The Windsor-Essex County Housing Association, which owns John Fontaine’s building, is taking action. But not very swiftly, in this reader’s opinion.

Fontaine said the problem surfaced several months ago when management posted a noticed advising tenants to stay out of the disposal room where refuse and old furniture is put handled. He said he started noticing the odd insect in his apartment six weeks ago, but didn’t realize they were bed bugs until Labour Day weekend when he spoke to someone who told him they were in the building.

If the disposal room was off limits several months ago because of bed bugs (which I understand to be a reasonable bit of speculation), then the building was aware of the presence of bed bugs but did not warn residents. Fontaine reported his bed bugs on September 4th (the day after Labour Day) but was not told he was on a “spray list” until September 18th, two weeks later. What’s more, there was a presentation for residents on bed bugs and cockroaches two weeks ago, according to the article, implying that by the time Fontaine reported the problem, the building managers knew enough about the spread of bed bugs in their building to have planned a presentation about the insects.

The housing officials had this to say:

Kari Schofield, communications officer for the housing corporation, said Fontaine’s apartment would have been sprayed immediately had they known he was sleeping on the balcony.

“If we heard somebody was sleeping on a balcony for three weeks we would definitely be there,” Schofield said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

It sounds like Schofield thinks that sleeping on a balcony is a real hardship. Why wouldn’t sleeping indoors with bed bugs prompt the swiftest possible service?
While the apology is refreshing, this statement tells me that the housing corporation officials simply don’t understand bed bugs.

Schofield said a presentation was made to tenants several weeks ago on bed bugs and cockroaches, but said it is a very difficult problem to get rid of. If a unit is sprayed and clean and someone with bed bugs walks into it, the problem re-occurs, she said. The corporation’s Glengarry units are also experiencing the problem, which is compounded by the fact some tenants are old, disabled or have mental health issues and may not be able to keep their units clean enough, or prepare them properly for complete spraying.

“I can totally understand how these tenants are getting frustrated,” Schofield said, adding that a task force has been formed to deal with the issue of infestation.

Fontaine said he works long days and was not aware that any such educational sessions were offered.

Schofield is correct that a mojor factor is preparation. Bed bugs are not attracted to dirty or cluttered spaces. But clutter allows them space to hide, and makes treatment tricky. Tenants who are old, or who have mental or physical disabilities, will have trouble with preparing for treatment. I firmly believe the government social service agencies need to provide assistance in this area.

Leaving aside those with physical and mental barriers to doing the prep work needed for treatment, it has to be said that still other tenants will simply not get the point of preparation or even the point of treatment, or may not want to bother. This is a really common problem–especially among those who are not allergic to bed bugs and don’t feel or see evidence of bites. Public education is key. And forums where tenants are invited are not going to do it, because some people won’t hear, some people won’t make it, and still others won’t think it’s “for them,” and won’t care. We need a public education campaign of advertisements to raise awareness about the bed bug epidemic, and the difficulties of detecting and fighting bed bugs. People need to learn how to avoid bed bugs and what not to do at the first sight of them.

Besides spraying, [Deb] Bennett [of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit] said, people must wash bedding and thoroughly vacuum crevasses in furniture and mattresses where the blood-sucking bed bugs like to hide out. Although more of a nuisance than anything else, their itchy bites can result in infection if the skin is broken during scratching, she said.

“When you have a lot of people, everybody has to practice that … or the problem does not go away.”

I hope Bennett also tells people to wash and dry (on hot) and seal in bags all clothing as well as bedding.

And I hope the 920 Ouellette apartments are going to get multiple treatments until the problem is gone. I am not a pest control operator, but I would venture a guess that a thoroughly infested building will need many treatments, spaced 2 weeks apart.

And let’s remember, it’s six weeks since the bites started, and Mr. Fontaine has not yet had his first treatment. And every time he’s bitten by an adult female, she can produce another set of eggs.

• from London
• Bowling Green Towers: residents organize to demand proper bed bug treatment in low-income building
• Spraying is just the beginning…
• 25 Grant Street in Denver, Colorado: bed bugs for two years

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