Sunday, August 22, 2010

Bedbugs Response Lacking From Travel Industry

With tons of reports on bedbugs, I was wondering where the response was from the Travel Industry.

Most reports on bedbugs say that the little blood-suckers are master travelers; hitchhiking on suitcases and clothing. While there are new local laws being put into place governing apartment buildings and resold mattresses, I haven't seen one article on the response by the airlines or hotels, where it seems bedbugs are transferred from one person to another and from city to city.

Logic would dictate that the airlines need to constantly check their planes, lounges and terminals for bedbugs. They should also utilize early detection units such as Catchmaster BBEDS to help prevent infestations. The same goes for hotels; even more so with the fact that they are called "bedbugs" after all.

Image: Francesco Marino / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Quick Reversal on Bedbugs

Sometimes the press reports a scary statistic and then quickly reports another conflicting one. That happened this past week in regards to bedbugs.

On August 16th, The New York Daily News had a headline stating, "Bedbug City: 1 in 10 New Yorkers has grappled with bedbugs in their home." The very next day, they reported "Whistleblower says exterminators may lie about bedbug infestations to make more dough."

How confusing.


Image: Gregory Szarkiewicz / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Bedbug Sniffing Dogs

What do Bergdoff Goodman, Elle Magazine and the Empire State Building have in common? They have all recently had bedbug infestations.

One popular way to find the tiny, blood-thirsty critters is by hiring a company that has a bedbug sniffing dog. It seems that Man's Best Friend is an extremely effective (yet sometimes expensive) way to search for bedbugs in your domain. Each day there are more reports of companies and private residents using this method effectively. According to the Wall Street Journal, New York City's Department of Housing, Preservation and Development is evaluating the idea of hiring its own pack, which would service multifamily residential properties throughout the city. (link to article)

Another great way to detect if you have bedbugs is by using Catchmaster BBEDS. Easy to set up and use, this product will help determine if you have bedbugs, so you can act quickly to get rid of them before they multiply.

Image: luigi diamanti / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Reaction to NYT Bedbug Editorial


On Sunday, August 8th, the NY Times published an op-ed piece in its Sunday Opinion section titled "This Bedbug's Life." (link). It's an excellent and informative article (one of the best I've yet to see published), authored by May Berenbaum, Head of Entomology at the University of Illinois.

A few comments:

"My Bostonian bug turned out to be one of many on the forefront of an unprecedented resurgence. Global travelers now bring in a steady supply from around the world, inconspicuously undeclared in checked bags and carry-on luggage."

I hate when people blame "global travelers" for our new bedbug problem. This is OUR problem now and we have to point the blame inward. True, increased global travel brought them back but WE banned effective pesticides that had previously all but eradicated these little bloodsuckers. We made the bedbug infested bed ... now we have to sleep in it.

"Even professional pest control operators are struggling to keep up, because bedbugs have become, for the most part, resistant to the old pesticides that once were so effective, and relatively few viable chemical alternatives exist."

Hogwash!! There are plenty of effective pesticides that can be used for bedbugs - like proproxur for example. It's just that the EPA has taken these out of our hands. Besides, there are still many other good over the counter options that can work - the real issue is that people wait until the infestation is so far out of control, it becomes impossible to find and kill every single bedbug hiding in a crack or crevice. The idea is to stay AHEAD of the problem and be aware of a bedbug issue while it's still manageable. EARLY DETECTION IS THE KEY TO EFFECTIVE BEDBUG MANAGEMENT - through monitoring and regular inspection. Using an early detection product such as CatchMaster BBEDS can help prevent an infestation in your home or business.


A "Rash" of New Bedbug Reports

The stories are hitting the front-pages and leading off the nightly newscasts. The statistics are glaring and the projections scary. Bedbugs are being compared to the H1N1 virus in terms of seriousness, but unlike H1N1, there's no quick and easy immunization solution.

Here are some links to the latest news pieces:

USA Today (cover): More offices see bedbug infestations

NewsChannel 4 (NBC) NY: Bedbugs Invade Empire State Building

Fox 5 NY: Bedbugs Invade Empire State Building

TIME Magazine: Ohio Turns to Feds for Help in Battle Against Bedbugs