Minnesota’s Let’s Beat the Bug! Campaign

Amelia ShindelarCommunity Health Coordinator

Dr. Stephen A. KellsAssociate Professor

Updates• What is happening on the bed bug scene?• New things you should know about bed bugs• “Let’s beat the bug! campaign”: what is available to help

you

The Bed Bug Scene

The Bed Bug Scene• Where are we in this pandemic?

• Specific numbers have been difficult to obtain• But here are some indications…

(Potter et al. 2011. Bed bugs without borders: survey of the pest control industry)

89% of MidwestPM companies saw increased

bed bug services over last year

(Potter et al. 2013. Pestworld)

The Bed Bug Scene• Where are we in this pandemic?• bedbugs.umn.edu

89%New visitors

The Bed Bug Scene• Where are we in this pandemic?• bedbugs.umn.edu

407% increase in visitors!!!

Still 89%New visitors!

The Bed Bug Scene• 407% increase?!?• Why are we not seeing panic in the streets?!?• Where is the media, what’s happening?!?

• WELL…• The media cannot get past the “ick factor” story, plus there are

other stories… • The outrage has passed: no more sensational stories like Holister,

Abercrombie, Nike town, Victoria Secret, Cineplex, Etc, Etc• Proactive work by companies, especially movie theaters, hotels,

etc have limited bed bugs in public places

H.Yu, Guardian Pest Solutions

The Bed Bug Scene• Anecdotally, hotels (etc.) have become less of a factor:

lawsuits and negative publicity (Trip Advisor, Bed Bug Registry, etc)

• But, bed bugs are imbedded in multifamily housing, especially places where:• resources are scarce• education is limited• tenants and / or landlords keep silent

• In addition to suffering they cause, the other problem is they become a societal reservoir

The Bed Bug Scene• As a societal reservoir, bed bugs have the opportunity to

feed back into society• Libraries• Homeless shelters• Schools• Public transit• Hospitals, medical offices• Other Public Services: Police, EMS, Fire, Social Services• Other support organizations: Goodwill, etc.

• Not just a personal cost, but public cost• Workplace health and safety

New things you should know…

New things you should know…Homeowners are not usually effective in getting rid of bed bugs

• They lack the experience• They lack the tools• They underestimate the time required to completely control a

situation

• The majority of OTC products have active ingredients to which many bed bug populations are resistant• E.g., Pyrethrins and permethrin, etc

New things you should know…There is a tendency for people with Limited English Proficiency to struggle with bed bug issues

• They may not recognize them• They may recognize them and not care (squish them by hand)• They may be reluctant to report for concern of

• Being charged for the control services• Eviction• Trouble with immigration or another authority

• They may think after a (poor) service that they have to wait for control measures to work

• They are reluctant to complain that there are still bed bugs after a treatment

• They feel by moving they can move from the problem

Snopes.comPrlog.org

CBC.ca

Introduction--the methyl parathion story: a chronicle of misuse and preventable human exposure.

• Rubin C, Esteban E, Hill RH Jr, Pearce K.• Source• National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. crubin@cdc.gov• Abstract• In the fall of 1994, Lorain County, Ohio, became the site of the first investigation

of several large-scale incidences in which the organophosphate pesticide methyl parathion was illegally applied to private residences.

• This article describes the initial investigation of 64 homes in Ohio

• CDC rapid investigation led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to declare the contaminated homes in Lorain County a Superfund cleanup site.

• From EPA.gov “…using methyl parathion illegally indoors as a treatment for cockroaches because some have found it to be effective against these pests; it is a relatively inexpensive …and it persists

Pesticide Misapplication in St. Cloud, Mn

• Use of malathion against bed bugs• Person received the product information from brother in

another State

• ~ $22K in damages

• Getting proper information to people will result in:• more effective and lasting treatments• better prevention and earlier detection• less costs in the long-run

New things you should know…Article: “Threat and Efficacy uncertainty in news coverage about bed bugs: Information seeking and avoidance…”

Goodall and Reed 2013. Health Communication

“Uncertainty of a bed bug threat and people pay attention”

“Uncertainty about how to control bed bugs and people avoid the issue

“it could discourage people from protective actions”

Bed Bugs Are Back!I

wonder what they look like?

They’re resistant!No guarantees you can get rid of them!

!

New things you should know…We are dealing with much misinformation…• 1. Cincinnati

2. Chicago3. Detroit (+1)4. Denver (+2)5. Los Angeles (+20)6. Columbus, Ohio (-3)7. Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas (+43)8. Washington, D.C. (-3)9. New York (-2)10. Richmond/Petersburg, Va. (+6)11. Houston (-1)12. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, Calif. (+35)13. Cleveland/Akron/Canton, Ohio (+1)14. Boston (+4)15. Dayton, Ohio (-7)16. Las Vegas (-1)17. Honolulu (+55)18. Baltimore (-6)19. Raleigh/Durham/Fayetteville, N.C. (+9)20. Philadelphia (-9)21. Atlanta (+24)22. Lexington, Ky. (-13)23. Syracuse, N.Y. (+25)24. Miami/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (+27)25. Colorado Springs/Pueblo, Colo. (+19)26. San Diego (+13)27. Seattle/Tacoma, Wash. (-3)28. Omaha, Neb. (-11)29. Buffalo, N.Y. (-16)30. Pittsburgh (-3)31. Indianapolis (-12)32. Milwaukee (+6)33. Charlotte, N.C. (+13)34. Phoenix (+19)35. Louisville, Ky. (-3)36. Hartford/New Haven, Conn. (-16)37. Grand Junction/Montrose, Colo. (+30)38. Knoxville, Tenn. (+4)39. Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Mich. (-17)40. Nashville, Tenn. (+15)41. Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, Calif. (+24)42. Des Moines/Ames, Iowa (-13)43. Salisbury, Md. (+46)44. Albany/Schenectady/Troy, N.Y. (-23)45. Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa (-22)46. Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn. (-20)47. Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney, Neb. (-17)48. Salt Lake City (-8)49. Charleston/Huntington, W.Va. (-13)50. West Palm Beach/Ft. Pierce, Fla. (+6)

The top 50 lists:

Based on raw sales datanot corrected for companymarket share!

Marketing at its finest!

New things you should know…

The Goal of Our Program• To develop a knowledge base for a pest that was

forgotten

• Develop information delivery mechanisms to promote understanding of and actions against this pest

Research Projects • Basic Research

Bed Bug Aggregation(Joelle Olson, Ph.D. Candidate)

How are bed bugs responding to the pheromone? Attractant or arrestant?

How are they detecting the pheromone?

Are there other concerns with this pheromone and their behavior?

Funded by EcoLab

Attractant?orArrestant?

ThigmotaxisAutotaxis

Olson et al., 2009. J. Insect Physiol. 55(6) 580-587

Intact

Blinded Proboscis Partial Complete

How are they detecting the pheromone?

The bed bug’s “nose” is not just here!

2 7 14 210

20

40

60

80

100

% A

ggre

gate

dStarvationDecreasesAggregation!

Starvation Time

* *

A Residual Human Host Kairomone? (Corey McQueen, Ph.D. Candidate)

• Human Host Kairomone• a chemical released by humans that

benefits bed bugs• Residual

• The chemical is left on a surface and attracts the bed bug despite the human no longer being around

Funded by MGK

What’s that smell?

>8 Hours Host Conditioned Disk

1. Directed movement2. Longer residency time3. Less movement post-contact

Summary

Research Projects • Applied Research

Cold Treatments• A freezer is required

• 0° F for 4 days• Joelle Olson, Ph.D. Candidate

Hour

When Using Insecticides Only

Missed areas / cut corners will bite you!DO NOT use only 1 product

You need 3 formulations at leastResidual, short acting, dust

No Foggers/ULVs(with 1 exception)

Resistance problems!Thorough applications to the fullest extent of the label!

When using heat treatments• 120°F for 90 minutes or• Immediate kill at 122°F• Delivery temps will be higher at 130°F - 150°F

• Perimeter insecticide treatments are recommended(with residual insecticides and dust in wall voids)

Whole-Room Heat Treatments

Other treatment options?• Laundering / drying especially with insecticide applications

• Need thoroughness!

• Other non-mainstream controls depending on situation

• Steam / cryonite (Rapid freeze) are direct contact killing methods• Vacuuming for reducing population• Squashing bed bug by hand

Steam Generators

160 – 180 °F

Program Goal• To develop a knowledge base for a pest that was

forgotten

• Develop information delivery mechanisms to promote understanding of and actions against this pest

Updates from the“Let’s Beat the Bug” Campaign

“Singles and families are becoming homeless due to an infestation. They then enter a Ramsey County Shelter which can cause an outbreak in shelters. This puts all residents at risk.”

“I work as a social worker in low income housing complex. There are many residents that have bed bugs and come to me for help. It is difficult for them to deal with bed bugs.”

“Terrified of them. Manage an apartment building and emergency shelter. Trying to balance the

welfare of all with the invasiveness of prevention. Cannot allow people fleeing from trauma to be further traumatized by having to stay in a place infested with blood sucking bugs, but don’t want people to feel like I suspect them of being ‘dirty’ ”

“I have them in the building I manage and it scares me when I go

into a unit for inspections. I am also scared that I could and

would bring them home.”

How are you affected by bed bugs?

Bed Bug Information Line• Established in October 2011

• 612-624-2200 or 1-855-644-2200 or bedbugs@umn.edu

• A resource for individuals who have questions about bed bug prevention and control.• Common questions include:

• How do I know if I have bed bugs? / Is this a bed bug?• How to get rid of bed bugs? • Tenant Rights?• Does X product work? • Where can I get help getting rid of bed bugs?

www.bedbugs.umn.edu

Task Sheets• 19 tasksheets designed to be easily

accessed by the general public. • Covering a wide range of topics from

bed bug basics to specific “how to’s” for bed bug control.

• Available in Arabic, English, Hmong, Somali and Spanish

• All available via bedbugs.umn.edu in easily printable PDFs

Prevention and Control Kits

• Firefighters• Home Visitors• Hotels• Police Officers• Property Owners• Retail• Schools

• A quick list of tools and documents that are useful for bed bug prevention and control

Multi-Media Content

Bed Bug ID Card• A business card with bed bug identification information• Designed to be carried with you to provide easy access to

information on bed bugs, where and when you need it.

Information for Property Owners and Managers

• Tasksheet: What Property Owners and Managers Need to Know About Bed Bugs

• Communication Tools• Poster for apartment buildings to encourage reporting• Bed Bug ID Cards• Tasksheets for residents:

• Understanding Bed Bug Treatments• Laundering Items to Kill Bed Bugs

Information for Home Visitors

• Bed Bug Guidelines for Social Service Providers Who Conduct Home Visits

• Bed Bug Prevention and Control Kit for Home Visitors• Bed Bugs and Insecticides: What You Need to Know• Videos, Tasksheets and ID Cards for use with Clients

Social Media

Where Can I Get More Information?

Search: Lets Beat the Bug

@letsbeatthebug

bedbugs.umn.edu

Information Line: bedbugs@umn.edu1-855-644-2200612-624-2200

Let’s Beat the Bug!Funding for the "Let's Beat the Bug!" Campaign provided by the United States

Environmental Protection Agency and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Additional assistance from the Minnesota Department of Health was greatly appreciated.

RECOMMENDED PREVENTION PROCEDURES

Simplify

Do not collect furniture

timeoutny.com

JPGmag.com

Even appliances and electronics

flikr.com

Avoid throwing out furniture!

Keep purses, backpacks, etc away from beds and resting areas