The Social Q’s etiquette column in the New York Times covered a bed bug issue Thursday.  The anonymous letter writer said,

My brother has bedbugs. He told our mother and made her promise not to tell me. But she called me immediately. Apparently, he hasn’t told his landlady or called an exterminator, or done anything to contain their spread.

We are all going on a family trip soon. The bedbugs will surely be among his belongings and will set up camp in the home of the relative we’re staying with, and perhaps find their way back to my place.

Although the answer from columnist Philip Galanes was more about the issue of mom spilling the beans on the brother’s secret than anything else, the answer was clear: brother’s refusal to deal with bed bugs (and therefore the possibility he would infest everyone on the upcoming trip) was not acceptable, and the letter writing sister needs to step in and help him grab the bed bug bull by the horns.

See: Social Q’s – A Secret, Itching to Be Told – NYTimes.com.

Bed bugs also appeared in in the Business column On the Road on Monday ,  and in the Patient Money column last Friday.

Given how concerned the New York Times seems to be with bed bugs right now (bed bugs in hotels, bed bugs and etiquette, bed bugs and health/finance), why won’t someone in the “official” media mention the tiny issue of the still-unfilled NYC Bed Bug Advisory Board?Similar Posts:

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Remember Joyce Cohen’s New York Times column “The Hunt” — which features New York tenants searching for just the right apartment?  In 2007, two separate columns in three months described young couples ending their searches in an apartment with bed bugs.

In September 2007, it was Tabitha Shick and Benjamin Klein.  Then, in December, we heard about Jon Werberg and Helene Mattera, who moved to a semi-gut-reno on East 117th Street, with bed bugs.

Now, in the fifth anniversary “The Hunt” column, we get an update on Mattera and Werberg, who were stuck in their apartment on 117th St. for one year:

… it seemed location was the only thing their apartment had going for it. They gladly left last summer, the day their one-year lease expired.

The $1,550-a-month apartment, on East 117th Street, was badly maintained, they said. They had several bouts with bedbugs, spending a small fortune on laundry and dry cleaning.

They hoped to buy a home — doing so remains “somewhere between a goal and a dream,” Mr. Werberg said — but their priority was to get out. When they left, they took nothing upholstered.

They were relieved to return to the Bronx. They liked the Parkchester condominiums, but they wanted a dog and dogs aren’t allowed, so they found a big one-bedroom rental nearby for $1,350.

Their new superintendent “is the kind of man who dusts outdoor breezeways,” Ms. Mattera said. “He is meticulous to a T. It makes a world of difference.”

Although a meticulous, well-kept apartment has so much going for it, readers need to know that it does not mean the home will not get bed bugs, nor does it mean that the landlord will handle them properly if it does.

Cleanliness does not prevent bed bugs.

And any landlord who has not dealt with bed bugs before faces a learning curve.  Many good, meticulous landlords are not informed about how easily bed bugs spread, and how hard it is to detect them.

The truth about bed bugs is that you can clean like the Dickens and not get rid of or prevent them.

The good news is that it sounds like Mattera and Werberg are done with bed bugs.  Let’s hope they never have this problem again!

Read the update in full here: The Hunt – So Where Are They Now? – NYTimes.com.Similar Posts:

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Those Craigslist crazies are at it again, this time in Bushwick/East Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Check this out:

CURB ALERT: 2 nice couches (Bushwick/E. Williamsburg)

Two very nice couches have been thrown out in front of 15 Thames St, in Bushwick/East Williamsburg. One is red velvet, the other is a floral pattern. They both have signs that say BED BUGS on them, but I’ve slept on both these couches in the past week and haven’t noticed any bedbugs. Please take these great couches and save them from someone else’s wastefulness.

Now, why would someone who is throwing out a sofa say that it had bed bugs, if it did not have bed bugs?

We know it is possible to be bitten by bed bugs and not react to bed bug bites, and we know it’s possible you won’t see bed bugs when they’re around.

If someone advertises that something has been exposed to bed bugs, by all means, please stay away!

If you ever doubted that we need a widespread education campaign about bed bugs, which includes a focus on how easily they spread, how difficult they can be to spot, and how many people do not react to bed bug bites, consider this ad.

Consider also it was posted in Brooklyn, New York City, where even the USA Channel’s fake detectives know what bed bugs look like.

The recent Law and Order: Criminal Intent episode featuring hipsters with bed bugs got some things wrong, but it was set in the same neighborhood (Bushwick/East Williamsburg).

The address listed in the ad, 15 Thames St., is in a neighborhood with many infested buildings, according to the Bed Bug Registry. (And we don’t know which building the sofas came out of, of course.)

Keep in mind, all infested buildings are not listed on the Bed Bug Registry.  Not by a long shot.

Needless to say, I would not take in a curbside sofa, at this point in time, whether it declared itself bed bug-free, or had no signage at all.  I certainly would not take in a sofa with a bed bug warning.  Sheer lunacy.

Caveat dumpster. That’s all I am saying.

The original ad is here, while it lasts.

A screenshot is here.

(The ad is PostingID: 1152996959 and it is copyright 2009 Craigslist.)

Thanks to KillerQueen for finding this one.

Similar Posts:

• Bard of Bushwick Frank Hoier sings about bedbugs
• The Bed Bug Registry adds new features
• Another Craigslist bed bug story
• “On the bed bug list” in Brooklyn
• New York City Housing Authority: “bed bugs = emergency” + “wait a month” do not compute

Bed bug blogger Unlucky in Bugs tells us that Law & Order: Criminal Intent will feature bed bugs tonight (April 26, 2009).

Interestingly, UiB tells us,

The entomologist is played by the husband of a good friend of my sister’s, who is one of the first people I heard of to get bed bugs way back in 2005… so there’s some nice bed bug karma for you. It’s his television debut!

Sounds good!  We always like to hear about bed bugs on television.

Friend to Bedbugger Dr. Lou Sorkin is a forensic entomologist who has been consulted about New York City crime scenes.

Because bed bugs contain the blood of their recent hosts, they could potentially produce evidence relevant to a crime.

This episode of Law & Order could be a very interesting show!

Update (4/28): Did anyone else catch this? I was excited to see bed bugs on television, but the bedbugged aspects of the plot left me with some questions. I preface this by saying, I am not an entomologist.

The episode is called “Rock Star.” It’s about the death of two hipster musicians in an East Williamsburg loft (an open-plan one, with nooks rather than apartments, no one seems to have four walls and a closed door).

The detective played by Jeff Goldblum places his portfolio on a bed his partner earlier identified as having bed bugs — she saw one crawling around. (The loft owner’s response “I have a fumigation certificate right here!” Fumigation certificate?!? Huh?)

Later, Goldblum’s character casually bends over to collect about 5-6 bed bugs off the floor (they look like pre-adult stages) which are ostensibly just hanging out near his feet in broad daylight. And he does so without the occupant he’s chatting with noticing that he’s collecting them — and produces them later dead in a tissue.

That was easy!

From these squished samples, a forensic entomologist (who rightly declares NYC to be in the middle of a bed bug epidemic) extracts blood that’s up to two months old, and suggests that the current occupant and past occupant had the same female lover.

The problem with all this, is we’re talking about the floor of a converted sausage factory with something like 27 young tenants all sharing the larger space, with doorless rooms rather than separate units (Goldblum’s character uses the phrase “rabbit warren”).

How could you be sure that blood from two months ago, extracted from a bed bug, represented someone bitten in the same room in a high-turnover open-plan loft, where the occupants come and go and hang out on the same sofas?

And then, how would you determine they were having a relationship, as the detectives do? You can’t of course. (To be fair, it isn’t a lynchpin for the plot.) Sue could have simply been bitten when she came to give Teeter back his copy of On the Road. (Yes, I am embellishing; no actual books were spotted in the loft.)

Moreover, those did look like some awfully young bed bugs… if they were living in a loft full of hipsters, feeding regularly for two months, would they not have reached adulthood?

I hope some of our entomologist friends will weigh in on the science behind “Rock Star.”

If you missed this show on USA, you can TIVO it when it repeats at 9 am Sunday (EST). Or look for it in the schedule of repeats on the Criminal Intent site.

Update #2 (4/28/2009):

I suspected this artists’ loft was modeled on the McKibben Lofts, and it appears Curbed blogger Lockhart thought so too.

McKibben Lofts have allegedly been no stranger to the bed bug.Similar Posts:

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Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs called to find out what it’s like to call the New York City 311 help line and report bed bugs, now that bed bugs are their own separate category in terms of 311 complaints.  Renee writes,

I called 311 to see if anything was new in how the actual calls were handled and a nice guy named Joseph walked me through what they’re doing. Basically, it’s the same but there was a certain efficiency to this call and no more “bed bugs? did you say bed bugs?” It’s still a complaint process that’s routed to HPD or NYCHA, and a call transfer to the Health Department if the caller wants the bed bug fact sheet. Interestingly, they’re now also taking complaints for subways (it’s a script for rats, mice and bed bugs or conditions conducive to the same), and that call gets routed to the MTA.

That’s huge. Good to hear.

Now, can they meet the demand of bed bug inspections?

I know you’ll want to check out “311 finally has bed bug category” at New York vs Bed Bugs.Similar Posts:

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Every unit in a large (five building, 70-unit) apartment complex, Spring Valley Commons, in Spring Valley, NY, is getting treated for bed bugs.

Suzan Clarke of the Journal News reports that:

The treatment – which begins today – comes after residents complained to the county’s health department that they were being bitten in their homes but didn’t know the source of the bites.

Health department inspectors found bedbugs in three apartments in January, and ordered the units treated.

Some residents have said they suffered ill effects from being bitten. One woman, Cassandra Edwards, said she spent thousands of dollars on specialized medical care after she started “breaking out” last fall. Doctors initially thought the situation was due to her lupus, and prescribed medications that didn’t help and caused her to gain weight.

After months had passed without relief, she woke up one morning in December to discover that her bed was crawling with bedbugs.

Her apartment has been treated, and the pests no longer are present, but she said she’s been door-to-door in the complex and found that more than 20 people have a similar problem.

Some observations:

1.  Bed bugs most certainly can be bad for your health. Besides the itching and possible infection of bed bug bites, sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety, and potential serious allergic reactions including (in rare cases) anaphylaxis, many people may receive incorrect treatment — as Ms. Edwards did — because doctors simply cannot determine the source of bed bug-related skin problems.

2.  The article implies that if you rent in Spring Valley and have bed bugs, you can call the county health department and they will apparently inspect your home and order treatment. Wikipedia tells me this is the Rockland County Health Department.

3.  Bed bugs left to fester will spread.

The article notes,

Edwards welcomed the action on the part of the management company, but said it came way too late. She and her neighbors were angry because they said management knew about the bedbug problem since last year and failed to inform tenants.

If they had, she and others could have been spared the upset of having to pack up or discard numerous belongings in order to have apartments treated.

via Bedbug treatment expanded at Spring Valley Commons | lohud.com | The Journal News.Similar Posts:

• Towels under the door: when cities abandon tenants with bed bugs
• More bed bug treatments in Lexington’s Ballard Griffith senior apartments
• Bed bugs at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania
• Ohio County, WV Health Dept. official: bed bugs “public health nuisance” and “psychological disaster”
• Bed bugs in Philadelphia’s Art Museum area high-rises

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:

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Excellent news!

This is the New York City Council’s press release containing Mayor Bloomberg’s remarks on Int. 57a, which he signed yesterday:

MAYOR BLOOMBERG SIGNS LEGISLATION TO ESTABLISH A BED BUG ADVISORY BOARD

Remarks by Mayor Bloomberg at a Public Hearing on Local Laws

“The third bill before me is Introductory Number 57-A, sponsored by Speaker Quinn and Council Members Brewer, Foster, Gentile, Gerson, Gonzalez, James, Mark-Viverito, Martinez, Mendez, Nelson, Palma, Sanders, Weprin, White, Koppell, Liu, Recchia, Sears, Vallone, Garodnick, Jackson, Avella, Arroyo, Dickens, Mealy, Lappin, Stewart, Rivera, and Gennaro. Introductory Number 57-A establishes a Bed Bug Advisory Board.

“Bed bugs are small insects that often hide in cracks in furniture, floors, or walls and are usually active at night. The physical impact to those living with bed bugs may start with painless bites which can later turn in to large, itchy welts. These bites are a great nuisance and can have a negative impact on the quality of life of New Yorkers.

“Bed bugs have resurfaced in New York City in recent years and we are not alone. Urban centers throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe are experiencing a resurgence in bed bugs. In response, we have instituted a multi-pronged approach to address the issue which includes: prevention through public education, creation of guidelines and protocols for residents, health care providers, businesses, and pest management professionals, and a systematic response to bed bug complaints.

“Despite all of our efforts, there is currently inadequate data to understand the full extent of the bed bug problem in the City. The creation of the Bed Bug Advisory Board, comprised of experts in the pest management, entomology, and public health fields and representatives from the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Consumer Affairs, Sanitation, Information Technology and Telecommunications, and Housing Preservation and Development will examine the bed bug problem in further detail, systematically evaluate, study, identify and develop appropriate strategies to control and eradicate the bed bug problem in the City. The Advisory Board will report back their findings to the Mayor and the Speaker within nine months of their appointment.

“I would like to thank the commissioners and staff of the Departments of Health & Mental Hygiene, Consumer Affairs, Sanitation, Information, Technology & Telecommunications and Housing Preservation & Development for their work in this bill. I would also like to thank the Council for approving this legislation.”

Update (3/19):

Responses from the New York Times City Room blog’s Jennifer 8 Lee and Roy Edroso on the Village Voice’s Running Scared blog.

Update (3/20):

You can download and view a video of the signing here. It’s a long video, but the three or so minute bit which is relevant to Intro. 57a comes in at about 8:42 (so you can let it run and leave the room for a few minutes!)

It’s worth watching the video, because there is a lot there that is not contained in the text announcement on NYC.gov. A lot. For example:

Mayor Bloomberg tells people not to buy used mattresses (!), and also asks Gale Brewer why bed bugs came back (she answers “no more DDT;” Bloomberg quips, “Thanks, Rachel Carson!”) In fact, as we know, we can’t blame Rachel Carson for the resurgence of bed bugs: it is a complex issue and bringing back DDT would not necessarily be a help to bed bug sufferers, since bed bugs began to show resistance to DDT in the 1940s. (See this post for more.)

Council Member Gale Brewer thanks city agency officials from HPD (for the HPD bed bug seminars — she says “close to 1000 people” every single HPD bed bug seminar), DoIT (for making it possible to track 311 bed bug-related calls — this year she says there have been 22,000 bed bug information requests and 9,000+ requests for a bed bug inspection from HPD) and DCA.

Outside of city agencies, Brewer thanks wonderful bed bug advocate Renee Corea (of New York vs. Bed Bugs), entomologist Dr. Lou Sorkin, Pest Control Operator Jeff Eisenberg of Pest Away, Gary Carter and Ray Lopez from Little Sisters of the Assumption, Cornell (Cornell entomologist Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann testified at the hearing), and the Dept. of Health.

Mayor Bloomberg also points out that bed bugs are a problem everywhere and he has had friends who have had them. That is an important statement for the mayor to make.

Similar Posts:

• Intro. 57: bed bug task force to get New York City Council vote on 3/11
• Wednesday’s New York City Council vote on the Bed Bug Advisory Board: it passed!
• Pueblo, Colorado issues health advisory about bed bugs
• New York Daily News: NYC bed bug complaints up 34% in one year
• Bed bugs bite Edmonton

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

I just received the following message below from Gale Brewer, updating us on the status of the Bed Bug Task Force bill, Intro. 57.

Another section of the same bill — the part which bans the sale of reconditioned mattresses — is not being voted on concurrently. Since support for the Bed Bug Task Force was unanimous and strong at the 2/24 New York City Council Hearing on three bed bug bills, but support for the section of the same bill banning reconditioned mattresses was not unanimous, the consideration of 57-A (the Bed Bug Task Force Advisory Board) independently of the reconditioned mattress legislation is good news, in my opinion, since it surely makes it easier for this part of the Bill to get through, quickly.

And we do need this New York City Bed Bug Task Force Advisory Board to get to work, quickly.

We actually need a Bed Bug Task Force; hopefully the Advisory Board will advise: action!

[Emphasis in bold, below, is mine.]

Dear New Yorker:

Thank you for your advocacy on the creation of a bed bug task force. Because I share that goal, I introduced Intro 57-2006 which prohibits the sale of reconditioned mattresses and calls for the formation of a bed bug task force.

On Tuesday, February 24, 2009, the Council Committees on Health, Consumer Affairs and Sanitation held a public hearing on Introductions 57-2006, 872-2008 and 873-2008. Entomologists, exterminators, health care professionals, advocates and members of the public offered testimony for 5 hours in Council Chambers. Representatives from the following NYC Departments: Health and Mental Hygiene, Housing Preservation and Development, Consumer Affairs and Sanitation all testified in support of the creation of a Bed Bug task force.

I am pleased to announce that the Council’s Committee on Consumer Affairs is scheduled to vote on Intro 57A-2006, which creates a Bed Bug Advisory Board, on Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 10am in the Committee Room of City Hall. The text of the final bill is below. The measure is expected to pass and it will then be voted on the same day by the full Council at the Stated Council Meeting, which is scheduled to start at 1pm in the Council Chambers. All members of the public are invited to attend, although there will be no opportunity to offer testimony during either meeting.

After the Council approves the bill (which it is fully expected to do!), the Mayor has 30 days to sign it into law. We will share the bill signing information with you as soon as it available as you are all invited to attend.

We still have a long way to go in addressing bed bugs in our City, but thank you for your tireless efforts in getting us to this important milestone.

Sincerely,
Gale A. Brewer
City Council, District 6: Manhattan

Int. No. 57-A

By Council Members Brewer, The Speaker (Council Member Quinn), Foster, Gentile, Gerson, Gonzalez, James, Mark-Viverito, Martinez, Mendez, Nelson, Palma, Sanders Jr., Weprin, White Jr., Koppell, Liu, Recchia Jr., Sears, Vallone Jr., Garodnick, Jackson, Avella, Arroyo, Dickens, Mealy and Lappin

A Local Law in relation to the creation of a Bed Bug Advisory Board.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Legislative findings and declaration. Sometimes referred to as “red coats,” “chinches,” or “mahogany flats,” bed bugs, Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, are blood-feeding parasites of humans, chickens, bats and occasionally domesticated animals. Bed bugs are wingless and spread from infested to non-infested areas through the transportation of clothing, luggage, furniture and bedding. In the early stages of infestation, bed bugs are found mainly in the tufts, seems and folds of the mattress and bed covers. However, they later spread to cracks and crevices in the bedsteads.

According to the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (“DOHMH”), bed bugs often seek refuge in bedding during the day and feed on occupants at night. Bed bugs feed primarily on humans by piercing the skin as people sleep. Although bed bugs are not generally considered human disease carriers, they inject a fluid to assist in drawing blood, which causes a welt that becomes irritated, inflamed and uncomfortable. After feeding, bed bugs crawl back into hiding, where they may remain for 80 to 140 days before returning to feed.

Bed bug infestations diminished substantially after the development and use of modern insecticides, such as DDT. However, pest management professionals have noticed a marked increase in bed-bug related complaints since 1995. Experts believe this may be related to the increased number of people traveling and returning from abroad with these insects hiding in their suitcases and clothing.

According to the DOHMH, the use of appropriate pesticides and the thorough cleaning of all bedding with water at extremely high temperature may help reduce the chance of infestation. However, even with professional extermination, a bed bug problem may be impossible to eliminate. If even one adult female bed bug survives, the area may quickly become infested again as the adult female lays one to five eggs every day and each egg takes only 17 to 28 days to hatch.

The Council finds that the Cimex lectularius population is ubiquitous and affects the quality of life of residents throughout the City. Based on this finding, the Council determines that it is necessary to create an advisory board to study this issue further and draft concrete recommendations for the most effective methods for treating and preventing bed bug infestations in New York City .

§2. Bed Bug Advisory Board. a. There shall be an advisory board to study health concerns associated with cimex lectularius, commonly referred to as the bed bug, and to make specific recommendations to the mayor and council for the prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations throughout the city.

b. Such advisory board shall consist of ten members as follows:

i. Three members shall be appointed by the mayor, provided that at least one such member shall be from the pest management industry and shall have experience in bed bug control and/or extermination and at least one member shall have advanced specialized training in and knowledge of entomology;

ii. Two members shall be appointed by the speaker of the council, provided that at least one such member shall have a background in community health;

iii. The commissioners of the department of health and mental hygiene, the department of consumer affairs, the department of sanitation, the department of information technology and telecommunications, and the department of housing and preservation, or the designees of such commissioners, shall serve ex officio.

iv. At its first meeting, the advisory board shall select a chairperson from among its members by majority vote of the advisory board.

c. Each member, other than members serving in an ex officio capacity, shall serve for a term of 9 months, to commence after the final member of the advisory board is appointed. Any vacancies in the membership of the advisory board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment. A person filling such vacancy shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term of the succeeded member.

d. No member of the advisory board shall be removed from office except for cause and upon notice and hearing by the appropriate appointing official.

e. Members of the advisory board shall serve without compensation and shall meet as necessary.

f. The advisory board shall issue a report to the mayor and council no later than nine months after the final member of the advisory board is appointed. Such report shall include specific recommendations on the following topics:

i. Prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations in private dwellings;

ii. Prevention and treatment of bed bug infestations in public accommodations and institutions, including, but not limited to, schools, hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, jails and residential shelters;

iii. Tracking and reporting of bed bug infestations;

iv. Disposal of bed bug infested items;

v. Bed bug training and/or education for urban pest management professionals;

vi. Bed bug training and/or education for city workers;

vii. The development and most effective distribution of public education and resource materials on bed bug prevention and treatment, including, but not limited to, information on the rights and responsibilities of landlords, tenants and homeowners.

g. The advisory board shall terminate upon the publication of the report.

§3. This local law shall take effect immediately.

Similar Posts:

• New York Mayor Bloomberg signs Bed Bug Advisory Board legislation
• Allegheny County Health Department is tracking increase of bed bugs in Pittsburgh
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