Transcript BED BUGS! - Franklin County Public Health

BED BUG
INFORMATION FOR
POLICE AND FIRE
DEPARTMENTS
BED BUGS!
AN OLD PEST MAKES A COMEBACK!
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY
*Our thanks to the Jackson Township Fire Department, Grove
City, Ohio who created this presentation.
Bed Bugs
• What’s being done about Bed
Bugs?
• Quick Facts and Myths
• Where are They?
• Where will They soon Be?
• Bed Bug Education
• What we can do?
WHAT'S BEING DONE ABOUT
BED BUGS?
• USEPA is considering allowing more
pesticides to be use to kill bed bugs*
• Several cities in the country have developed
“Bed Bug Task Forces” to deal with education
and enforcement issues;
• There is pending state legislation for bed bug
awareness
BED BUGS – QUICK FACTS:
• Bed bugs were controlled, but never completely
eradicated in the USA after WWII through the use
of highly toxic pesticides like DDT. However,
limited infestations occurred in certain areas of
the country
• Many of the pesticides that were effective against
bed bugs aren’t available now.
• Bed bugs have developed resistance to many of
the pesticides that have been used to kill them
• Increased foreign travel, immigration, and
importation of goods has helped to spread bed
bugs.
BED BUGS – QUICK FACTS
• Bed Bugs aren’t known to carry disease.
• Bed bugs are blood feeders. They can live for a
year after taking a blood meal
• Bed bug bites normally occur at night, and the bite
is generally painless.
• Most people develop itchy welts after they’ve been
bitten.
• Scratching the welts may lead to the development
of dermatitis and secondary infections.
• Bed bugs are not killed by cold “freezing them
out” doesn’t work*
BED BUGS – QUICK FACTS
A FEW BED BUG MYTHS
• “Only “dirty people” get bed bugs.”
• “Bed bugs are only found in places like
military barracks where people are
crowded together”
• “Bed bugs are only a problem for low –
income people.”
BED BUG MYTHS DEBUNKED!
The greatest obstacle to managing bed bugs
is overcoming the myths that are associated
with them.
These myths (and others like them) have created a
stigma for people who find their homes infested with
bed bugs
The bottom line is this: Bed bugs are blood feeders.
Regardless of one’s hygiene, financial status, or
place of residence, bed bugs can infest your home.
BED BUGS ARE HERE, NOW!
• Bed bug infestations are out of control in
Cincinnati.
• Cleveland, Toledo, Akron, Marion,
Mansfield, Findlay, and many other large
and small towns across Ohio are battling
bed bugs.
• In Greater Columbus, we’re dealing with
infestations in the City of Columbus and
every one of the suburbs!
BED BUGS ARE
EVERYWHERE!
Bed bugs have been
found in:
• Senior Housing;
• Nursing homes;
• Apartment
buildings;
• Hotels;
• Schools;
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Private Homes;
Churches;
Movie Theaters;
College Dorms;
Social Service
Agency Offices;
• AND......
FIREHOUSES!
THIS IS THE ENEMY!
PHOTO COURTESY OF OSU EXTENSION
Carpet Infestation
Courtesy of OSU Extension
Furniture Infestation
Courtesy of OSU Extension
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KNOW THE ENEMY!
Adult bed bugs are visible
to the naked eye
They are brown and about
¼ – 3/8” long when full grown.
In the nymph stages, bed
bugs are whitish and
smaller, but they are still
often visible.
They don't fly, but they are
adept crawlers, and they
move FAST! –They scatter
quickly if they’re disturbed
KNOW THE ENEMY
• Bed bug eggs are
glued to the surface
they've been laid on,
so they're hard
to dislodge.
Courtesy of OSU Extension
KNOW THE ENEMY
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Females lay from 1-12 eggs per day
Eggs hatch in 6-17 days
Nymphs look for food
Require a blood meal to molt
Developmental stage is 21-120 days,
depending on temperature
• Can live for several months without
blood
• Live for 12-18 months
KNOW THE ENEMY
KNOW THE ENEMY
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Fast moving insects
Nocturnal blood feeders
Inject a sharp beak, in the sleeping host
Inject a anticoagulant
Nymphs feed 3 minutes./ adults10-15
minutes.
• Then hide to digest blood
• Prefer, fabric, wood and paper to hide
• Bites are painless
KNOW THE ENEMY
• Bed bugs love to
hide in nooks and
crannies. Furniture
joints, receptacles,
baseboards, cracks
in the wall, and
suitcases are ideal
hiding places
KNOW THE ENEMY
• Bites may itch, but not always. The welts that
form whitish, but they may become inflamed.
The bites often occur in rows
• Bites do not have a red spot in the middle as
in flea bites
• Bed bugs are not known to transmit disease,
but scratching the welts may lead to skin
infections.
KNOW THE ENEMY
• Bed bugs leave tell-tales signs such as blood
stains near the bite site.
• Dark deposits (fecal spots) occur on sheets,
mattresses and & walls
• In severe infestations, a sweet, musty odor
from the insects’ scent glands may be
present.
KNOW THE ENEMY
• Bed bugs are attracted by the carbon dioxide
that we exhale.
• Bed bugs prefer human blood to other
mammals and birds, but they will feed on
them, also.
BED BUG CONTROL
• Bed bugs are hard to • People with bed bugs
kill. No “over the
have to: 1) reduce
counter” pesticide is
clutter; 2) encase
effective.
their mattress and
box springs; 3) Store
• “Bug bombs”
their belongings in
designed to kill flying
tightly closed plastic
insects only scatter
bags or containers;
bed bugs.
4) Vacuum the
• Treatment requires a
affected area daily.
licensed pest control
operator
MORE ABOUT BED BUG
CONTROL
• Eradication of an infestation requires:
– Multiple treatments;
– The use of several different
pesticides;
– Compliance by the occupants;
– Disposal of infested furniture
(sometimes.)
ARE YOU ITCHING TO AVOID
AN INFESTATION?
You never know when you'll
be called to a bed – bug
infested building.
ARE YOU ITCHING TO AVOID
AN INFESTATION?
• Always wear
disposable shoe
covers when on –
scene. Take the
shoe covers off after
you've left the
building. Put them in
a sealed plastic bag
and throw them in
the trash.
ARE YOU ITCHING TO AVOID
AN INFESTATION?
• Some jurisdiction
are recommending
responders wear full
tyvek suits. We do
NOT recommend
this.
• Bunker gear should
not be taken into
living quarters.
Keep it in the engine
bays.
ARE YOU ITCHING TO AVOID
AN INFESTATION?
– Wear shoe covers whenever you enter a
potentially infested place;
– Tuck pant legs into your socks or boots;
– If you didn't use shoe covers, inspect shoes
before entering the medic or returning to the
firehouse. Store your “bed bug boots "in a
sealed plastic bag until they can be placed in a
dryer for 15 minutes;
ARE YOU ITCHING TO AVOID
AN INFESTATION?
– Leave your work
clothes at the
firehouse. Put the
dirty laundry in a
sealed bag and
leave it there until
it has been
washed and dried.
ARE YOU ITCHING TO AVOID
AN INFESTATION?
• At Home:
– Be very careful about bringing used
furniture, clothing or bedding into your
home.
• Seal new or used clothing that you’ve
bought in a plastic bag and wash and dry
in a hot dryer for at least 15 minutes;
• If you’ve traveled, don’t take your
suitcases in the house. Put the contents
in plastic bags until they can be washed
and dried.
ARE YOU ITCHING TO AVOID
AN INFESTATION?
• Check furniture
for bed bugs and
eggs. Used
upholstered
furniture (and
some new stuff)
has been found to
be bed bug
infested.
Sleep Tight, Don’t let the
Bed Bugs Bite!
COBBTF MISSION
• Develop consistent messages about bed bugs
for the community;
• Develop educational materials available to
everyone in the community;
• Develop consistent enforcement strategies;
• Create a web site to use as the main source of
information;
• Tailor information for each at – risk group.
COBBTF STRUCTURE
• Headed by a Steering Committee;
• Established a Media Relations and
Community Outreach Committee to
oversee the products developed;
• Deliberately non-jurisdictional. No
agency or organization controls the
Task Force – it exists for the benefit of
everyone. Everything that we produce is
freely available to all.
THE CENTRAL OHIO BED
BUG TASK FORCE (COBBTF)
• Formed in November, 2008 as the number of
bed bug complaints received by Columbus
Code Enforcement and Franklin County Board
of Health began to rise;
• Voluntary organization made up of
representatives from schools, fire
departments, landlords, tenant rights groups,
hotel and lodging, health care, pesticide
industry, Franklin County and Columbus
Health Departments.
• We're always looking for more people to get
involved!
OUR WEBSITE:
centralohiobedbugs.org