New IPM bed bug manual for homeless shelters and group homes: a Q&A with Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann

The New York State Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program at Cornell University has produced a comprehensive bed bug prevention and management manual for the New York City Department of Homeless Services. The project was supported by a Partnership Grant from the Northeast IPM Center. Written by Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann and Cathy Pichler, the Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Bed Bugs in Shelters and Group Living Facilities should prove to be a rich resource for its intended audience and for the general public. We have been anticipating this publication since we saw mention of it in a report to the New York City Council.

Project coordinator Dr. Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann spoke to us on the phone about IPM, the public health importance of bed bugs, and the control of bed bugs in our city.

NYvsBB: What is bed bug management from an IPM perspective?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: When you’re managing bed bugs, you can’t do anything but IPM, because IPM doesn’t rule out any type of approach, but it does include all approaches. You can’t do it without IPM. IPM uses all available methods in a logical way while minimizing risks.

NYvsBB: But the only acceptable level [of bed bugs] is zero…

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: Right! You know, we’re not talking about pesticides risks, we’re talking about risks of having to spend too much money, risk of getting bed bugs in your neighbor’s apartment, and also the risk that you face from your health. So, the acceptable level is zero, for bed bugs, absolutely.

NYvsBB: What was the genesis of this project? And what do you hope New Yorkers take away from the Guidelines? How do you hope this document will be used?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: The project started because NYC was becoming overwhelmed with calls about bed bugs… I think where we wanted to have the most impact was on underserved audiences, which was homeless shelters in general, but also privately run shelters and particularly group living facilities, like group homes for adults who are transitioning in life; they seem to be the most at risk, and also elders in homes seem to be greatly at risk. So this is for non-traditional underserved audiences. I hope this publication encourages agencies to cooperate in helping people with bed bugs.

NYvsBB: Did you get any sense of the prevalence of bed bugs in these living situations?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: I did. I received calls for a period of time, maybe early spring, I received 5 calls in 2 weeks from different group homes. ‘We have this, what do we do?’ One was a monastery in upstate New York and they needed help, because it’s a communal living situation, and they don’t necessarily have a lot of money, and they have no knowledge, and they’re at the mercy of the pest control industry, and they don’t know who to pick… so they look for advice.

NYvsBB: How would you characterize the asthma risk? I know there’s that Egyptian study and another study from 1928 I think where this guy had asthma for years, and they finally isolated it; it was bed bugs. And I know the city is very concerned about asthma, so what is the potential?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: I think there’s great potential for it, but I think we really need the research to back it up now. Now is a perfect time to do that research. Because a lot of insects, ladybugs, can trigger asthma when they occur in high numbers in the home, and certain species overwinter in the home. If ladybugs and cockroaches can do it, you know bed bugs can.

NYvsBB: Where do you come down on this question of the public health importance of bed bugs? Because I notice your colleagues, in pest management and entomology, when they speak to the press, you start to hear this note of worry…

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: I believe it’s a public health risk. I think it’s a risk we don’t understand fully but when people are stressed and they have no money and they’re facing this insect and they’re getting no sleep, I think that’s a public health risk. That’s aside from the mystery that is, how much pesticide exposure is too much…

NYvsBB: What about the illegal and inappropriate use of pesticides, how worrisome is that?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: There are plenty of vendors throughout New York City who sell these products; they’re not registered in the United States and nobody really knows what’s in them, and occasionally DEC, the Department of Environmental Conservation, goes around and does a raid on these places and confiscates these illegal pesticides, but the people who are selling it don’t really understand, the people who are buying it don’t really understand the risk. And it’s out there; it’s really pervasive.

NYvsBB: What are your thoughts about our situation in the city, do you think we have a chance to achieve control? Or are we going to be living with them for some time?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: [pause]

NYvsBB: [laughter] What do you see happening?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: I think what will happen is that this problem will get worse…

NYvsBB: If you had to isolate one or two things that are the most important to achieving control of bed bugs in our city?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: Early detection, just like with breast cancer, is the most important part of control, because it’s easier to eliminate a small infestation, and the more infestations you have, the more infestations you will end up with, sort of like cells of cancer, the more you have, the more they multiply. People’s awareness—and that’s with any disease or any problem—awareness facilitates early detection, which facilitates control, which facilitates the control of the spread.

NYvsBB: Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann: Just that I’m tired of bed bugs.

We certainly share the sentiment. But we are grateful that bed bugs have become Dr. Gangloff-Kaufmann’s subject because the Guidelines are impressive in scope and detail and contain very well-crafted advice on how to inspect for bed bugs, how to identify the signs of infestations, how to manage an infestation, what to look for in a pest management company, how to prevent the spread, how to avoid “bringing them home” and many very useful tips and tricks. (Like the notched MetroCard bed bug inspection tip! We have heard that the MetroCard is a staple in Lou Sorkin’s kit. Now you can see a photo of it on page 12. We note that Lou Sorkin, Richard Cooper and Gil Bloom were part of the advisory group on this project.)

For the administrators of shelter and group living facilities, the Guidelines should be invaluable in aiding their implementation of a sound bed bug strategy.

The Guidelines are available for download from the website of the New York State IPM Program here.

And there’s something else to look forward to: Dr. Gangloff-Kaufmann and her colleagues are planning a workshop called “Bed Bugs and Public Health: Establishing the Connections” for the next International IPM Symposium in March, 2009.

New York vs Bed Bugs advocates the development and wide dissemination to the public of best practice protocols to control bed bug infestations in New York City. And we think bed bugs are a public health concern.

These pages may be of related interest:

1. Bed bugs and public health at the 6th International IPM Symposium
2. Letter in support of the Community Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell
3. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is resisting pressure to act in the city’s bed bug resurgence
4. The great bed bug story of New York City
5. New York City Bed Bug Advisory Board