We need to learn from our mistakes, take a hard look at the science and use DDT where and when it is needed: to save lives.
The bedbugs moved into my house. I was itching all night long and after about five futile attempts to blast them with pyrethroids, one of the few allowable pesticides, I was ready for something stronger. Anything really.
Compared to other pesticides, pyrethroids are less toxic to humans and apparently less toxic to bedbugs too. (Thanks to our zeal for abusing anything new, bedbugs in New York City, where I live, are more than 200 times resistant to pyrethroids compared with Florida bedbugs, according to a recent study.) All I wanted was my exterminator to sneak me some DDT or another banned chemical. I considered organophosphates — the ones that have been linked to cognitive impairments among children.
My bedbug fiasco — costly and time-consuming — got me thinking about the global balancing act of pesticides versus disease. The real issue is not about those of us in the developed world annoyed with bedbugs and lice (we dealt with those too), but the rest of the world who have to weigh the pros and cons of pesticides versus killer infections.
Pesticides work because they are poisons. The goal is to concoct a chemical that hits bugs but nothing else. A microbiologist told me that his oncologist friends are in the same bind. They say they can kill every cancer cell but they’d kill the patient too. The trick — for the bugs and cancer — is all about targeting. We’re not there yet.
For most of us, raised in the post-"Silent Spring" era (Rachel Carson’s 1962 blockbuster book that outlined the abuse of pesticides and launched the environmental movement), DDT has become the Voldemort of chemicals — he whose name should not be ... spoken.
Yet this same drug was once considered a miracle weapon. After World War II, death camp survivors were drenched with the stuff to prevent typhus and our farmlands were showered with it to protect crops. It did the trick but we quickly learned it also killed birds and wildlife. To top it off, our abuse of it spurred resistance — something the experts warned about all along. DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1971. The chemical was labeled one of the so-called “dirty dozen” at the 1995 Stockholm Convention of Persistent Organic Pollutants slated for restriction, but not elimination. It was never banned globally.
The World Health Organization changed its tune a few years ago and started encouraging malaria-ravaged countries to use DDT indoors. The United States Agency for International Development, which for years did not fund DDT projects, started to sponsor a few of them here and there.
It’s important to remember that no one is talking about airplanes spraying pesticides the way we did half a century ago. They are talking about limited uses of chemicals inside certain homes with vulnerable mosquitoes — combined with a lot of other malaria-prevention techniques.
Continue reading at: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/worldview/091130/opinion-return-ddt
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
WARNING: You Could Be Paying To Have Your Home Infested With Bed Bugs
In a special assignment report, Jennifer Baileys was contacted by a Rent-A-Center employee who says some people are paying to infest their own homes with bed bugs.
"The bug problem in Louisville is pretty bad," said "Jeff" who claims to be a Rent-A-Center employee.
"It was maybe one place a year, but now we're getting this one a week. There's no bleach spray, there's absolutely nothing done for bed bugs I took over a location and my first two days on the job was fighting bed bugs," said Jeff.
His job is not in pest control, "Jeff" says he is a manager of Rent-A-Centers in Louisville.
"Personally I wouldn't rent furniture," said "Jeff".
Fox 41 agreed to hide "Jeff's" identity and he provided proof of his employment with Rent-A-Center. "Jeff" said he contacted Fox 41 because he wants everyone to know the truth about the risk of renting furniture.
"They don't want you to junk the stuff, they want to make their money and that's what they're going to do whatever it takes to make their money," said "Jeff" who has worked at stores in Louisville that have been infested with bed bugs.
"Jeff" also claims few employees ever follow Rent-A-Center's bed bug policy.
"100 percent of the time it's not followed," said "Jeff".
As part of the Fox 41 investigation, Jennifer Baileys contacted Rent-A-Center's corporate office in Texas. Company Spokesperson Xavier Dominicis said no one at any of the stores in Louisville would be available to talk on camera and that Fox 41 would not be permitted inside any of the stores.
Dominicis did offer information about Rent-A-Centers bed bug policy. He said all stores use a product called Steri-Fab to fight bed bugs.
"This Steri-Fab do you feel that this really does work and knock out any potential problems," asked Baileys. "It's the best product on the market right now," said Dominicis.
OPC Pest Control in Louisville backs up that claim. Manager Kevin Mills said Steri-Fab will kill bed bugs when sprayed directly on the bug, but like all products on the market it will not fix the problem.
"It's just very difficult there's not really a product that's 100% guaranteed for bed bugs no matter what you do," said Mills.
Rent-A-Center employee "Jeff" said whether Steri-Fab works or not is irrelevant because he said employees like himself are not trained on how to use it and most stores do not even carry the product.
"So the Steri-Fab never gets used," Baileys asked "Jeff" "100% of the time never gets used," said "Jeff" "There's never time to stop and do it."
"Jeff" also claimed precautions are rarely taken in his stores to prevent the spread of bed bugs even when new products like mattresses come in.
"We put the old ones right up next to the new ones," said "Jeff" talking about loading and moving mattresses.
"Roaches, that's probably a bigger epidemic than bed bugs. As a matter of fact, there's no policy in place for roaches," claimed "Jeff".
Of course these are claims Rent-A-Center officials dispute. Dominicis says all merchandise is inspected when it comes into and leaves a store.
"When a piece of merchandise comes back it gets brushed and vacuumed that has an upholstery attachment and then after that it gets treated with a product called Steri-Fab," said Dominicis.
"The companies that rent or buy mattresses when they come in and pick up the old mattresses and put it in the same truck as used and new that it's possible that bed bugs could carry from one on to the new," said Mills with OPC.
Pest control officials said buying used furniture is not a good idea. Mills said if someone decided to rent furniture, check out the creases, edges and underneath. Turn it over and check it out with a flash light, but remember these little bugs are good at hiding and very difficult to get rid of.
"Over-the-counter type products are effective on bed bugs, the problem with anything over the counter including chemicals is it will kill a bed bug on direct contact, but getting to where the bed bugs hide and wait is the key," said Mills.
By: Jennifer Baileys - Fox41.com
"The bug problem in Louisville is pretty bad," said "Jeff" who claims to be a Rent-A-Center employee.
"It was maybe one place a year, but now we're getting this one a week. There's no bleach spray, there's absolutely nothing done for bed bugs I took over a location and my first two days on the job was fighting bed bugs," said Jeff.
His job is not in pest control, "Jeff" says he is a manager of Rent-A-Centers in Louisville.
"Personally I wouldn't rent furniture," said "Jeff".
Fox 41 agreed to hide "Jeff's" identity and he provided proof of his employment with Rent-A-Center. "Jeff" said he contacted Fox 41 because he wants everyone to know the truth about the risk of renting furniture.
"They don't want you to junk the stuff, they want to make their money and that's what they're going to do whatever it takes to make their money," said "Jeff" who has worked at stores in Louisville that have been infested with bed bugs.
"Jeff" also claims few employees ever follow Rent-A-Center's bed bug policy.
"100 percent of the time it's not followed," said "Jeff".
As part of the Fox 41 investigation, Jennifer Baileys contacted Rent-A-Center's corporate office in Texas. Company Spokesperson Xavier Dominicis said no one at any of the stores in Louisville would be available to talk on camera and that Fox 41 would not be permitted inside any of the stores.
Dominicis did offer information about Rent-A-Centers bed bug policy. He said all stores use a product called Steri-Fab to fight bed bugs.
"This Steri-Fab do you feel that this really does work and knock out any potential problems," asked Baileys. "It's the best product on the market right now," said Dominicis.
OPC Pest Control in Louisville backs up that claim. Manager Kevin Mills said Steri-Fab will kill bed bugs when sprayed directly on the bug, but like all products on the market it will not fix the problem.
"It's just very difficult there's not really a product that's 100% guaranteed for bed bugs no matter what you do," said Mills.
Rent-A-Center employee "Jeff" said whether Steri-Fab works or not is irrelevant because he said employees like himself are not trained on how to use it and most stores do not even carry the product.
"So the Steri-Fab never gets used," Baileys asked "Jeff" "100% of the time never gets used," said "Jeff" "There's never time to stop and do it."
"Jeff" also claimed precautions are rarely taken in his stores to prevent the spread of bed bugs even when new products like mattresses come in.
"We put the old ones right up next to the new ones," said "Jeff" talking about loading and moving mattresses.
"Roaches, that's probably a bigger epidemic than bed bugs. As a matter of fact, there's no policy in place for roaches," claimed "Jeff".
Of course these are claims Rent-A-Center officials dispute. Dominicis says all merchandise is inspected when it comes into and leaves a store.
"When a piece of merchandise comes back it gets brushed and vacuumed that has an upholstery attachment and then after that it gets treated with a product called Steri-Fab," said Dominicis.
"The companies that rent or buy mattresses when they come in and pick up the old mattresses and put it in the same truck as used and new that it's possible that bed bugs could carry from one on to the new," said Mills with OPC.
Pest control officials said buying used furniture is not a good idea. Mills said if someone decided to rent furniture, check out the creases, edges and underneath. Turn it over and check it out with a flash light, but remember these little bugs are good at hiding and very difficult to get rid of.
"Over-the-counter type products are effective on bed bugs, the problem with anything over the counter including chemicals is it will kill a bed bug on direct contact, but getting to where the bed bugs hide and wait is the key," said Mills.
By: Jennifer Baileys - Fox41.com
Thursday, June 10, 2010
A Family Vacation, Ruined by Bug Bites
Offending Party: Disney's All-Star Music Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
What's at Stake: $200 for a two-night stay
The Complaint: Denine Erlemeier and her family woke up after their first night in the budget-priced hotel to find themselves covered with red bites. A little research online suggested the marks may have come from bedbugs, the reddish-brown, blood-sucking insects that often live in mattresses and bedding.
Read more: http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,1955180,00.html#ixzz0py2AHQA7
Monday, June 7, 2010
Bed Bug Cases On the Rise in Singapore
When you travel overseas, you may be bringing back more than just a few tacky souvenirs. You may be harbouring bugs that end up infesting your home.
Local pest control firm PestBusters said it treated close to 250 cases of bed bug infestations in 2009. That's double the number of incidents in 2007. They attribute this to the increase in the number of people travelling.
PestBusters' assistant supervisor, Mohamed Amir Bin Yahya said, 'Nowadays, because of cheaper travel bed bugs are easily transported in. We've even had cases in 5 star hotels and big mansions.'
So travellers should take extra care to check that their luggage and personal belongings are free of such unwelcome guests before they enter their homes.
Even if you keep your home spick and span, bed bugs may still nest as these pests can be brought in from other external sources such as from a trip on the bus or the cinema.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com
Local pest control firm PestBusters said it treated close to 250 cases of bed bug infestations in 2009. That's double the number of incidents in 2007. They attribute this to the increase in the number of people travelling.
PestBusters' assistant supervisor, Mohamed Amir Bin Yahya said, 'Nowadays, because of cheaper travel bed bugs are easily transported in. We've even had cases in 5 star hotels and big mansions.'
So travellers should take extra care to check that their luggage and personal belongings are free of such unwelcome guests before they enter their homes.
Even if you keep your home spick and span, bed bugs may still nest as these pests can be brought in from other external sources such as from a trip on the bus or the cinema.
Source: http://www.straitstimes.com
Saturday, June 5, 2010
2010 North American Bed Bug Summit
There’s an ongoing need for good information about bed bugs among pest professionals, and people who manage housing in various industries.
Bed Bug Central is hosting a North American Bed Bug Summit in Chicago on September 20-21.
PCT Online says:
Bed Bug Central is hosting a North American Bed Bug Summit in Chicago on September 20-21.
PCT Online says:
Bed Bug University’s North American Summit 2010 is designed to speak to industries that are feeling the affects of the bed bug resurgence most acutely. These industries include: university housing, pest management, military housing, shelters and group homes. Through interviews with industry partners and entomologists, [Bed Bug Central president Phillip Cooper] saw an urgent need for a national bed bug summit due to a lack of available information across the hardest hit sectors.
“We saw a need from a wide swath of industries for in-depth knowledge that they haven’t received from previous symposia,” said Cooper. “Earlier seminars were very well done, but we wanted to create a unique forum for learning that is unlike anything given in the past.”
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