I called the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) to ask about their schedule of bed bug seminars.
I didn’t realize what a very, very silly question that was.
If you recall, in January, HPD and the City Council announced a series of bed bug seminars for the city. Workshops to be led by HPD educators that would address quite the dire need for bed bug education in our city. The press release—I still remember what high hopes we had back then—can be read here. I’m too upset to quote from it. And there is quite a bit that could be quoted.
It never occurred to me that there is no program of seminars.
There is no schedule.
There are no plans to hold any more seminars.
HPD will only schedule a seminar if “the community” asks for one.
Here’s an impertinent question.
How will “the community” know to ask for a seminar?
How about those New Yorkers who don’t have internet access? Who don’t know that they can call an obscure office at HPD to get a bed bug workshop?
Want to know what else? It gets better. We think these seminars are inadequate in the first place!
And yet, it’s all there is. Or, sorry, was!
I note that HPD’s website can be searched endlessly without it ever once coughing up a single page about how to arrange for one of these workshops.
So, if you have a group of people in your community or in your workplace who would benefit from some basic bed bug knowledge, you can call HPD at (212) 863-8830. And you can ask for a bed bug seminar.
These pages may be of related interest:
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I am fighting bed bugs. Steam is to date the most useful and direct tool. I have an inexpensive steamer which leaves everything wet but when an area is steamed any bugs fall dead. Is there any possibility the city could purchase and rent or loan good quality steamers. ‘Results’ diatomaceous
earth is messy but helpful and oddly a non-toxic spray with salt(sodium chloride), vinegar(acetic acid)yeast, soap etc sold by different labels not
only seems helpful but I saw it leave a single bedbug motionless on contact.
Hi Jane,
Thank you for your comment and suggestion. It’s possible that someone is thinking of a steamer rental business or will. There would be a market for it.
There are many things that are effective contact killers. They will kill a bed bug that you spray directly. Murphy’s Oil Soap is one such contact killer. Other soaps would perhaps also work. However, soaps, in particular, will not have any residual effect, so that once dry they will not kill bed bugs that walk on a treated surface. For this, and many other reasons as I am sure you are painfully finding out, most bed bug infestations cannot be controlled with contact sprays. They are useful, no doubt. I think dusts have been shown to be effective; they act mechanically and they remain effective after application. A very light dusting is all you need. If there is a white mess you may be overapplying. I think this is one of the areas where some education would go a long way. Applying DE is not difficult but there are ways to be effective and safe and these ways can be taught to anyone.
Thank you again for your comment and good luck with your fight.