New York City Launches Offensive on Bed Bug Infestations

Bedbugs are back. Exterminators are responding to 57 percent more bed bug infestations compared to five years ago. The blood feasting bugs are hitching a ride to apartments, houses and hotels now in urban and rural areas.

Nowhere are the infestations worse than in New York City, the unofficial capitol of bed bugs. A report released Wednesday by the city’s Bed Bug Advisory Board found more than 6 percent of New York households have bed bugs.

In response, Gotham is declaring a coordinated campaign to eliminate the nighttime pests. The board recommends public education is the first step. It plans on launching an online clearinghouse for information about bed bugs.

Outside of the old adage “don’t let the bedbugs bite”, this generation is unfamiliar with the bedtime blood suckers. We’ve been blindsided because bed bugs haven’t been a problem for a lifetime. Reports of widespread infestations really only began around 2006.

Detection and elimination is difficult and costly. Allergic reactions to bed bug bites usually take about a week to occur. About a third of people won’t have an allergic reaction until after several nighttime attacks. Even if residents realize they have an infestation they may not be able to afford an exterminator. The going rate for bed bug services ranges from about $1,000 for a one bedroom apartment to $5,000 for an average-sized house.

Last year congress introduced the “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009,” to help identify and alleviate bed bug infestations. The bill would create for bed bug inspections, especially in hotels. The critters hitch a ride home with you through your clothing or belongings after spending even one night in an infested hotel.

The Sleep Education Blog will continue to keep an eye on New York City’s campaign against bed bugs. Look for further updates as the city’s educational website launches.

Photo by Tom Simpson

Don’t Let Bed Bugs Take a Bite Out of Holiday Travel

Last year, the Sleep Education Blog reported on the resurgence of bed bugs in North America, primarily on the both coasts. Infestations of the miniscule creepy crawlers can be difficult to clear once they get inside your home. And bed bugs find their way there by hitching a ride on your clothes or belongings.

Americans hitting the highways for the holiday weekend should beware of these blood-sucking bugs. Stay in one infested hotel room and the next thing you know your home bedroom mattress will be crawling with bed bugs. It’s impossible to tell by the naked eye if a hotel has bed bugs. You may think you’re safe if you stay at reputable hotel, but that’s not true. Even 4-star luxury resorts get them.

Hotels don’t want to ruin their reputation by letting the information get out, so most of the time bed bugs go unreported. That’s why a website called The Bedbug Registry exists. It’s a searchable website that tracks user submitted reports by hotel name, city and date. Be warned, the cases are not independently verified. But if a hotel has numerous complaints it’s a good bet it has bed bugs.

Bed bugs don’t transmit disease, but can cause itching and discomfort. There is no pesticide that kills the tiny creatures. Treatment methods vary. One way to get rid of them is through heat, by raising the temperature to 115 degrees. If your home has bed bugs its best to get professional help.

Bed Bugs Are Back in Business

Oregon’s Democrat-Herald reports that bed bugs are on the march. The blood-sucking bugs made a comeback a decade ago on the East Coast. Now they’ve made a home on the West Coast too.

Last year the Sleep Education blog reported that bed bugs were making a comeback. Rep. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina even sponsored the “Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009.”

Why don’t you wake up when a bed bug is biting you? National Geographic explains that the bugs inject you with an anesthetic to keep you from feeling the bite.



Once the bugs get in your home, it can be difficult and costly to get rid of them. Treatment by a professional exterminator may be required.

Treatment methods vary widely. But Discovery’s “Verminators” showed that one way to get rid of them is to turn up the heat.



ThermaPure heat treatment raises the temperature above 115 degrees to eliminate an infestation.

The “Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009”

Earlier this year the Sleep Education Blog reported on the recent resurgence of bed bugs. Now Rep. G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina is sponsoring federal legislation to fight back.

H.R. 2248 was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on May 5. It is called the “Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009.” The bill would “establish a grant program to assist States in inspecting hotel rooms for bed bugs.” It has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The bill has eight cosponsors. Among them are Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida, Rep. Bobby Rush of Illinois and Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas.

The bill reports that the population of cimex lectularius – or bed bugs – has increased in the U.S. by 500 percent in the past few years. Lodging facilities are most vulnerable.

According to the bill, bed bugs can travel through the ventilation systems in multi-unit housing. And female bed bugs can lay up to five eggs in a day and 500 in a lifetime. The bill also cites a study of 700 hotel rooms between 2002 and 2006; 25 percent of hotels needed treatment for bed bugs.

The bill would authorize $50 million in annual grant money for fiscal years 2010 to 2013. States would be eligible for grants to inspect lodging facilities for bed bugs; to qualify a state would have to inspect at least 20 percent of rooms each year. “Lodging facilities” are defined as hotels, motels and inns that have at least 10 rooms for commercial lodging.

The bill also calls for the CDC to “investigate the public health implications of bed bugs on lodging and housing.” Specific concerns include how bed bugs may affect mental health, spread disease or contribute to problems such as asthma. The CDC would have to submit a report to Congress by Dec. 31, 2010.

Image by louento.pix

Are the Bed Bugs Biting While You Sleep?

First, the basics. Yes, bed bugs are real. Yes, they can bite you while you sleep. And yes, it appears they are making a comeback.

This week the New Jersey Assembly passed a “bed bug bill.” It requires landlords to promptly exterminate known bed-bug infestations.

It was believed that bed bugs had been eradicated from the U.S. Strong pesticides such as DDT seemed to wipe them out.

But recent reports indicate that the bed bugs are back. Not just in the U.S., but also in Canada and England.



What happened? DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1972. Common pesticides used today seem to be less effective against bed bugs.

Also more people today are traveling to other parts of the world where bed bugs may have been thriving. The tiny bugs can easily hitch a ride on clothing or in a suitcase.

Bed bugs tend to appear more commonly in buildings where large numbers of people sleep. This includes four-star hotels as well as budget motels and youth hostels. It also includes apartments, college dorms and homeless shelters.

But bed bugs can reside in your home too. It’s not an issue of cleanliness. The bugs can hide in tiny crevices of the bed frame, headboard, mattress or other places in the room.

Bites from a bed bug can cause itching and discomfort. The good news is that the bugs don’t transmit disease.

The bad news is that it can be difficult and costly to get rid of them. Treatment by a professional exterminator may be required.