-treat.

Meanwhile, most people in co-ops have to figure out how to get their association on board with inspections and treatment.

Education helps with all that, but the city needs knowledge–of who’s infested, and muscle–to force action.

And the city will surely eventually have to help landlords and homeowners who can’t afford proper treatment, and tenants who may need help with preparations for treatment, not only to eliminate bed bugs but to keep the problem from spreading.

You can read Deepti Hajela’s AP story in Newsday here.

You can read Cindi Avila’s NY1 story here. Similar Posts:

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Canadian news weekly Maclean’s has a story on bed bugs dated January 3, 2008 by John Intini.

The article conveys the scope of the problem and the speed at which it seems to be spreading:

To get a full sense of the bedbug boom, ask any pest control expert. [Carlo] Panacci, for one, used to have a 1-800 number for his company, Cain Pest Control, but cancelled it because he was getting overwhelmed by cries for help from people in B.C., Newfoundland and everywhere in between. He now averages about eight to 10 bedbug inquiries a day. “I got so busy with bedbugs I gave up on raccoons and squirrels,” he says. Doug Wadlow, who runs Orkin Pest Control in Edmonton, says bedbug calls are up 300 per cent from 2004. Meanwhile, John Mitten, branch manager of Poulin’s Pest Control in Vancouver, says bedbugs will total 25 per cent of his firm’s work this year. That’s up from 13 per cent in ‘06. Some U.S. companies are getting as many as 50 bedbug calls a day. “You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see which way this is headed,” says Michael Potter, an entomology professor at the University of Kentucky and one of the world’s top bedbug researchers. Potter describes the spread of bedbugs as “a bit like a communicable disease.”

Although he acknowledges that bed bugs “don’t transmit disease,” the author nevertheless seems to get that bed bugs do have an adverse effect on mental health. Anecdotes convey the strain of a bed bug infestation, as well as the anxiety people feel even after the bed bugs are apparently gone–the fear they might still be there, the nervousness.

One study of pest control professionals found that 60 per cent of clients are more upset by the discovery of bedbugs than ro­­dents, termites or roaches. It’s no wonder bedbug support groups and message boards have popped up on­­line.

Indeed.

Intini also conveys the anxiety of professionals who fear bringing their work home:

Even pest control ex­­­­perts suffer the occasional anxiety attack. “A couple of times, I’ve woken up in the middle of the night, felt some­­thing crawl on me, and just freaked out,” says Goldman. “It turned out to be my wife’s hair.”

Intini notes that “If anyone should be frightened of bedbugs, it’s those in the hotel business,” and describes some of the steps hotels are taking to avoid bed bugs, and to get rid of them.

A new statistic from Dr. Potter on bed bug-reactive people (ie those with itchy bite marks):

“I’ve been in places where the wife is getting slaughtered and the husband, who is sleeping in the same bed, doesn’t react at all,” says Potter. As much as half the population, he says, won’t show any signs.

We’ve seen statistics as high as 70% bandied about, but I’m willing to go with Potter’s 50%. (Of course, it’s hard to know: some who are non-reactive may not be bitten.)

And finally, somber words from Dr. Potter:

And, says Potter, “it doesn’t look like there is a silver-bullet bedbug eliminator coming down the pipe any time soon.”

We have heard this before, but wait, there’s more:

Even if one did, he says, the liability of spraying beds and couches with it would restrict its use. “Bedbugs live in all the places that we’ve been training the pest control industry in the last 20 years not to spray,” says Potter. “Back in the days of DDT, it was recommended practice to spray the pillows, the entire mattress. Nothing wasn’t dripping when you walked out.” Before then, bedbugs were a whole lot more common. “I’ve read diaries from the ’30s where they wrote about springtime bedbug cleaning,” says Potter. “They’d throw boiling water on the walls, pour oil into the crevices of the wood floors, sleep for two weeks and then start the process again. It was part of life.”

I found this helpful in elucidating why it isn’t just about bringing back a banned pesticide or creating a new one; the whole culture on pesticides has changed since we last had to deal with bed bugs in North America (on a large scale, anyway).

All in all, nothing terribly new, but lots of good soundbites, and all in all, a good consciousness-raising piece.

Nice work John Intini and Maclean’s!

Read the article here.Similar Posts:

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A robber has been dubbed the “bedbug bandit” by authorities after using pillowcases to cart off loot from a bank he robbed in Sacramento, California, according to Sacramento’s ABC News 10.Similar Posts:

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This came to me from an anonymous reader with username DocMaker:

A documentary film is searching for subjects in Vancouver, Canada who are battling the bedbug epidemic as we speak!
If all works out, we may be able to get you a free extermination!

If you are interested in sharing your tales, send me an email:
docmaker@email.com

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