Bedbug outbreak no laughing matter

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Updated 7:13 AM Thursday, September 2, 2010

Job insecurity. Too much debt. Home foreclosures in every neighborhood. Crime. Rising taxes. Potholes. Struggling school districts. Skyrocketing health care costs. Contaminated eggs.

These are just a few of the common problems that keep many Americans awake in the wee hours of the morning. Well, now there’s something else to worry about at night, and they literally could be keeping you company while you’re tossing and turning.

Bedbugs.

It became official last week — as if Butler County residents weren’t already aware of the pesky situation. The national news media informed us that Ohio has a bedbug problem — that is, according to Terminex, the pest control company.

Terminex last week revealed its list of the 15 most bedbug-infested cities in the United States. Groan: Four Ohio cities — Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus and Cleveland — made the list, giving CNN and other media outlets plenty to discuss and wisecrack about last week.

But it’s no laughing matter. In fact, it’s so serious that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Defense Department, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Agriculture Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently met in Columbus. State officials have been trying to convince the EPA to allow the use of a strong insecticide in homes infested with bedbugs; the EPA says exposure could harm children. (Time magazine headline: “Ohio turns to feds for help in battle against bedbugs.”)

The tiny nocturnal blood-suckers — which travel in old furniture, suitcases, clothing, you name it — are enjoying a resurgence, it seems, thanks to modern restrictions on chemicals and more Americans traveling, “60 years after they were thought to have been eradicated in the U.S.,” according to Reuters. The National Pest Management Association told National Public Radio last year that reports of bedbugs had increased 71 percent over the previous five years. They don’t carry disease but they do bite and can make your life miserable.

Although Hamilton and Middletown, Butler County’s two largest cities, didn’t make the list, the inclusion of Cincinnati and Dayton on the list means we have a problem, too.

Rumpke last week asked residents in Hamilton, Middletown and the other local communities it serves to start wrapping and sealing in plastic all mattresses and furniture believed to contain bedbugs.

Jim Dalzell, acting director of Hamilton’s health department, told our staff that his department is now tracking bedbug complaints, which number 84 this year — up from none two years ago.

In Middletown, the local homeless shelter was combatting the problem two years ago, and now the local health department reports about 100 complaints in the city so far this year.

A local exterminator says his company has more than 20 bedbug jobs a week now, compared to fewer than 20 in all of 2005.

Middletown Health Commissioner Jackie Phillips recommended that police carry jail jumpsuits for infested suspects after an officer came in contact with bedbugs during a search earlier this year. And City Manager Judy Gilleland reported last week that City Hall is “establishing protocols of how to handle and dispose of bedbug-infested items, such as mattresses and furniture, so as not to contaminate vehicles, dwellings or humans.”

It’s one more headache for our local governments — already laying off staff and trying to keep their over-stretched budgets balanced — to deal with. And at some point, finger-pointing and blame-assigning will kick into high gear. Last week, in our sister newspaper, the Dayton Daily News, a Dayton-area exterminator, Richard Zimmerman, said in a guest commentary that local governments were warned more than two years ago of the coming epidemic. “The warnings were cast aside for fear of inducing panic,” Zimmerman wrote. Cue the panic button.

The avalanche of news stories about Ohio’s bedbug epidemic that you’re going to read or hear is just starting.

If you think you have an infestation, professional exterminators are probably your best bet, but you can be sure that scam artists will soon try to capitalize on our fears and eagerness to be free of bedbugs. Consumers need to be cautious when selecting a company, and especially should be careful about trying to “do it yourself” with chemicals — as you could accidentally harm yourself, family members and pets.

If you’re feeling a little uneasy after reading this, that’s probably a good thing. Experts say that the best action to take is prevention — inspecting clothing, furniture and other articles before they come into your home; avoiding clutter; vacuuming often; and sealing mattresses and various nooks and crannies where the little critters can hide during the day.

Perhaps the best advice came from Zimmerman: Educate yourself. You can get more information at the Ohio Department of Health’s website at www.odh.ohio.gov.

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