Bed Bugs Do Bite! 11/52

Originally uploaded by clairebelles

This photo from flickr user clairebelles shows bed bug bites she says were from a Washington DC hostel.

Ugh!

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The New York City Bed Bug Advisory Board bill (Intro. 57a) was passed yesterday!

This fox segment preceding the vote Wednesday was just a sample — there was a lot of press, from Fox and Newsday to the Canarsie Courier.

The New York Press was clearly too traumatized to post an actual bed bug photo, so they posted a picture of the furry faux Bed Bug plush (from Giant Microbes).

Alas, sneaky Simes is way, way uglier than that.

This clip from WNYC about the passing of the bill has Gale Brewer saying, “it’s not the final nail in the coffin of bed bugs in our city, it’s the first nail…”.

Bring it on!

Congratulations to Gale Brewer and the other council members who sponsored and supported Intro. 57a which called for the Bed Bug Advisory Board.

Congratulations also to Renee Corea and my other fellow founders and members of New York vs. Bed Bugs, who worked hard to raise awareness about the importance of the bed bug issue (and the need for a Bed Bug Task Force) among council members, as well as other local officials and elected representatives.

Thanks to all those who testified at the New York City Council Hearing a few weeks back, and of course to everyone who wrote, called, or visited their elected representatives.

We hope the appointments to New York City’s new Bed Bug Advisory Board include some of the best local entomologists who study bed bugs and can speak knowledgeably of the scope and complexities of the bed bug problem, and of the best possible courses of action the city might consider.

I know I still owe you some notes from two weeks ago. Alas, they’re dated now, but I still intend to share some snippets. I’ve been busy and had some back trouble of late, so it’s had to go on the back burner. Stay tuned!Similar Posts:

• New York Mayor Bloomberg signs Bed Bug Advisory Board legislation
• New York City bed bug numbers, Bedbugger-style
• Atlantic City public housing: 1/3 of 800 units in four buildings infested with bed bugs
• New York Daily News: NYC bed bug complaints up 34% in one year
• Bed bugs bite in Richmond, California public housing development

The following photos come from Lou Sorkin — pictures of bed bugs and eggs harboring in a bed (headboard, frame, mattress, etc.).

All photos and descriptions above courtesy of Dr. Louis Sorkin, All Rights Reserved. Many thanks to Lou, for sharing these with us!

(All descriptions follow the photo they describe.)

Bed frame, headboard & box spring. See close up pictures [below] of headboard, side of bed frame, box spring, and canvas strap handles.

Close up on wood support behind head board. Close up of top of wooden support to reveal bed bug adults, nymphs, exuviae, feces deposited on vertical wood headboard, and accumulation of dust.

Close up of headboard groove. Bed bug nymphs, shed skins, feces near to and in the groove.

Groove in bed frame side panel. Machine cut in bed frame bed bugs infested. Shed skins on surface and bugs in groove.

Bed frame with horizontal slat. See close ups [below] of slat and close up of area under this slat. Also bugs can be seen in another picture [above] of a machine cut in wood frame.

Close up area on bed frame under slat. Horizontal slat removed from bed frame to reveal bed bug refugia including adults, nymphs, eggs (some unhatched), exuviae, and feces.

Bed frame edge of horizontal slat. Bed bug feces, shed skins, eggs (some entire, some hatched) on underneath side of slat.

At head, old box spring turned over. See bed bugs, nymphs, eggs, feces.

Old box spring canvas strap 1. Canvas strap is folded down to expose refugia of bed bugs. Note bed bug adults (also squished one), nymphs, eggs, feces.

Old box spring canvas strap 2, lower. Another canvas strap that has been folded up out of the way to expose bugs, exuviae, feces, eggs on box spring covering.

Old box spring canvas strap 2, upper. Another canvas strap that has been folded up out of the way to expose bugs, exuviae, feces, eggs, on strap.

To see more of Lou’s photos, or to see these photos in a larger size, go to Lou’s flickr photostream.
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• Back to school: news media focuses on bed bugs in college dorms
• Man on #2 train with bed bugs: bed bug hysteria? Or fact?
• Lou Sorkin, “The man who lets the bed bugs bite”
• Tour of infested Brooklyn apartment, bed bug commercials, from YouTube
• Bed bugs at college: SUNY Potsdam

You might see evidence of bed bugs which looks like this, when searching a hotel room.

Bed bug fecal traces on a headboard and mattress:

Photo credit for all three photos goes to David James of Packtite.
Thanks, David, for sharing them! (Copyright All Rights Reserved by David James.)Similar Posts:

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There are several creatures commonly mistaken for bed bugs by people who have not seen bed bugs or haven’t seen different life stages of bed bugs.

Booklice (a type of psocid) are often confused for bed bug nymphs:

Photo courtesy of LieutenantDan.

An anonymous Bedbugger helpfully recommended this military fact sheet (click for a PDF) on book lice with helpful identification tips (hint: booklice have a large protuberance on the front of their heads).

Spider Beetles are often confused for adult bed bugs:

Photo courtesy of Lou Sorkin.

The presence of these creatures may mean you do not have bed bugs. In some cases, it may also mean you have bed bugs and something else, and just have not seen the bed bugs yet.

To determine if you also have bed bugs, click here to see photos of bed bugs and signs of bed bugs.

Got other imposters to add? Click below to leave a comment and link to a photo of the culprit!
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• excerpt from “Bed Bugs II” by Bryan Lewis Saunders

bed bugs hiding

Originally uploaded by louento.pix

Lou Sorkin says of his photo:

“Flat rubber molding pulled back to reveal bed bugs hiding. Notice that bugs are at top of molding in corner where there is no adhesive.”

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This is a booklouse, photo sent in by LtDan. Several bedbuggers have mistaken them for bed bug nymphs. Notice the shape of the body is elongated, with three clear segments. There’s a pronounced head.

Compare this photo from L. Sorkin and R. Mercurio of a bed bug nymph:

Both are light colored but the bed bug nymph has a less elongated body. It doesn’t look like it has a neck, whereas the booklouse does. The bed bug nymph is clear but will become red when it has fed. Thanks to reader DJR for sharing this book louse photo.Similar Posts:

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my lovely bedroom

Originally uploaded by mangy_cur

Scene’s from a Bedbugger’s life: the bedroom of bags.

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iPhone Interloper once again shares with us a wonderful catch.

Was someone trying to bring their mattresses back?

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Blogger 5chw4r7z in Cincinnati snapped this photo of a sign hawking coffee with this come-on:

“Got Bed Bugs? Get *Pronto* / Folgers Classic Roast Coffee $1.99.”

No, the sign is not telling you to buy Folgers right away to help you stay up late at night washing, drying, and bagging. “Pronto” is a spray.

This is Pronto:

Active Ingredients: 3-Phenoxybenzyl-(1RS, 3RS, 1RS, 2 SR)-2,2-Dimethyl-3-(2-Methylprop-1-Enyl) Cyclopropane Carboxylate 0.4%; N-Octyl Bicycloheptene Dicarboxamide 1.6%.

People of Cincinnati, this spray is not going to wipe out your bed bug problems. Bed bugs are seriously difficult to treat. If they were this easy, that would be the end of the blog, and we could all buy a bottle and spray it out and call it a day. We’re here because even with experienced help, it can take weeks and months to eliminate bed bugs from your home–even a small infestation. And if you start treating it yourself, you can even make things worse.

The Cincinnati Bed Bug Remediation Commission seems to be pushing furniture removals (when, in fact, tossing your furniture is often not necessary). Are they getting word out to residents that they need professional help in fighting their bed bugs? This applies to homeowners, and renters as well. It is hard enough eliminating bed bugs from a single-family home. But if you are in a multi-unit building, your neighbors are likely infested too. Those units above, below, or on all sides of your apartment must be professionally inspected and treated if necessary. (Just because someone has not noticed bed bugs does not mean they do not have them.) In some cases, entire buildings will need treatment. Landlords or building management must be involved and they must get a professional who knows bed bugs in to deal with the problem.

And Cincinnati also advises its citizens not to hop down to the convenience store, but to get professional help for bed bugs. According to a Q&A on the Fox News website,

Q: Who do I call if I think my home or apartment has bedbugs?

A: You may choose to contact a licensed pest control to determine if you have an infestation and to provide bug control services. The Cincinnati Health Department does not conduct inspections for bed bugs, but can provide information.

Q: What number do I call for information about bed bugs?

A: Call 591-6000 and press option 1 for Health Information and option 2 for Trash Collection Information.

Notice there is no option to “Ask for help paying for treatment.” In Boston, the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation did provide such assistance to homeowners, with corporate grants as well as state funding. And they’re doing it again this year. I believe that bed bugs are going to continue to spread if they aren’t properly treated, and so the government must step in and provide help for those who cannot afford treatment.

If you are a landlord, or homeowner, and you are forced to forego treatment, under-treat, or self-treat because you cannot afford professional pest control services, you need to call the city’s bed bug hotline, local politicians, and local news media, and spread the word. You need to agitate until the city does more than cart away bed bug-infested furniture.

Bed bugs are not roaches or ants.
Bed bugs are not roaches or ants.
Bed bugs are not roaches or ants.

They are much harder to eradicate.

So do not walk into a convenience store. Get real help. Do your homework: start here.
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