Resources

by nobugsonme on April 20, 2008

Last updated 12 August 2012

University and Government Fact Sheets
Comprehensive Guides to Bed Bugs and Treatment
Bed Bug Policy Advocacy Groups, Local “Task Forces”
Bed Bug Blogs and Personal Accounts
Other Sources of Information and Support
French
Spanish
Information on Pesticides
Information and Help for Landlords and Tenants
Information for the Hospitality Industry
Information for Shelter Operators
Sources of Legal Advice
Register Infested Addresses
Selected Research Studies
Audio, Video, Photos of Bed Bugs
Information on Biting Mites, Bird Mites, etc.

Fact Sheets and Bed Bug Pages (university and government)

Harvard’s bed bugs fact sheet (PDF)
Health Canada on bed bugs
Illinois Department of Public Health: Bed Bugs Prevention & Control
University of Kentucky on bed bugs
The New York City Bed Bug Portal (many resources are useful for those outside NYC)
New York State Integrated Pest Management (NYSIPM) at Cornell FAQ List for Bed Bugs
Ohio State (PDF)
Ontario’s bed bug portal. Looks very helpful.
Penn State
Purdue University
San Francisco Dept. of Health Director’s Rules and Regulations How to Control Bed bug Infestation, Pursuant to Article 11, Sec. 581 of the San Francisco Health Code (PDF)
Toronto Public Health’s Bed Bugs page
US EPA Controlling Bed Bugs
Vancouver Coastal Health: Guide to Bed Bug Control (also available as a PDF)
WHO: The Public Health Significance of Urban Pests (2008) (while not a fact sheet, this report is a very useful resource for anyone claiming bed bugs are not a health problem)
WHO fact sheet on bedbugs

Comprehensive Guides to Bed Bugs and Treatment

Armed Forces Pest Management Guide to Bed Bugs (by Harold Harlan)
Bedbugsinfo.ca (Ontario government)
Bed Bug Code of Practice (by Dr. Stephen Doggett, Australia)
“Bed Bugs in Office Buildings: the Ultimate Challenge?”(Larry Pinto, Richard Cooper, and Sandra Kraft, PCT Magazine, Feb. 2010)
(City of Boston, Housing Division) Protocols for the Prevention and Control of Bed Bugs in Multiunit Housing
Guide for the Prevention and Control of Bed Bug Infestations in California (PDF) (August 2007)
California Department of Health Services, Vector Borne Disease Section, PDF of presentation) The Nitty Gritty of Bed Bug Inspections
Michigan’s bed bug page and Michigan Manual for the Prevention and Control of Bed Bugs (PDF)
National Pest Management Association’s Bed Bugs Best Management Practices (html) (PDF)
New York City Bed Bug Portal (NYC government)
NY State IPM Program at Cornell: Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Bed Bugs in Shelters and Group Living Facilities
Paul Bello’s articles about bed bugs (selection of articles written by Paul alone or with Lou Sorkin or Lynn Frank) (collected on Bedbugger.com).
Rutgers’ NJAES video Bed Bugs and Integrated Pest Management. Note: because you can (a) spread the problem in your home, and (b) clear away evidence of the problem, do not plunge right into the decluttering or DIY methods described if you have the option of and plan to get someone in to treat; wait for their inspection and advice.
University of Florida’s Bed Bugs Manual (PDF; includes information on methods developed at U of F to heat treat furniture and belongings in a controlled manner; see “Economical, Localized Heat Treatment for Control of Bed Bugs infestations” in the Table of Contents). Other U of F resources here. See also “Using heat to kill bed bugs” below.
Using heat to kill bed bugs (PDF) by Dini Miller, Virginia Tech
U of Minn: Inspection / Treatment Guide for PCOs (PDF)

Policy Advocacy and Local “Task Forces”

Chicago vs. Bed Bugs (group is no longer active)
New York vs. Bed Bugs (the group and blog are no longer active)
Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force
Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Bed Bug Task Force

Bed Bug Blogs and Personal Accounts (and years actively discussing bed bugs)

Bedbugger’s Reader Success Stories (2006–2007), also on the Bedbugger Forums here and here (2007–present)
Bedbugged! Theresa Braine’s column about her bed bug experience, on BrickUnderground.com (2010–present)
bugged out (2006–2009)
Unlucky in Bugs (2008–2009)
The War on Bed Bugs (2006–2007)
windy city mike’s bed bug genocide [note: this resource is offline for the foreseeable future; we hope it will return in future]
the bed bug blog: caitlin’s blog (blog removed 2011)
a picture of me (2004, 2007)
A Big Fat Waste of Time: Tales of a Bedbug Refugee (2004)

Is your story missing? Post it on our forums, or share a link to your bed bug blog with us (contact form).

Other Sources of Information and Support

Bed-bugs.co.uk: site of David Cain, a UK PCO that exclusively deals in bed bugs, with lots of information
Bed Bug Beware page on disposing infested items, with downloadable WARNING label for infested refuse
Bed Bug Central TV, run by Cooper Pest in New Jersey
Bed Bug Resource (Sean Rollo, in Vancouver)
Multi-lingual bed bug warning label from EffeCi (Franco Casini in Italy)
National Pest Management Association’s Best Management Practices for Bed Bugs
Wikipedia on bed bugs

French

Sante Canada: punaises de lit (fact sheet)
La cibole de cimex (from Montreal) (blog)

Spanish

Preguntas Frecuentes en Espanol (our Spanish FAQs)
Spanish Bed Bugs Fact Sheet (Boston Public Health)

About Pesticides

EPA’s tool for searching for EPA-registered products to treat bed bugs in various parts of the home
Pesticide Emergency Resources (from US National Pesticide Information Center)
National Pesticide Information Center’s advice about bed bugs — note: you can call their hotline (1-800-858-7378, 7 days a week/6:30 am – 4:30 pm PST) or email NPIC for specific advice about pesticides)
List of pesticides approved by the United States EPA to fight bed bugs
Pesticides Labeled for bed bugs (includes products labeled for mattresses, and not for mattresses!)
This Bedbugger post outlines some research done on the relative effectiveness of Suspend, Kicker, Phantom, Bedlam, and Steri-Fab, which was reported by Dr. Mike Potter at PestWorld 2007 (and taken from a brief PCT Online article.)
The National Pesticide Information Center’s website says you should consult with your state’s pesticide regulatory agency in the following situations:

“To inquire if a pesticide is registered for use in your state

To find out more about the rules and regulations governing pesticide use in your state

To find out if your state requires notification or postings prior to pesticide applications

To register a complaint concerning a pesticide misapplication

To find out how to become a certified pesticide applicator

To report a pesticide exposure or misuse at work.”

You can find your state’s pesticide regulatory agency here.

For Landlords and Tenants

Ten Recommendations to Help Apartment Managers Get Rid of Bed Bugs (Techletter)
Chicago tenants can get advice from Metropolitan Tenants’ Organization. The Illinois Tenants Union helps those in Chicago, Cook County, and the suburbs.
The Michigan Tenants Counseling Program no longer offers counseling by email and phone due to budget constraints, but does have a useful Resource Library. Michigan Legal Aid may also be able to help low-income tenants or landlords.
Tenants in Minnesota can get advice from the non-profit HOMELine.
New Jersey tenants should try The New Jersey Tenants Organization.
NYC Tenants can get advice from Met Council. And don’t forget the New York City Bed Bug Portal especially its Information for Homeowners and Tenants. You can check HPD’s complaint history or open violations here. Remember, the complaint history show tenants who have contacted HPD. Violations are filed if HPD inspects and if they find bed bugs present. As of Summer 2010, they do not always inspect in response to a bed bug complaint. It is also possible they may inspect and not find bed bugs when they’re present.
Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association’s (ONPHA) Bed Bug Resources
Toronto Tenants Unite is another local tenants’ organization. In Toronto, also see the Toronto Public Health Bed Bugs page, especially the section on Rights and Responsibilities.
San Francisco Department of Public Health provides information on prevention (PDF) and treatment (PDF) for residents and on prevention (PDF) and treatment (PDF) for landlords. You may find the latter useful when dealing with your landlord, even if you don’t live in San Francisco.
Tenants in Wisconsin can get advice from the Tenant Resource Center in Madison. The Landlord/Tenant Resources from the Wisconsin State Law Library may also be helpful.

For Hospitality Industry

For HOTEL / hospitality industry

For Shelter Operators

Bed bugs: a handbook for shelter operators (PDF)
New York State IPM’s wonderful Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Bed Bugs in Shelters and Group Living Facilities

Research

Stephen L. Doggett, The resurgence of bed bugs in Australia (PDF), 2004
Stephen W. Hwang, et. al. Bed Bug Infestations in an Urban Environment 2005.
Tim Myles, Beth Brown, et. al. Bed bugs in Toronto (PDF) 2003.
World Health Organization, The Public Health Significance of Urban Pests (2008)
Michael Potter, The History of Bed Bug Management– With lessons from the past. American Entomologist, Spring 2011 (PDF); a very rich history of bed bugs and our attempts to control them.
Note: you can also search for bed bug articles on the Armed Forces pest management library (it’s free and lots of the articles are hard to come by otherwise).

Sources of Legal Advice
Note: if you have questions about your legal rights as a tenant, try calling the tenant organizations listed in the Information for Landlords and Tenants above. If your local organization is not listed (most aren’t), try Googling the name of your city (or the nearest city) and “tenants organization.” If you locate one in your region, they should be able to direct you to a local group. Please let us know if your local tenants’ organization should be added to our list please email me using this contact form.

American Bar Association Lawyer Referral service: refers callers to appropriate lawyers in USA and Canada
In NYC, you can call the NYC Bar lawyer referral service.
Lawhelp.org, in the US, “helps low and moderate income people find free legal aid programs in their communities, and answers to questions about their legal rights.”
For low cost or pro bono legal help in Canada, see the resources listed in Canadian Bar Association’s FAQ.

Register Infested Addresses