Chicago vs. Bed Bugs

Renee Corea at New York vs. Bed Bugs posted this wonderfully candid interview with renowned bed bug expert David Cain of Bed Bugs Limited (UK) today.  I encourage everyone to listen to it, because it sheds a little light on a lot of issues, including some pretty tricky issues we’re dealing with here in the United States.

What resonates most with me is David’s conception of successful bed bug control: that it is a culture and it is a mentality.  Think on that one for a second, folks, will you?  Successful bed bug control is a culture and a mentality.  Not quite the same thing as roach control, is it?  I think it’s wise that we– all of us– keep this in mind when we’re dealing with bed bug infestations.

Other interesting information I gleaned from the interview:

• Early detection and confirmation of bed bug infestations is absolutely essential.
• Getting professionals to work to higher standards is absolutely essential.
• Successful bed bug control is about working smarter, not using more insecticides.
• Bed Bugs Limited (UK) is usually able to completely eradicate a bed bug infestation in one treatment, and charges roughly 200.00 GBP (or about $300.00) to do so.

I’m left with more questions than answers, I suppose.  My first question?  Why the heck does it cost so little to obtain such high quality professional bed bug treatment in the United Kingdom?

How can David Cain and company get it done and get it done right so quickly and with so little cost?

I’d love to hear the answers to these questions, because the answers to these questions are also the solutions to some of the trickier issues we’re dealing with here in the United States right now.  Perhaps it has something to do with the “culture and mentality” of successful bed bug control?

Thanks to Renee and David for engaging in such an honest and candid conversation, and for making it available to the public.  And everyone, be sure to check out BBAlert, the brand-new, cost-effective method of bed bug detection David mentions.  I can’t wait until it hits the market!

A few weeks ago, Renee and I participated in a phone conference with Silvia Salazar and David Fabian, co-presidents of the Norwood Tenant Association in Washington DC.

Silvia and David contacted us to discuss their plans for an upcoming bed bug summit, which they, along with other members of their organization, were sponsoring in collaboration with the DC Department of Health.

I was so impressed by Silvia and David; I was so impressed by their determination and the determination of the other members of Norwood Tenant Association.  These people have been battling bed bugs (among other things) in their multi-unit building for years.  Years, people!  And they have not given up.  In fact, they have gone so far as to make themselves heard, loud and clear, to the people who can make a difference.

The product of their efforts is the Stop Bedbugs DC Summit, which will be held in Washington DC tomorrow (Friday, March 27th, 2009).  I received the summit press release, which you can view in its entirety here, from Silvia yesterday:

Presenters are to include Dr. Dini Miller, Associate Professor, Dodson Urban Pest Management Laboratory  at Virginia Tech, Ray Lopez, the 2008 recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Community Health Leader award for his innovative approaches to controlling bedbugs without using pesticides, as well as representatives from the pest management community, who will share the latest industry approaches.

The summit will establish various stakeholder groups that are affected by bedbugs, and empower them to take action to combat this problem.  This event will also include discussion of legislative and enforcement approaches, as well as citizen involvement through tenant groups, senior and public housing, and educational outreach through government and local businesses on the front lines of the community.

The goal of the summit is to learn about bedbug biology, bedbug control, and to establish a DC wide task force that will address enforcement, data collection, and legislative approaches.

Wow.  Talk about impressive!  The Norwood Tenants and the DC Department of Health have incorporated the critical components of developing a strategic plan to control bed bug infestations right into the summit:

• Expert entomologists
• Experienced industry professionals
• Stakeholders
• Discussion of pertinent and time-sensitive issues:
  • legislation
  • enforcement
  • citizen involvement through tenant groups, senior and public housing
• Educational outreach
• Government and local business participation
• Empowering people who are affected by bed bugs to take action and combat the problem

I applaud the Norwood Tenant Association, the DC Department of Health, and the participants, the speakers, and the attendees of the Stop Bedbugs DC Summit.  And I humbly thank them all, for their hard work, their dedication to addressing and controlling the spread of bed bugs, and for their courage– especially Silvia Salazar and David Fabian.

We sincerely hope to follow their lead here in Chicago ASAP.

Our friend Renee Corea at New York vs. Bed Bugs posted this list today.  It’s wish list, of sorts, for New York City’s new Bed Bug Advisory Board.  Renee got my wheels turning, as usual, so I decided to post a wish list of my own– a list of the things I’d love to see in our city right now.

Here’s what would be included on my wish list, if I were allowed to give one to the city officials who are working to stop the spread of bed bugs here in Chicago:

• Work with a sense of urgency, but work responsibly as well.  Get the job done right from the very beginning.  Form a committee or board or task force– comprised of health department officials, building inspectors, expert entomologists and pest management professionals, community stakeholders, public housing officials, and city/state legislators– whose sole purpose is to create a coordinated, strategic, multi-faceted plan to control the spread of bed bugs.

• Consult with entomologists and other experts to begin developing a good, comprehensive informational web page like this one (click the links on the left side– it’s incredible!), but do so quickly.  You can tweak it as you go along.  For now, get the basics done right, and get them out there ASAP.

• Get our 311 operators trained to handle reports of bed bug infestations, and develop a protocol for them to follow.  Record and track bed bug reports so that we can begin to evaluate the extent of the problem in our city.

• Pass legislation to define and enforce landlord and tenant rights and responsibilities that are specific to the complex circumstances presented by bed bug infestations.  State of New Jersey Assembly Act 3203 is a fantastic model for you to follow, in my opinion.

And there you have it: Jessica’s Bed Bug Wish List for the City of Chicago (For Now).  The rest– and there’s a whole lot more– can come later.

I hope Renee and our pals over at New York vs. Bed Bugs don’t mind that I’ve so blatantly stolen their idea.  Hey, what can I say?  You know a good thing when you see it, right?