Bed Bug Education Tour Set to Travel To Heavily Infected Cities

Entomologist and human-sized Hot Shot® Bed Bug Character to travel across country to educate consumers


ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- With bed bug infestations in the U.S. on the rise, entomologist Timothy J. Gibb, PhD, director of the Insect Diagnostic Lab for the Department of Entomology at Purdue University, says it s important to be wary of bed bugs that could be moving into your home or workplace this summer via suitcases, backpacks, computer cases, clothing and other portable items. During the heavy summer travel months, especially, it s important to understand how to identify and avoid a bed bug infestation, and how to get rid of the pesky creatures when discovered.
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most people do not realize they are transporting stow-away bed bugs as they travel from location to location, infecting areas as they travel (http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/bedbugs/faqs.html).
A human-sized Hot Shot® Bed Bug Man character (photos here: http://budurl.com/BedBugMan1, http://budurl.com/BedBugMan2 http://budurl.com/BedBugMan3) and Dr. Timothy Gibb will be traveling to and making public appearances in four of the top infested cities, ranked for bed bugs by treatment data, including New York (May 29-June 2), Washington, D.C (June 5-9), Philadelphia (June 12-16) and Chicago (June 28-July 2). The Hot Shot® character also will be in Los Angeles June 20-24.
The tour comes on the heels of the May 11 publication of an article that will appear in the June 2011 edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases, published by the CDC, suggesting bedbugs could transmit antibiotic-resistant bacteria during a blood meal (http://www.cdc.gov/media/eid/2011/06.html). Dr. Marc Romney, a medical microbiologist at St. Paul s Health Care in Vancouver, B. C., and Christopher F. Lowe, University of Toronto, report recovery of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) from bedbugs found on hospital patients in Vancouver. According to the report, Bedbugs carrying MRSA and/or VRE may have the potential to act as vectors for transmission. Further studies are needed to characterize the association between S. aureus and bedbugs. Additional information on MRSA can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/mrsa/index.html.
The two points I urge travelers to keep in mind are awareness and inspection, said Dr. Gibb. Knowing what to look for as soon as you enter a hotel room, how to identify bed bugs and what to do if you find them can help alleviate the issue and help decrease the possible spread from travel this summer.
And Dr. Gibb isn t the only one watching out for bedbugs wanting to step up as travelers. Peter Greenberg, The Contrarian Traveler, reported on April 27, 2011, that passengers on two commercial airlines recently have witnessed excess passengers (bed bugs) on both domestic and international flights: http://www.bnet.com/blog/travel-detective/airplanes-littered-with-rat-droppings-and-bed-bugs/693.

Toronto Canada Deals With Bed Bug Infestations

Leslie Young, Global News: Friday, June 10, 2011

What are bed bugs?
Bed bugs are wingless, oval-shaped, flat insects that can be seen with the naked eye. They are generally about one quarter of an inch long and are a light tan colour. After feeding they can turn dark red.
Bed bugs feed on human blood, but will also feed on the blood of animals or birds. They are usually active at night, so the insects will often bite humans while they sleep.
The insects bite all over the body, especially the face, neck, upper torso, arms and hands.
Clusters of small eggs the size of pinheads can be found in cracks and crevices, and hatch in about ten days.
Why are bed bugs becoming a problem?
Bed bug infestations have risen worldwide as a result of increased international travel and decreased use of certain types of pesticides. They are present in nearly all countries.
They became relatively scarce in the second half of the 20th century, but are now resurgent, especially in North America, Europe and Australia.
They can be found in hotels, motels, apartments, condos, homes, dormitories, or even businesses and offices.
The highest-risk locations for bed bugs are multi-unit apartments, hotels, hostels, shelters and student residences.
Where in Canada are bed bugs found?
Bed bugs have been reported in many major Canadian cities and seem to be on the rise. In Toronto, there were 2,106 reports of bed bugs in 2010, a 38 per cent increase from 2009.
Approximately 2.7 per cent of households in Montreal had bed bugs in 2009, according to a study done for the city. That amounts to around 22,000 homes.
Bed bugs have been found in Edmonton libraries, at camps outside of Halifax, and university dorms in Burnaby, B.C. One website, bedbugregistry.com, that allows people to submit their own bed bug reports, shows cases all across Canada.

How do they get in my home?
Bed bugs cannot fly or jump. They either crawl or are carried from one place to another.
They can be brought into your home on clothing, furniture or other objects, and can travel between apartments in small openings, pipes, and wiring.
Used furniture is especially at risk of housing bed bugs or their eggs. Bed bugs can survive for months without feeding, so used furniture should be carefully inspected.
Bed bugs hide during the day, and their flat narrow shape allows them to hide in bed frames, baseboards, in bedside furniture, under mattresses and in boxsprings.
Since they feed at night while people sleep, infestations will generally occur in the area surrounding the bed.
Are they a health hazard?
Bed bugs are not considered a health hazard, and there is no evidence that bed bug bites can transmit infectious disease.
Some people may experience a localized reaction to a bite, while others might not notice they have been bitten. Scratching the area can cause infection.
What should I do if I think I have bed bugs?
If you think you might have a bed bug infestation, call your local health department to confirm this is the case. Some health departments will perform on-site inspections.
Heavy infestations may result in a sweet-smelling odour.
To deal with bed bugs, you can call a professional pest control service or use pesticides. If you own your home or residence, you may want to contact a licensed pest control company directly.
If you are a tenant, you should contact your landlord immediately and inform them of the infestation, and discuss how to proceed to eliminate it.
If you are using a pesticide, read the label carefully to ensure it is appropriate, and that all safety precautions are followed. Ensure the product is registered for use against bed bugs specifically, which should be marked on the product container.
These steps should be combined with other measures to ensure the infestation does not return. This is called Integrated Pest Control (IPM).
First, inspect your bed and the surrounding area, particularly any cracks or folds. Thoroughly clean the entire room where the infestation has occurred, and other rooms in your home.
Use a vacuum nozzle attachment to remove the insects, and vacuum all cracks, crevices and folds in material. Empty the vacuum immediately. Vacuuming should be done each day.
Wash all bed sheets and linens in hot water and put them in the dryer on hot for at least 20 minutes. Seal any cracks or crevices in your bed frame and surrounding area, as well as any openings or cracks in walls, especially those between apartments.
You may want to consider encasing your mattress in a plastic mattress bag, which can be installed and sealed with tape. Bugs trapped inside the bag will eventually die.
Inspect items you bring in to your home. You may want to use sticky tape or glue boards to monitor bed bugs and trap them.
It is normal to see living bed bugs up to ten days after pest control measures are taken.


http://www.globaltoronto.com/bugs/4921438/story.html?releasePID=MdKlb74nvhJ4LZl307uv2uHEQLBpU_bO

Upland Pennsylvania Bed Bug Problems

KENN STARK
Times Correspondent
Published: Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Bed Bug Problems Plaque Pennsylvania

UPLAND — Some children or pets may be as cute as a bug in a rug, but when little bugs are infesting your bedroom rug, there’s nothing cutesy about it.

Such was the story told by three West 21st Street residents at borough council’s May 24 public meeting, where the bedbug alarm was sounded for residents in the 300 and 400 blocks.

The afflicted neighborhood lies on the border between the borough and the city of Chester, with the alley behind the homes officially serving as the boundary.

The complainants were all homeowners, who said the root of the problem is unkempt rental properties.

Constance Bennett said the bedbug problem started last year, but the wafer-thin insects have now flourished in warmer weather.

Neighbor Rosalyn DeMiranda agreed, noting that she has several bug bites on her body, that not only itch, but “burn.”

“The whole row is infested,” DeMiranda said of the 400 block of her street.

It was noted that the only natural way to kill off the pesky bugs is with extreme heat or freezing cold.

Bennett said she has already spent $925 on pesticide bombs and other chemicals to rid her home of the bedbugs, all to no avail. A bedbug exterminator will charge about $1,500 to bring in sniffing dogs and apply pesticides. The extermination process requires the residents to completely clean out all household belongings to ensure success.

“We can’t move anywhere else, because we’ll take them with us,” Bennett said.

To begin to address the infestation, the borough’s board of health officer will make on-site inspections.

Dogs Being Used To Sniff Out Bed Bugs

Getting Rid of Bed Bugs

Posted: Jun 2, 2011 4:22 PM by Stephanie Kusy - skusy@kristv.com
Updated: Jun 2, 2011 6:54 PM

CORPUS CHRISTI - As we reported yesterday, the Good Samaritan homeless shelter seems to have gotten rid of the bed bugs once and for all. Today, Envirocon Termite and Pest of Houston was back out at the site with a 'bed bug sniffing dog' to make sure the pests are gone.
According to Envirocon owner David Rice, the one-year-old dog named Duke is trained to \ sit down whenever he smells bed bugs. The dog is said to be 95% accurate.
Residents at the shelter say they are noticing a big difference in the facility since Envirocon was hired a month ago to bring in some heavy dutry heaters and give the shelter operators some tips on how to control an infestation.
The shelter was treated several times over the years by other companies trying to get rid of the pests. "You almost have to get up and let them have your mattress. They would come out, we had sprays, but the only thing the sprays did was put them further back in the mattress," says resident George Dunagan.
The shelter spent $40,000 dealing with the problem.
Duke gave the shelter a clean bill of health when it comes to bed bugs. For now, the shelter has started a new check in procedure to make sure the bugs are not reintroduced to the building.
Every item that comes into the shelter is now heated in a dryer or sprayed with alcohol.