Minnesota’s Let’s Beat the Bug! Campaign
Dr. Stephen A. Kells
Associate Professor
Amelia Shindelar
Community Health Coordinator
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…
89% of Midwest
PM companies saw increased
bed bug services over last year
(Potter et al. 2013. Pestworld)
(Potter et al. 2011. Bed bugs without borders: survey of the pest control industry)
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.com
Prlog.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
Bed Bugs
Areyou
Back!
New
things
should know…
I wonder
Article: “Threat and Efficacy uncertainty
in news
what
they
coverage about bed bugs: Information seeking and
look like?
avoidance…”
Goodall and Reed 2013. Health Communication
“Uncertainty
They’reofresistant!
a bed bug threat and people pay attention”
!
No guarantees you
can get about
rid ofhow
them!
“Uncertainty
to control bed bugs and people
avoid the issue
“it could discourage people from protective actions”
New things you should know…
We are dealing with much misinformation…
•
1. Cincinnati
2. Chicago
3. 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 data
not corrected for company
market 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?
or
Arrestant?
Thigmotaxis
Autotaxis
How are they detecting the
pheromone?
Blinded
Proboscis
Partial
Intact
Olson et al., 2009. J. Insect Physiol. 55(6) 580-587
Complete
The bed bug’s “nose”
is not just here!
100
* *
Starvation
Decreases
Aggregation!
% Aggregated
80
60
40
20
0
2
7
14
21
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
Disk
Host Conditioned
Summary


1. Directed movement
2. Longer residency time
3. Less movement post-contact
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 least
Residual, 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
How are you affected by 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.”
“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.”
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
• A quick list of tools and documents that
are useful for bed bug prevention and
control
• Firefighters
• Home Visitors
• Hotels
• Police Officers
• Property Owners
• Retail
• Schools
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?
bedbugs.umn.edu
Information Line:
bedbugs@umn.edu
1-855-644-2200
612-624-2200
Search: Lets Beat the Bug
@letsbeatthebug
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
Even appliances and electronics
JPGmag.com
Avoid throwing out
furniture!
flikr.com
Keep purses, backpacks, etc away
from beds and resting areas