On WNYC on Friday, Brian Lehrer talked to Jennifer 8 Lee (of the New York Times) about bed bugs, and asked callers to share their bed bug fighting tips.

There’s a mention of New York vs. Bed Bugs‘ FOIA request on HPD bed bug complaints. (Woo hoo!)

As you’d expect, it’s a bit dangerous asking callers for bed bug fighting tips.

Caller Lulu refused “fumigation” (though she described traditional spraying) of her unit when her entire building was treated. She recommended diatomaceous earth (DE), though gave incorrect information (”bed bugs eat it”).

I fully understand the desire to avoid pesticides where possible, but I also would not want to be the only person in a building not getting simultaneous bed bug treatment (or one of her neighbors)!

Christina believes she got bed bugs from her neighbors; she used DE and caulking. (Lehrer makes the helpful point that caulking does not prevent one from bringing bed bugs in to the home.)

Jennifer 8 Lee reminds listeners that NYC is moving towards a more coordinated approach, per Cincinnati’s and Toronto’s approaches.

Another caller called to warn Lulu that DE could be very dangerous if inhaled. (Rightly so!)

You can listen to this and the rest of the segment in full below:

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On this episode of This American Life, residents of 349 St. Johns Place in Brooklyn talks about what it’s like to sleep with (and deal with) bed bugs.

It’s in Act II, “Sleep’s Tiniest Enemies,” about 45% of the way into the program.

(If you already have trouble sleeping, you might want to skip the first part of this section, where the woman from Baltimore describes her problems with roaches, which directly precedes it.)

Remember 349 St. Johns Place in Brooklyn?

Thanks to Renee for the tip.Similar Posts:

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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:

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We were part of a radio station’s answer to a trivia question, and we had no idea!

It was 1015 The Point in Tampa, Florida’s Nearly Impossible Question, and we have no idea when, but suspect it was after Tampa’s News 10 mentioned us last April.

Anyway, this is old news. Eight months later, bed bugs have had a lot more press, as they’ve continued to spread. This means bed bugs are becoming so well known they may soon not be as eligible for the “Nearly Impossible Question.”

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Tune into WBAI 99.5 in New York City tomorrow morning at 10:40 to hear longtime Bedbugger contributor Lou Sorkin (entomologist from the American Museum of Natural History) talk about bed bugs (and other bugs). I am not sure what proportion of the program will discuss bed bugs, but we can hope it will be a major focus.

Those outside NYC can apparently listen to a life audio stream here, though you might want to test that in advance.

Thanks to Lou for the tip!

Update (11/13): You can listen to the show here or download an mp3 at least until 11/19. Select the “Eco-logic” program from 11/13 at 11 am.Similar Posts:

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Bed bugs were the subject of a report on Morning Edition this morning.

While it is always good that bed bugs are in the news, I have a few issues with the way this story was presented.

First, NPR fell into the trap of describing bed bug bites as if they always look the same:

Mayhill Fowler first noticed the bite marks on her wrists and ankles several years ago when she was living in Brooklyn. New ones showed up almost every morning, usually in groups of three.

“I found out later that this is typical,” Fowler says. “‘Breakfast, lunch and dinner’ is what they call it. And they are very small and kind of hard little bites. You know how mosquito bites can be kind of big? These are kind of small, and they are very itchy.”

Well, actually, bed bug bites are allergic reactions and can look quite different on different people. They do not always appear in groups of three. Single bites are the norm in a great many people, while some have a mixture. I’ve heard experts speculate that the multiple bites occur when we move while being bitten (causing the bed bug to start over) or when it is difficult to find a vein. Bed bug bites also not small on everyone, and they can vary from excruciatingly itchy to non-itchy. Even our photos do not do justice to the range I’ve seen. (More photos are welcomed, if your bed bug bites looked different from these.)

These are not small points. We’re told Fowler went to a doctor who had no clue what was causing these marks. If bed bug bites looked the same on everyone, perhaps doctors would have an easier time of diagnosing them.

Secondly, the article describes how she threw out her mattress, without any critical discussion of how most experts do not recommend this. It actually helps spread bed bugs, because unless you destroy it, someone else will pick that mattress up and re-use or re-sell it. (And by destroy, I don’t even mean a spray-painted warning: they’re commonly ignored.) In cities, that person who claims your curbside cast-offs may well be in your building. Good luck trying not to get those bed bugs back from your neighbors.

Thirdly, the article reinforces the idea that bed bugs are easy to find. They cite Michael Potter from a youtube video:

I’ve been on bedbug infestations where people have been to four different dermatologists, and then you get to their home and you flip over the box springs and it’s like the Boston Massacre. I mean, there’s just thousands of bedbugs, and they never knew they were there.

And doubtless, that happens.

But here’s what happened to me, and many others: we read of this sort of thing in articles and on the internets. We gather together a vacuum or some contact killer just in case we do find hordes of bed bugs, we get a friend to help us turn our bed upside down, and steady our nerves with a deep breath, and flip the mattress, and – voila! Nothing.

“Oh! Great! I don’t have bed bugs!” says the innocent Bedbugger.
“Darn, where are they hiding?” says the jaded one.

Many, many people do not find such obvious signs as this. After flipping the mattress and finding nothing, most folks trying to figure out what is “biting” them spend some time saying, “Thank God it isn’t bed bugs!” And in some cases, they are right. But many, many of us are later frustrated to find out that bed bugs can hide really, really well.

Potter’s comment is a great soundbite, but the American public, at this juncture needs information rather than stories. (Remember, I am a huge fan of Dr. Potter’s, and am starting to think he’s even cooler than Harry Potter, if you Bedbuggers know what I mean.) Cold, hard bed bug information is not really Morning Edition’s purview, but with a little editing, you could make this story more informative as well as interesting.

The photo caption “Bedbugs normally live in mattresses or suitcases,” with no elaboration, gives the wrong idea, and although there was an always-welcome article from Dini Miller on signs and what to do, I am afraid this report fell short of what I’d expect from NPR.

Have a listen, or a read, here.Similar Posts:

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This news story from the Times-Herald Record’s website recordonline.com reminds us, once again, that the most vulnerable people in our society may be suffering the most from bed bugs.

Port Jervis – Patients in the mental health unit at Bon Secours Community Hospital were relocated last week amid a bedbug outbreak.

Two patients complained to doctors about skin rashes caused by bedbug bites, hospital officials said.

Following a doctor’s examination, all patients on the floor were relocated to another unit and an exterminator was called. There are about 12 patients on the mental health floor.

No other bedbugs have been found in any other parts of the hospital, according to hospital spokeswoman Mary Decker.

But perhaps the hospital is overly optiistic about how easily treated the problem is:

All the rooms have been exterminated and are in the process of being reassembled, Decker said. The patients will be moved back to their rooms tomorrow.

“We’re happy we discovered it when we did and are able to treat it appropriately,” Decker said.

Decker said the hospital consulted with several agencies, including the Orange County Department of Health and the Mental Health Department, about the bedbug occurrence. Decker said there was no risk to others in the hospital.

“Each patient was showered and given new clothing before being transported to the other unit,” Decker said.

A hospital is probably an easier place to treat than most homes (due to clutter, furniture, and the way homes are set up), but if the hospital was only treated once, they may need to treat again. They should also inspect the entire hospital for bed bugs.

Patients, families, and other patients may want to know that the patients’ belongings may still be infested, if these were not treated or removed. Employees should be aware that they, too, could have moved the problem around to other rooms or to staff areas (even possibly taking the bugs home).

My heart goes out to those patients, who have enough to worry about without bed bugs.

Thanks to Bugalina, who mentioned hearing about this infestation on the Curtis and Kuby AM770 radio show today.Similar Posts:

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