Resources
Policy and Best Practices^
Action Plans — Other Cities^
- Cincinnati Department of Health report to the Cincinnati City Council, February 2008 [PDF]
- Bed Bug Issues in Toronto: Medical Officer Report to the Board of Health, February 14, 2008 [PDF]
- The Cincinnati / Hamilton County Joint Bed Bug Task Force Strategic Plan (June, 2008) — a must read!
- The Toronto Bed Bug Project Medical Officer of Health’s Staff Report, November 13, 2008 [PDF]
- Toronto Bed Bug Project – multi-stakeholder project website at Toronto Public Health
- Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force – new volunteer task force in central Ohio
- Baltimore City Health Department Bed Bug Response Plan (April, 2009) [PDF]
- Michigan Bed Bug Working Group background notes [PDF] and March 2009 update [PDF]; see also Michigan’s Emerging Diseases Issues website
- Toronto Public Health’s Response to Bed Bugs – Medical Officer of Health Staff Report – November 3, 2009 [PDF]
- Toronto Bed Bug Project Steering Committee Report – Bed Bugs in Toronto: Developing an Effective Response – October 2009 [PDF]
- Toronto Community Housing Pest Management Program – November 2009 (attachment to Medical Officer of Health Report) [PDF]
Regulations / Policies^
- City of Boston Inspectional Services Department, Housing Division, Bed Bugs
- San Francisco Department of Public Health, Director’s Rules and Regulations How to Control Bed Bug Infestation [PDF]
- Southern Nevada Health District Regulations Governing the Sanitation and Safety of Used Mattresses, Bedding, and Upholstered Furniture [PDF]
- Toronto District School Board Operational Procedure PR599 [PDF]
Bed Bug Management Guidelines and Best Practices^
- Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bug Infestations in Australia
- Control of Bed Bugs in Residences – Information for Pest Control Companies, University of Minnesota [PDF], Univ. of Minnesota Extension
- Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Bed Bugs in Shelters and Group Living Facilities — highly recommended, from the New York State IPM Program at Cornell University, this publication will be extremely useful to anyone facing an infestation in any setting as it contains a wealth of practical advice and information
- Guidelines for the Control and Prevention of Bed Bug Infestations in California, California Department of Public Health [PDF]
- Georgia Division of Public Health Bed Bug Handbook [PDF]
- The Bed Bug Resource Manual [PDF] from Toronto’s WoodGreen Community Services – community advocacy recommendations and background on the Toronto Bed Bug Project
- All About Bed Bugs: An Information Guide [PDF] – a tenant bed bug manual from WoodGreen Community Services – June 2009
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Health’s Information Letter on Bed Bugs – diagnosing patients and preventing and mitigating infestations in Veterans Health Administration facilities
- Guidelines for Reducing the Risk of Transporting Bed Bugs (PDF), from the Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force, a guide for health care and social service workers making home visits
- Looking for Bed Bugs in Central Ohio: Draft Bed Bug Training for Apartment Staff [PDF] from the Columbus Apartment Association
- Bed Bug Lessons from Cincinnati – Pest Management Professional – Todd Brown – January 2009 – great article on bed bug management in multi-unit housing
- Detecting Bed Bugs Using Bed Bug Monitors – Rutgers Cooperative Extension – Fact Sheet FS1117 – January 2010
- Preventing and Getting Rid of Bed Bugs Safely [PDF] – a bed bug guide from the NYC Department of Health – also available as a printed booklet by calling 311, and as a PDF in Spanish [PDF] and Chinese [PDF]
- Heat Treatment Room for Bed Bugs [PDF] – bed bug sauna room specs from BC Housing
- Bed bug treatment pest management contract specifications from the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association:
- NYS IPM Program/Cornell:
- Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Bed Bugs in Shelters and Group Living Facilities
- Frequently Asked Questions About Bed Bugs
- How to Talk to Callers about Bed Bugs [PDF]
- Travelers’ wallet cards [PDF]
- Infestation history [PDF] – a form to record information about an infestation, including inspections and control steps, in order to prepare for professional evaluation and treatment
- Beating Bedbugs best practice guides from the Greater London Pest Liaison Group:
- Toronto Public Health:
- Bed Bug Treatment Preparation checklist
- Bed bug fact sheet in 13 languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu
- Top 10 Tips for Landlords to Keep Bed Bugs Away
- What’s Working for Bed Bug Control in Multifamily Housing: Reconciling best practices with research and the realities of implementation [PDF] – February 2010, from the National Center for Healthy Housing — see also the resources at Pest Control in Affordable Housing – Integrated Pest Management
- Bed Bugs in Office Buildings: The Ultimate Challenge? [PDF] – problems, characteristics, dispersion patterns, inspection and control procedures, and advice for property managers — a sponsored report by Larry Pinto, Richard Cooper & Sandra Kraft, February 2010
Publications of Policy Interest^
- Public Health Significance of Urban Pests, World Health Organization, 2008
- EPA National Bed Bug Summit – Summary of Workgroup Results [PDF]
- EPA National Bed Bug Summit – Summary of Recommendations Developed at the Summit [PDF]
- Pulling Back the Sheets on the Bed Bug Controversy: Research, Prevention and Management in Hospital & Long-Term Care Facilities [PDF] – Orkin and the American Society for Healthcare Environmental Services (ASHES) of the American Hospital Association – September 2009
- Kells, Stephen A. (2006) Bed Bugs: A Systemic Pest Within Society – American Entomologist [PDF]
- Bed Bugs Are Back: Are We Ready? [PDF] – an ambitious analysis of bed bug infestations in Toronto informed by dozens of interviews with local and international stakeholders and experts, from WoodGreen Community Services, Habitat Services and Public Interest – November 2009
From the New York vs Bed Bugs Archives^
- Bed Bugs are a Pest of Significant Public Health Importance
- Where does it say…? 6 essential documents to survive an argument about bed bug dispersal
- What would New York’s missing mattress sanitizing regs look like anyway?
- Actually, this is what our used mattress regs could look like!
- Public health significance of bed bugs: a new tool for action
- Interviews with entomologists, pest management professionals and interesting people working in the field:
- Richard Naylor
- Reddy Palli and Mike Potter
- Gerry Wegner
- Dr. Stephen W. Hwang
- Paul Wenning
- David Cain, see also two earlier interviews here and here
- Lou Sorkin
- Alvaro Romero
- Sam Bryks
- John Furman
- Rima Zavys
- Jeremy Hessel
- Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann
- Clive Boase
- Bed Bugs in New York City: A Citizen’s Guide to the Problem [PDF]
- A bed bug management plan for a Chelsea co-op
- The great bed bug story of New York City
- Bed bugs and the law in New York City
Resources^
One-stop bed bug information resources^
- Bedbugger
- Bedbugger FAQs
- Bedbugger Forum
- Bedbugger, preguntas frecuentes en español
- The bed bugs portal page at NYS IPM Program/Cornell
- Bed Bugs 101 at Bed Bug Central/Cooper Pest
Chicago^
Online Research Library^
Pest management professionals (PMPs) and Entomologists^
- Lou Sorkin’s photographs
- Bed Bugs 101 – Bed Bug Central – Richard Cooper
- Bed Bugs Limited (UK) – David Cain
- Center for Urban & Structural Entomology, Texas A&M University
- The Bed Bug Resource
- University of Arkansas Insect Genetics Laboratory
- Cornell Entomology at Ithaca – Insect Diagnostic Lab
- NYS IPM Program/Cornell – Frequently Asked Questions About Bed Bugs
- Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) – feeding, traumatic insemination and anatomy photographs, University of Sheffield, Evolutionary and Ecological Entomology
- Bed Bugs and Detecting Bed Bugs Using Bed Bug Monitors – Rutgers Cooperative Extension
- University of Minnesota Extension – IPM C to C – several great bed bug resources, including Information for the Pest Management Professional (United States) [PDF] and The difference between bed bugs and bat bugs [PDF]
New York City^
NYC Laws and Resources^
- Preventing and Getting Rid of Bed Bugs Safely [PDF] – a bed bug guide from the NYC Department of Health – also available as a printed booklet by calling 311, and as a PDF in Spanish [PDF] and Chinese [PDF]
- NYC 311 Bed Bug Information or Complaint
- NYC Housing Maintenance Code (rodent and insect eradication; elimination of harborages)
- Metropolitan Council on Housing Bedbugs Fact Sheet:
“The landlord has an obligation to eradicate the infestation and to keep the units from getting reinfested. If your landlord refuses to take the necessary steps, you can file a complaint with the city department of Housing Preservation and Development (call 311) or take the owner to Housing Court in an HP action.”
- Bed bugs and the law in New York City — New York vs Bed Bugs
- Met Council’s How to Get Repairs – Part 1 and Part 2 [PDFs] [repairs and services include extermination]
- Met Council’s New York City and State Housing Standards (on the applicability of the NYC Housing Maintenance Code and the state Multiple Dwelling Law to various housing conditions)
- Housing Part Actions for Repairs and Services – a How to Guide from the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court
- Also from CWTFHC, a comprehensive collection of Housing Links: Online Resources for NYC Tenants and Housing Advocates
- A Tenant’s Rights to Repairs, from South Brooklyn Legal Services
- NYC Rent Guidelines Board Quality of Life FAQ
- A Tenants Guide to the New York City Housing Court in English – The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Housing Court Public Service Projects Committee, and The Civil Court of the City of New York [PDF]
- A Tenants Guide to the New York City Housing Court in Spanish – The Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Housing Court Public Service Projects Committee, and The Civil Court of the City of New York – Guía del Inquilino para el Tribunal de la Vivienda de la Ciudad de Nueva York [PDF]
- LawHelp/NY: Legal aid in New York State
- MFY Legal Services, Inc. practice areas and intake schedule and fact sheets: How to Make a 311 Complaint Against Your Landlord [PDF], How Do I Get Repairs from My Landlord? [PDF], How Do I Get Repairs if I Live in a NYCHA Apartment? [PDF]
- M&M Environmental interviews bed bug lawyer Timothy Wenk – video
- New York Real Property Law Section 235-b – Warranty Of Habitability – New York Attorney Resources – New York Laws
- See also: New York Warranty of Habitability
- See also: Richard Siegler and Eva Talel, Stroock & Stroock & Lavan – The Warranty of Habitability, 2006 – New York Law Journal – May 3, 2006 [PDF]:
“Courts generally enforce this statute by awarding rent abatements for unfit conditions to rental tenants, including co-op apartment owners whose proprietary lease creates the requisite landlord-tenant relationship. The extent of the abatement is determined by weighing the severity of the breach, its duration and the effectiveness of the landlord’s efforts to cure the condition. The warranty does not permit a tenant to recover for damage to personal property or for personal injury resulting from a breach. And the warranty is inapplicable to condominium units, where no landlord-tenant relationship exists.”
- Housing Court Decisions – Ludlow Properties, LLC v. Young
- NYC HPD – Residential Tenants – Frequently Asked Questions – For Tenants
- HPD’s residential code violations portal (enter a building’s address for the history of violations)
- New York City Department of Health Bed Bug Fact Sheet
- New York City Department of Health: Choosing and Working with a Pest Control Company [PDF]
- New York City Housing Authority’s Bedbugs Fact Sheet (describes NYCHA’s bed bug treatment protocol and where NYCHA public housing residents can call for help)
- New York City Department of Education Bed Bug Kit: Four Step Specimen Collection and Mailing Procedure [PDF] and brief news item at the Division of School Facilities (lists phone number and email contacts)
Maps and Databases^
- The Bedbug Registry — see also the NYC map
- Bedbug City
- 2005-2006 violations/complaints graphic – The New York Times, October 15, 2006
- Highest increase community districts based on HPD complaints in FY 2008 – Daily News, February 17, 2009 [PDF]
Statistics^
- Bed bug math redux – New York vs Bed Bugs
- Bed Bugs in New York City: A Citizen’s Guide to the Problem [PDF]
Classic Big Apple Bed Bug Stories^
- A picture of me
- The Bedbug Blog
- Unlucky in Bugs
- Night Visitors, The New Yorker, April 4, 2005
Research and Press Articles of Note^
Research^
This is a selected list of articles that are open access. We highly recommend the army’s research library for free access to research articles not otherwise available to the public. (See also our posts on research.)
- Boase, Clive J. (2004) Bed-bugs – reclaiming our cities – Biologist [PDF]
- Boase, Clive. (2001) Bedbugs – back from the brink – Pesticide Outlook
- Myles, Tim et al., (2003) Bed Bugs in Toronto, University of Toronto Centre for Urban and Community Studies, Research Bulletin # 19 [PDF]
- King, Fiona. (January 27, 1990) Mind the bugs don’t bite… – New Scientist
- Haynes, Kenneth F., Alvaro Romero, Rebekah Hassell, and Michael F. Potter – The Secret Life of Bed Bugs – Sublethal Effects of Insecticides on Bed Bug Behavior: A Pest Management Foundation Funded Research Project [PDF]
- Kells, Stephen A. (2006) Bed Bugs: A Systemic Pest Within Society – American Entomologist [PDF]
- Potter, Michael F.; Romero, Alvaro; and Haynes, Kenneth F. (2008) Battling Bed Bugs in the USA – Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Urban Pests [PDF]
- Boase, Clive (2008) Bed Bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae): An Evidence-based Analysis of the Current Situation – Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Urban Pests [PDF]
- Romero, Alvaro; Potter, Michael F.; Haynes, Kenneth F. (May 2009) Are Dusts the Bed Bug Bullet? – Pest Management Professional
- Wang, Changlu; Gibb, Timothy; Bennett, Gary W.; Mcknight, Susan (2009) Bed Bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) Attraction to Pitfall Traps Baited With Carbon Dioxide, Heat, and Chemical Lure – Journal of Economic Entomology
- Changlu Wang, Timothy Gibb, Gary W. Bennett (2009) Evaluation of Two Least Toxic Integrated Pest Management Programs for Managing Bed Bugs (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) With Discussion of a Bed Bug Intercepting Device – Journal of Medical Entomology
- Steritech White Paper – Bed Bugs: A Serious Issue for the Hospitality Industry – 2006 [PDF]
Media^
- Business Week – The Cost of Bedbugs – November 8, 2007
- Toronto Board of Health gearing up to fight bed bugs – Bedbugger – March 10, 2008
- Lexington Herald-Leader – Bedbug fears create alarming reaction – Kentucky.com – November 20, 2008
- Good Night, Sleep Tight – Cover Story – Washington City Paper, January 28, 2009
- Pest Management Professional – Bed Bug Lessons from Cincinnati – January 2009
New York City^
- New York Daily News – Bedbug epidemic attacks New York City – December 30, 2007
- New York Sun – Bedbugs Emerge as New Area of Housing Law – September 26, 2008
- New York Sun – New York Lags in Regulating Bed Bugs – September 29, 2008
- WNYC Radio – Bedbug Victims Hope City Will Take Action in 2009 – January 4, 2009*
- New York Times – The Board Blog – Bed Bug Alert – January 14, 2009*
- New York Times editorial – Getting the Bed Bugs Out – January 14, 2009
- New York Daily News – New York bedbug complaints increase 34% in a year – February 17, 2009*
- Staten Island Advance – Bedbugs sinking their teeth into N. Shore – February 18, 2009*
- New York Times – The Man Who Lets the Bedbugs Bite – February 20, 2009
- BBC – Newsbeat – Health – Bedbug cases on the rise in NY – March 27, 2009*
- Kate Nocera – New York City Takes on Bedbugs – May 21, 2009*
- NYCityWatch – City waking up to bedbug assault – May 22, 2009*
- The New York Times’ bed bug weekend:
- New York Times – Buying and Selling in Bedbug City – August 23, 2009
- Disgusting, Yes. But a Deal Breaker? – August 23, 2009
- Debugging a New Home – Of Surrogate Sleepers and Pest Sensors and Special Dust – August 23, 2009
- Bedbugs (Itch, Itch, Scratch, Scratch)! – Room for Debate Blog – NYTimes.com – August 23, 2009
* New York vs Bed Bugs in the media
Please email us if you need help finding something, or found a broken link. Last updated March 11, 2010. Photo © mangy_cur.
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