Sleep Tight - Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite

In response to the bedbug epidemic, the first national bedbug conference was held in Arlington, Virginia on April 15th and 16th. The blood-sucking creatures are hard to find and eradicate. They are found not only in mattresses and upholstered furniture, but between the pages of books, in clock radios, televisions and just about anywhere. The bedbugs are back in force because of the ban on DDT, resistance to other pesticides, and an increase in worldwide travel. The bedbugs tend to bite just before dawn. A bedbug bite leaves a red welt. Some people suffer allergic reactions. Bedbugs don't transmit disease, but they disrupt sleep and could drive you crazy. And of course, bedbugs are a major cause of litigation between landlords and tenants. Bedbugs have no class consciousness: they can be found in luxury hotels, in homeless shelters and anywhere in between.

What's to be done about them?

The "don't let the bedbugs bite" bill was introduced in Congress on May 15, 2008. It provided funding for the states to inspect hotel rooms for bed bugs. The bill has not passed.

The pest control industry wants federal funding to research eradication methods that do not involve chemicals: such as heating, freezing, or steaming bedbugs out of bedrooms.

Delegates to the bedbug conference will be presenting their recommendations to the EPA.

Stay tuned for future blogs about bedbugs.