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Don't let the bedbugs bite

SPEA’s Marc Lame Talks About the Increase in Bedbug Cases and What You Can Do to Prevent Them

 

Expert perspective: “Bedbugs have become more prevalent in the United States in the last five years. Like other ectoparasites, bedbugs have evolved with their hosts – humans. They keep a very low profile (literally and figuratively); they are hard to detect and virtually painless when feeding. If you’ve gotten to the point that you can observe the bugs and bloodstains on your sheets you probably a fairly hefty infestation. American households are still not common areas of infestations. However, bedbugs have become a more common occurrence in hotels, hostels, and dorm rooms nationwide. My recommendations regarding the most effective and safe approach a possible bedbug infestation are:

 

“—Try to validate evidence of activity by looking for bites or bloodspots.

 

“—Monitor the room completely – ALL cracks and crevices. I always start with the headboard and box spring foundation. Look for adults and eggs.

 

“—If evidence is found, break down the room and treat it. There are a number of chemical and non-chemical options including: vacuuming, steaming (commercial units only), and certain synthetic pesticides labeled for use (defer to your licensed professional). To my knowledge, there are no residual pesticides available so do not rely on a pesticide preventative.

 

“—For structures such as dorms, you must develop a prevention and monitoring program with the occupants. This is unpleasant public relations; however, if you do not have an education program informing the residents how to prevent bringing in these pests and observing the early signs of infestations, you will continue to be in a reactive mode, which is even more unpleasant and expensive.

 

“—Even the best hotels in the country are experiencing this (not that they would mention it). Further, they are probably propagating the infestations by recycling mattresses ‘down the chain’ (5-star to 4-star to economy within the hotel conglomerate). Finally, I suspect that this increase in bedbug infestations has to do more with an increase in population and travel and less with the belief that modern pesticides do not work as well as the old-time persistent ones like DDT. While these old persistent pesticides were helpful in their day, bedbugs had developed widespread resistance to them by the time they were discontinued, not to mention the fact they posed more health risk than the bedbug. We know better now not to rely on pesticides but rather to employee an IPM program based on communication, education, monitoring, and integrated control technologies.”

 

SPEA Toolkit: Marc Lame teaches environmental management and policy at SPEA. He also is the author of A Worm in the Teacher's Apple: Protecting America’s School Children from Pests and Pesticides (Authorhouse, May 2005). He is the leader of The National Monroe IPM Model Implementation Team, which received a Recognition Award from the USEPA's Office of Children's Health Protection last spring.

 

Click here to read more about Marc Lame.

 

Click here to read a SPEA Magazine article about Marc.