Continuing Report on “Mr. Willey goes to Washington DC”
OK, so in my last Blog I told you there were three issues that NPMA was concerned about, well let me spend a few minutes and update you on the second issue we were promoting, BED BUGS. Wikipedia defines bed bugs as:
The bedbug (or bed bug) is an insect of the family Cimicidae that lives by hematophagy – feeding on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded hosts. Its name comes from its preferred habitat: mattresses, sofas, and other furniture.[1] Although not strictly nocturnal, bedbugs are mainly active at night.
A bill called “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite” is looking for a sponsor. Unfortunately, there is a major resurgence of bed bugs in the United States, and with multi – tenant buildings such as dorms, apartment complexes, hotel industry, and easy travel methods, etc. bed bugs can be rapidly spread. NPMA believes there needs to be professional management of bed bugs for effective control, and our industry has the training to solve the bed bug issues while protecting the public from unwarranted treatments with excessive use of pesticides by unlicensed personnel. While this bill has funded the inspection portion of Bed Bug Management, we want to ensure that all cases are handled by professionals trained to care and remediate Bed Bugs!
While I see little support for the bill on the internet, and many people don’t believe the government should be paying for Bedbugs, let me tell you why it is important and needs your attention. It’s shocking if you check out Trip Advisor online and type “Bed bugs” and see how many establishments have been reported by travelers that they have bed bugs!
This legislation is not asking for money to treat bed bugs, but for money to pay State inspectors to look for bed bug infestations. Since bed bugs were a non-issue 5 years ago, there is no current protocol for dealing with them. Hotels would rather deal with the bugs themselves than get the State involved. This is like having a health inspector inspect kitchens. Lodging and real estate are some of the slimier businesses in the world. They need governmental oversight because they could care less about their customers given the peculiar nature of their business models. (OK, don’t threaten me here, I’ve been in a couple of hotels that really do a good job, but guess what, they hired professional pest management companies!!!Ya!) Bedbugs affect all the states, as they spread from state to state, so it should be federal.
If Congress doesn’t afford grants for inspection, they should make it law that hotels, motels, and B&B’s must inspect for bed bugs four times a year. It takes five weeks for an infestation to take root. Inspecting every three months ought to do it. Congress needs to consider federal legislation to help deal with infestations in residential housing, as well. Learn more about the bed bugs resurgence or call 623-435-0228.
More on bed bugs from MSNBC:
Are bed bug attacks a sign of dirty living conditions or living in older homes/building, or is anybody at risk?
Infestations of common bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., are not directly related to sanitation levels. The cleanest living area can have a very large infestation , and improving sanitation alone will not eliminate an established bed bug population. Cluttered conditions can offer the bugs a lot of excellent harborages very near their human blood-meal hosts. Almost anyone is at risk of having an infestation if bed bugs are brought into their home.
Can you get anything serious from a bed bug bite? Are there physical/physiological effects if you are living with bed bugs?
According to scientists, naturally occurring populations (infestations) of common bed bugs have been documented to have at least 28 different kinds of human pathogens in their bodies. However, very careful and detailed studies by both entomologists and medical doctors have never shown that those bed bugs could transmit (infect) even one of those pathogens to humans or lab animals. They simply have not been shown to transmit any human disease known so far.
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Thanks very much for that wonderful post.