New York vs Bed Bugs » Issues and Challenges

Dogs

Renee Corea — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 16:51:13 +0000

click image to see larger size

It’s important to think of the problems that arise in bed bug control — as it is actually practiced every day in this city — honestly, without idealism and without any unwarranted do this, do that, success! affect.

Not everything is as simple as the dog decisions above. The thornier problems (what can you do when HPD doesn’t write a violation because there were no bed bugs on your mattress?) yield pretty complex decision paths: all the choices are grim.

All of which is to say, a follow-up on this soon.

Short takes 2/2

Renee Corea — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:51:28 +0000

This most recent iteration of the blog at New York vs Bed Bugs is near the end. I am writing one additional post that deals with landlord/tenant issues. A good way to be alerted to the last few posts is to subscribe to the site feed or subscribe to receive posts via email.

In the meantime, some links.

–This article in The Villager, “NYCHA officials say 6 percent of units hit by bedbugs,” about the two-evening bed bug forum that took place on January 18 and 19 (briefly noted) is important among other reasons because it reveals an essential problem with our current conception of bed bug education:

The councilmember [Council Member Rosie Mendez] said that while she was “very happy” with the city’s participation in both forums, it was unfortunate there wasn’t a greater showing by residents.

Emphasis added. I’ll try to gather my thoughts about this subject in another post.

–The Associated Press reported that the NYC Council sent a letter to EPA and HUD asking for assistance. The internet is not obliging with the text of this letter; do you have better luck?

–Journalist Theresa Braine has been writing an excellent series about her personal bed bug experience at BrickUnderground. I’m sorry I have missed it until now. It’s a great personal story, entertainingly delivered and packed with instructive episodes. This is the first installment.

–NPMA released bed bug management best practices. The presentation of these guidelines may be a bit confusing. Go directly to this link for the full guidelines in the form of an outline.

–And finally for a tiny bit of fun on an icy day, the tale of a bed bug gadget inventor, via. (No, no clue about how this could possibly work. My bet would be no, but really, what do I know? Made a cursory search for relevant research; here’s a 2005 technical publication if you are really interested. Think of the “debates” on verifying electronic alerts, à la canine scent detection!)

A one-sheet for communicating with your neighbors

Renee Corea — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 09:59:18 +0000

I hope you are not organizing your building to fight bed bugs all by yourself. But I know that you may be.

As a follow up to the letter to building management discussed recently:

Here is a bed bug information sheet to leave with neighbors (PDF) as you go knocking on doors and inviting them to a tenants meeting to hash out the bed bug situation in your building.

The sheet says “bed bugs have been spreading in our building” and is meant to help you figure out what to say in your own building. Free to use as is or adapt to your (non-commercial) needs.

When you knock on doors, be ready to write down names and phone numbers and email addresses as well as make notes about what is discussed. This is a simple thing but easy to forget. (The building discussed in the previous post used a simple ruled list: apartment number, tenant name, email address, cell phone, and one-letter abbreviations to be circled as appropriate for willingness to join tenants association, attend the tenants meeting, and of course bed bugs: A – M – B.) It can be a very short conversation if you get contact information to follow-up.

If this is useful, other possible versions of this flyer to follow, as well as what to be sure to discuss in tenant meetings and some of the questions that may be asked.

Remember that you can download many advanced guides and resources, call 311 to order copies of the health department’s bed bug guide (the English-language version; other languages available only as downloads), and ask HPD to come speak to your tenants association meeting.

Hunger folds and a reminder about the law

Renee Corea — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 07:39:03 +0000

Updated below.

Last night the Museum of the City of New York hosted a bed bug program. I’m very grateful to the museum and especially its director of public programs, Ryan J. Carey, for thinking of this problem and asking us to participate in discussing it. But unlike last year’s lecture at the NY Entomological Society, I don’t think I can offer a good recap (participation not being a good vantage point for observation). What I remember distinctly is that Lou talked about the hunger folds of bed bugs (conveniently expandable for taking in lots of blood), and that a certain gentleman from London said something terrible: that “whoever brought them in” should be responsible for eradicating them.

For the record, the landlord is legally responsible in New York City for the eradication of bed bugs. One can go on at length about all the ways that landlords need help in fulfilling this responsibility, and how there is no hope of success when the tenant is not cooperative (or when the pest management professional is not diligent) but, as far as the law, it’s difficult to conceive of the wholesale disaster that bed bugs would be in this city if it were otherwise.

Update: I just recalled that there were some questions in the audience about basic resources — a collection here, but some basic ones specific to the city:

a NYC Health Department guide on how to select a pest control company (PDF) — see also
also from DOHMH, a basic bed bug guide, in English and 6 other languages
and, because the above guide does not include photographs, Lou’s photographs of bed bugs

Update 2: I should say that I like and respect David a lot (exhibit A, B, C, and D), but we ~~have our disagreements~~ like to argue from time to time. He never forgets to remind me that we only became friends after a strong initial disagreement, about something or other long forgotten.

And here’s commentary about the evening from BrickUnderground. Please note, however, that I am not aware of any new law requiring inspection of adjoining apartments. There is only a stated intention from the Health Department, announced in the summer when the bed bug advisory report was released, to hold landlords (and tenants) to “enhanced expectations” that would specifically involve additional inspections. There have been no further details about the development of such a policy. But we should all be on the lookout for news on that front (and dare we hope, actually press the city about it), as it is very promising.

Update 3: Here is another writeup from Woman Around Town.

Fines for Article 151 violations and a new player

Renee Corea — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:00:08 +0000

Remember Article 151, the revised pest prevention and management section of the New York City Health Code?

The Environmental Control Board, an administrative tribunal, will handle hearings for pest violations. I came across this proposed rule to set fines (PDF). This is interesting and a bit puzzling in places.

This is from the statement of purpose:

To better protect the public health, ECB is adding penalties for violations under Article 151. The separate charges will help inform the public of what needs to be done to prevent pests and other rodents. These violations include:

Failure to comply with DOHMH orders

Maintaining or failing to correct nuisances

Violations relating to rodents, bed bugs and other pests

Maintaining conditions conducive to pest harborage

Failure to develop and maintain pest management plans

Here are some of the proposed fines:

NYC Health Code 151.02(a)
Failure to properly and thoroughly eliminate conditions conducive to pests and to the presence of pests other than rodents or mosquitoes.
Penalty: $300
Default: $600

NYC Health Code 151.02(c)
Failure to comply with Department or Commissioner’s Order; pest management plan not complied with; no inspections and/or exterminator visits documented.
Penalty: $1000
Default: $2000

NYC Health Code 151.02(c)
Failure to comply with Department or Commissioner’s Order; pest management plan not complied with; no notice to tenants posted or provided.
Penalty: $1000
Default: $2000

NYC Health Code 151.02(c)
Failure to comply with Department or Commissioner’s Order; pest management plan not complied with; pests and/or conditions conducive to pests, access and harborage not eliminated.
Penalty: $2000
Default: $2000

NYC Health Code 151.02(e)
Using pesticides alone in the management of pest infestations.
Penalty: $300
Default: $600

I am told, by someone knowledgeable about the new policy, that the proposed fines are approved, though the final rule is not available so it’s not clear if any changes were made after comments were received. And, yes, this will be used as a potential tool to correct bed bug violations.

This confirms two things: one, that the New York City Department of Health, however reluctantly and sparingly perhaps, intends to use Article 151 for bed bugs, and two, that there may be something after all (however tenuous for the moment) to their expressed intention, announced last summer, to hold property owners to “enhanced expectations.”

The Health Department hopes to increase efficiency with Environmental Control Board hearings, which is good, but when I asked about the proposed fine for “using pesticides alone” the response is that they will not fine people for using pesticides alone but that the goal is to have a comprehensive approach for managing pests and reduce and eliminate the use of pesticides when possible. And yet there it is, a proposed fine for using pesticides alone! Perhaps it has been deleted, or else it is a tool to be held in reserve. I am frankly amazed by it.

Anything can be done badly, but we have strongly advocated the use of Article 151. I hope it makes a difference, where and when it is used.

Obviously, in order for HPD and the Health Department to identify a property as a candidate for the supervisory tools of Article 151, they have to become aware of its problems. But I would not expect the Health Department to become involved with bed bug-distressed buildings except in severe cases, due to resource constraints. To underscore, it seems likely that a building would not come under the elevated scrutiny of the Health Department via the authority of the NYC Health Code unless and until a significant number of residents report bed bugs in that building. In what numbers? No thresholds of number of complaints for a property to be so identified have been announced, and so this tool remains something apparently to be used at their discretion, but the frequent problem of residents who are reluctant to file formal complaints — something that is often a significant obstacle for other tenants in the building — seems an obvious challenge here.

What role ECB hearings could have in alleviating the pressures on housing court then seems a premature question.

This could be a step forward nonetheless.

Ohio Bed Bug Workgroup report released

Renee Corea — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 06:44:41 +0000

The group’s Final Report and Recommendations to the Governor and Ohio General Assembly was released today. See The Columbus Dispatch and WLWT Cincinnati for news coverage and to download the report.

I have to sit down to grapple with it, but already noticing the very interesting letter that Governor Strickland wrote to the EPA Administrator just before leaving office, budgetary estimates, and other interesting things, probably the most satisfying of which: the very long list of work group members.

If there is such a thing as national leadership from the public sector on the bed bug issues, it lives in Ohio.

By the way, I’m reminded that a few months ago there was a provocative take on the propoxur issue from Jonathan H. Adler, an environmental and constitutional law professor at Case Western. If you missed it, check it out.

UPDATE: Here’s another report-related story from the excellent Dispatch on Ohio’s home-care fund expenditures for bed bug services for seniors (350K in the last year).

Don’t look for bed bug free hotels, learn to inspect, but what if we could read official reports of bed bugs in room 104?

Renee Corea — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 03:02:42 +0000

Which hotels in NYC are bed bug free?

People ask this question all the time. In response, both these statements are probably true: a) there aren’t any, at any price point; and b) there are lots of bed bug free hotel rooms, everywhere, at every price point.

Also, if you google your own town and bedbugs, you may be surprised to find that bedbugs are already present wherever you live.

The point is that there are no official lists and a hotel room (like a theater) is only bed bug-free until the next guest/patron arrives.

There was one story this year reporting that people are cancelling trips to NYC because of bed bugs. The fact that bed bugs have been found in public places other than hotels seems to be what tipped the decision for one of the worried travelers quoted.

Like some anecdotes about people leaving the city altogether because of bed bugs, this is not surprising, but it is discouraging that the city’s CEO seems to wish it would all just go away. Don’t we all, Mr. Mayor.

Here I want to specifically call out The Miami Herald’s version of this story because it’s striking that they would run the AP story, report the obligatory statements of the local tourism bureaus, and not mention the most relevant facts in Florida, as we’ll see.

The recommended pre-booking routine, for those who are truly anxious, might look like this:

check The Bedbug Registry to see if any good samaritan has made a report ¹ ²
check the usual travel review sites for any reports
avoid hotels with multiple recent reports or totally egregious stories (as they indicate a widespread or persistent problem)
do not avoid hotels with single reports, rather ask the hotel manager about how they handle bed bugs — you may or may not get a good answer — and should the response turn out to be “we’ve never had bed bugs,” with or without indignation, it may be best to keep looking as:
1. it’s not likely to be true
2. if true, does it then mean that they are inexperienced in the types of bed bug control strategies we want to see hotels implement?
keep in mind that room price is not a predictor of the bed bug status of a room
arm yourself with knowledge about bed bug signs and prepare to inspect your hotel room when you arrive

I am a bit skeptical of the inspecting abilities of the average person who has never seen an actual bed bug (save for enormously magnified photographs), an actual bed bug fecal trace, an actual bed bug shed skin, to say nothing of bed bug eggs that, for example, look nothing like grains of rice, which is what people say when they see highly magnified photographs. For that matter, it’s possible that you would never make the apple seed comparison yourself, and yet it is already in your head after hearing it everywhere in relation to the color and size of adult bed bugs. Identifying a bed bug fecal drop or trace is a skill that takes professionals a long time to acquire. On and on.

But the type of information that consumers can access about hotels before making a booking decision is so limited that this is the only possible advice. Do some basic research online. Learn to inspect. Even if you are exposed to bed bugs away from home, you don’t have to bring them home. Certainty is not available at any price.

Here is a video of David Cain inspecting a hotel room. When I pointed out that in most circumstances people really wouldn’t be able to do everything he did, he said that people can at least move the mattress slightly downward (instead of completely removing it as he does) to inspect the head of the mattress/box spring/headboard complex.
And here is a video of Jeff White on avoiding highly-infested hotel rooms as reasonable objective. This view is widely held by professionals, that the risk of transferring bed bugs is higher in highly infested rooms, and who can gainsay it, but there is too much we don’t know about bed bug behavior to fully account for the risk at the lower end of the scale. ³
And here is the travel FAQ at bedbugger.

But if there were official lists? Would they tell us more or more relevant facts?

Or, what if relevant information were available in, say, a guide book, so that hotels could be rewarded for having the right protocols:

what is the bed bug control protocol?
are the staff trained in identifying the signs of bed bugs?
how does the hotel proceed upon receiving a report of bed bugs from a guest?

Would more complete information help you make a decision or would any mention of bed bugs scare you off completely?

In the future, perhaps every hotel room will have a bed bug monitoring device that guests will be invited to inspect before accepting the room…

NYC

Technically, the city should have some data on bed bug incidents in hotel rooms, because 311 accepts complaints from hotel guests. Few if any tourists or business visitors would know this, however, because this has not been publicized. I have yet to hear a single story about someone who complained to the city about finding bed bugs in a hotel room. I’m sure it’s happened. ⁴

It is suggested sometimes that the reason that NYC has been so slow to react to the bed bug problem is its dependence on tourism ($28.2 billion spent in 2009 by 45.6 million domestic and international visitors). I am not persuaded (though it is evidently true that many businesses are worried) but it is safe to say that NYC will never publicly identify bed bug-infested hotel properties.

Would it make any difference? What is the potential value of identifying specific hotels? These questions need not be rhetorical forever. With some time, some useful data ⁵ may emerge — but not in NYC.

Florida

There has been some great reporting in Florida.

First there was a strange situation where Florida state inspectors would not actually enter the room to inspect for bed bugs. (Read the story for the number and link to file a complaint with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Hotels and Restaurants.)

Enforcement went up with the pressure of complaints and this summer The Sun Sentinel published the 2010 violations list. (Here is the accompanying story.)

The list is searchable by county, name, address… but it’s a short list (52) and you can see it all in one page.

The reports are fascinating and the existence of a public list itself, thought-provoking:

Observed live vermin. 40-50 bed bugs in room 104.

Observed live vermin. / found 2 live bed bugs in room 333/ one on the hallway floor near bathroom & one in between seam of mattress./ headboard side.

Observed live vermin. Bed Bugs in room 660 at Chatteu Tower. This violation must be corrected by : 28 July 2010.

Observed bed bug like droppings on mattresses. room 132, 134 Repeat Violation. Repeat Violation.

I’m trying to write about many things while I’m back but it’s a bit slow going. Also, my project which I haven’t even told you about is stalled, so this experiment may not last. Anyway, some notes about some research published this year will be next, with a look back, because that’s how we like to look at things.

And see the hotels light up yellow in this visualization of Bedbug Registry data.
Yes, there is a need for caution and not everyone thinks most people are making reports out of a desire to help others. It is the internet we all mostly love. In NYC, I find reading the bed bug reports in apartments very affecting and revealing.
Girault didn’t tell us if he took any bed bugs home.
These numbers are likely to be small [see the FY 2010 311 bed bug calls that include hotels and SROs, without differentiating between the two, which nevertheless show a 50% rise from the year before (PDF)] and—this is the only thing people care about—will never, ever identify a particular hotel property. What is more interesting is how such complaints are handled. Who inspects? How much time elapses between the report and the inspection, if there is one? Always questions.
I think this is the only analysis of infestations in hotels that we have (PDF), from an industry source at about the midpoint of the current upsurge, or whatever you prefer to call it.

Communicating with building management

Renee Corea — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 21:19:33 +0000

Those of you who are fighting bed bugs in your apartment buildings know that it is extremely challenging to find effective ways of cooperating to eradicate infestations.

You may be looking for ways to improve communications — with your fellow residents and between residents and property management.

Here is a possible tool for you to consider:

Download text file: Letter from a tenants association to building management about bed bugs. You are welcome to use and modify this letter according to your needs.

This letter is obviously very specific to certain circumstances and comes at a point in the relationship that you may not be in. But I hope some of it may be useful to you in your circumstances. (I am exceedingly grateful to the group that is generously sharing it.)

Sure, there are many inferences you can make about the relationship between tenants and management in this building, and perhaps you would not be off the mark (there is no need for such letters when things are working as they should), but the important thing to realize is that no matter how badly things deteriorate, nor how difficult it seems, there are ways to steer communications towards a more productive and effective place.

Here are some thoughts about why this letter works:

1. It is polite, reasonable and diligent. You’ve heard of “fake it ’til you make it”? Right. So, even if you are not feeling particularly well-disposed, it is extremely important to appear to be polite and reasonable. I add diligent because I think it makes a difference in elevating the tone and purpose of any such conversation if it is clear from the outset that you have done your homework. What happens when someone receives a letter like this? One possible result is that they are compelled to be (or appear to be) polite, reasonable and diligent in return. The reasonable element is really critical. If you are ever in the unfortunate position to be in litigation with your building management, you will be glad that you took pains in all your recorded communications. Litigation, of course, is the worst possible way to solve a bed bug infestation.

2. It offers help. The logistics of eradicating infestations in apartment buildings are daunting. There is so much to do. One of the many tasks that is often not done or not done well is the education of tenants and building staff. If you are expecting property managers to educate residents, you may be disappointed. If instead you offer to partially take on the task of educating your fellow residents, you may be more successful. The city has some good basic educational materials [this is the English language PDF, other languages available] and there are many other sources, sometimes advanced and specialized but also some that are simple and effective. In addition, the city offers educational sessions for groups that you can take advantage of.

3. It makes a case for what is requested. This is part of doing your homework, analyzing what is not working in your own building specifically, and (as best as you can!) describing a path to the solution for the purpose of persuading others to follow it — as opposed to resorting to the dead-end strategy of assigning blame. After all, bed bugs are costing everyone lots of money. Everyone (well, nearly) wants them gone.

Yes, easier said than done, but what else is there? This is hard. As you know.

More keen understanding, from another city: “Bedbugs are endemic in our city”

Renee Corea — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 04:59:17 +0000

Hospitals on alert to isolate bedbugs | The Columbus Dispatch:

Bedbugs are endemic in our city, so it’s no surprise that they’ve found their way into every Columbus hospital.

I appreciate the tone of this story. And love that first line. Another must read from Columbus.

The key, without a doubt:

Central Ohio hospitals have been fortunate that the community has its own bedbug task force, which has helped them stay connected and hear regularly from experts on pest control, [Ohio State University Medical Center safety director Michael] Gregory said.

What happens when engineers get bed bugs?

Renee Corea — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:52:38 +0000

Dataloggers! and a “hot box disinsector” is what:

It should come as no surprise that I built something that’s bigger, uglier, and harder to use…

H/t sfbedbugs.com.

Ed Nisley also made his own yeast CO2 trap and successfully used the family van as a thermal chamber. Start here.

The DIY problem is this. People do incredibly, disastrously dangerous things in DIY treatments. Mind-bogglingly dangerous. In many ways DIY is the devil we have to fight. However, it seems clear (to me, perhaps not to you?) that really our only hope to eradicate everyone’s bed bugs lies in a DIY protocol that is accessible and effective.

Ed’s various DIY adventures are not that, but they are immensely entertaining to read about.

Particularly interesting was to read about how they suspect they got bed bugs, doing something that sounds like fantastic fun. Bed bugs, spoilers of all that is good in the world.

Yes, yes, his conclusions about pesticides are inaccurate. One can’t have everything in life.