A once fed 1st instar nymph could survive for 275 days (at 10C) and a once fed 5th instar nymph could survive for 485 days (at 10C).

A once fed 1st instar nymph could survive for 113 days (at 18C) and a once fed adult female could survive for 277 days (at 18C).

This means that a bed bug that is getting nourishment on a fairly consistent basis within the average house (18-20C) can survive in excess of one year.

Click on the picture below for a full size scan of the Table.

OTTAWA – In the war on bedbugs, pesticides aren’t always the answer.

As the population of the tiny creepy crawlers grows, not every hotel and home can stay vacated, sometimes for days, while chemicals to the job.

Lawrence Chadnik thinks he has the answer. The owner of Rest Assured MC says Cryonite kills the pests effectively without the use of harmful chemicals. Cryonite is carbon dioxide snow that is pressurized. When it’s applied it kills bedbugs by freezing them to death instantly.

It took Chadnik two long years to get Health Canada approval, but all systems are go — and not a moment too soon.

“Bedbugs are such a huge problem,” he said. “They were a problem two years ago and they’re twice the problem now.”

He said no one is immune because bedbugs can be picked up anywhere and brought home. Their eggs are extremely sticky and can survive in all sorts of conditions.

“There are a lot of different reasons people have them. One of them is travelling and picking up bedbugs in hotels. You can get them in movie theatres and anywhere. They’re hitchhikers, so if somebody has bedbug eggs on their pants and they go to a movie theatre the next one in picks them up and brings them home. You don’t know you have them for a month, but then you do.”

Once he convinced the government that a strong, green counterattack could be mounted, he set his sights on marketing the system.

“The product is going to be marketed to pest-control companies, hotels, hospitals, anywhere there are beds. They can use this green treatment to get rid of them and someone can go into the room right after without fear of toxins,” he said. “A hotel can go and treat a room and somebody can sleep in this room without sleeping with chemicals to breathe in.”

New Jersey-based Stern Environmental Group owner Douglas Stern said the need for a more environmentally friendly method has multiplied as the pests have. He said that while no one has seen them yet, it’s believed bedbugs are now in mass transit.

“We know they’re there, even if we haven’t seen them, and that means everyone can pick them up.”

But the Cryonite works, he said, because of the sudden change in temperature.

“You can’t do it slowly. Put them in a freezer and take them out in six months and they’ll still be alive.”

Bill 94 2010

An Act to amend the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 with respect to reporting bed bug information

Note: This Act amends the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006. For the legislative history of the Act, see the Table of Consolidated Public Statutes – Detailed Legislative History at www.e-Laws.gov.on.ca.

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

1. The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 is amended by adding the following section:

Bed bug information report

10.1 (1) Before entering into a tenancy agreement, the landlord shall provide to the prospective tenant a report stating,

(a) whether any information has come to the landlord’s attention during the previous five-year period with respect to bed bugs in the rental unit or in any other rental unit in the residential complex; and

(b) if any information has come to the landlord’s attention, details with respect to the information.

Form

(2) The bed bug information report referred to in subsection (1) shall be in a form provided by the Board.

2. Section 234 of the Act is amended by adding the following clause:

(0.a) fails to provide a prospective tenant with a report required under section 10.1 or gives false information in the report;

Commencement

3. This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short title

4. The short title of this Act is the Renters’ Right to Know Act, 2010.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Bill amends the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 to require landlords, before a tenancy agreement is entered into, to disclose information that has come to the landlord’s attention during the previous five-year period with respect to bed bugs in a rental unit or any other rental unit in a residential complex.

Read More Here

Dry Ice Bed Bug Traps – Are They Safe?

By Debra Kay (of NPMA’s e PestWorld June 1, 2010)

If you do bed bug treatments, you may have heard or will hear about an article published in Time Magazine recently, How to Build Your Own Bed Bug Detector at Home. The article references a Rutgers University study to see if heat, pheromone cues from the host, or carbon dioxide is the best attractant for bed bugs. The study concluded that dry ice was the best attractant. Dry ice produces carbon dioxide as it melts. Bed bugs are attracted to carbon dioxide, which humans exhale, and that is believed to be the method bed bugs use to find humans to feed on.  So it makes sense, but are these safe?

A customer called us who believed her 18-month-old son was getting bed bug bites. She read the Time Magazine article and wanted to place a dry ice pitfall trap under her son’s crib. My first question with new products is always-how safe are they? So, I checked the MSDS for dry ice. Below are some of the statements from the MSDS that caused me to be concerned:

Signal Word: Danger!
Acute Health Hazard-Severe: X

Special Hazard Precautions: Concentration in excess of 1.5% carbon dioxide may cause death. At higher concentrations, displaces oxygen in air below levels necessary to support life.
Target organs: Respiratory system, skin

Carcinogen: Formaldehyde

In my opinion, the use of homemade dry ice traps by consumers may be dangerous, as indicated by the signal word “Danger.” According to the New York State Health Department Website, “Dry ice can be a very serious hazard in a small space that isn’t well-ventilated. As dry ice melts, it turns into carbon dioxide gas. In a small space, this gas can build up. If enough carbon dioxide gas is present, a person can become unconscious, and in some cases, die.” “Symptoms of overexposure to carbon dioxide include headache and difficulty breathing, and with greater exposure, nausea and vomiting.”

As pest control professionals, customers depend on us to provide information regarding responsible control of pests in their homes and businesses. In my opinion, everyone who may discuss bed bugs with customers need to aware of the dangers of dry ice.  I have e-mailed Time Magazine regarding their article, I have not heard back as of this time.

Article Reference: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1960276,00.html

Evaluation of Pesticide Incident Report 2010-1615

Background

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) collects incident reporting data under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act. If a pesticide manufacturer receives information about an incident involving one of their products, they are required by law to submit that information to the PMRA. All submitted incident reports are made publicly available on the Health Canada website, specifically, on the PMRA Public Registry. It is important to note that the information presented in incident reports reflects the observations and opinion of the person reporting it, and does not include any assessment by Health Canada, nor does it confirm an association between the pesticide and the effects reported.

Health Canada considers the reported information to determine if there are potential health or environmental risks associated with a pesticide and, if necessary, takes corrective action. Such action could range from minor label changes to discontinuation of the product.

Incident Report 2010-1615

Wellmark International received information about an incident related to one of their products, which they submitted to the PMRA on April 29, 2010. The information contained in the incident report indicated that a product containing the active ingredients permethrin and S-methoprene was sprayed between the mattresses and on the perimeter of the floor in a person’s bedroom. The individual slept on the bed the night the product was sprayed and was hospitalized approximately two days later with symptoms including vomiting, chemical taste in the mouth, pneumonia, paralysis, and scarring of the lung tissue. The individual passed away after 18 days of hospitalization. The report indicated that the individual had a history of diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In accordance with the Incident Reporting Regulations classification system, this incident was classified as Human Death. It was also reported that the individual’s daughter, who applied the product, experienced bronchitis, which is considered to be moderate in severity.

As required by the Pest Control Products Incident Reporting Regulations, Wellmark International submitted the incident report to the PMRA and it is posted on the PMRA electronic Public Registry on the Health Canada website.

Health Canada Evaluation

The person who reported this information to Wellmark International was not certain as to the specific product used in this incident. However, it is likely that the product used was one of three domestic-class products registered by Wellmark International for use in Canada: Vet-Kem Siphotrol Forte (PCP Reg. No. 22213), Vet-Kem Siphotrol 1000 Double Action Premise Treatment (PCP Reg. No. 25739) and Vet-Kem Siphotrol 2000 Double Action Premise Treatment (PCP Reg. No. 25582) all containing permethrin and S-methoprene at low concentrations (0.01-0.80%).

Permethrin belongs to the class of insecticides known as pyrethroids. Symptoms of overexposure to pyrethroids in general may include vomiting and irritation of the respiratory tract. S-methoprene is an insect growth regulator that mimics a natural hormone of insects and prevents the maturation and reproduction of young insect pests. S-methoprene has relatively low toxicity and is not associated with adverse reactions in humans.

In this incident, there was no physical evidence, such as laboratory results, available to confirm that exposure to permethrin or S-methoprene had occurred. There may be several other causes of the reported effects that cannot be ruled out. A review of Canadian and U.S. incident reporting information indicated that there is no clear trend for any of the symptoms reported. None of the symptoms reported are expected to result from exposure to S-methoprene. The symptoms of vomiting and chemical taste in the mouth that the individual experienced, as well as the bronchitis experienced by the individual’s daughter, are not inconsistent with the known symptoms of over-exposure to permethrin. However, the more serious symptoms of paralysis, pneumonia and scarring of the lung tissue as well as death are not expected to result from short-term exposure to permethrin.

Health Canada Conclusion

Based on the available information, it is concluded that it is unlikely (where the effect reported is not typical for the suspected pesticide but the possibility that exposure to the pesticide caused the effect cannot be ruled out) that the symptoms of paralysis, pneumonia and scarring of lung tissue, as well as the reported death, are related to exposure to the pesticide product. The health of the individual may have been compromised from other medical issues at the time that the incident occurred; therefore, it is uncertain if the subject’s medical conditions may have been exacerbated by exposure to the pesticide.

It is possible (where there is some correlation between the exposure, the pesticide and the effect) that the vomiting and chemical taste in the mouth reported in the individual that died, and the bronchitis reported in the individual that sprayed the product, were related to exposure to permethrin.

It should be noted that it is not clear what specific product was used in this case. It is also important to note that this incident involved application to a mattress, which is not an approved use for either permethrin or S-methoprene.

The information as noted in the incident will remain in the database and will be routinely re-examined in conjunction with any new data that is received. It is important to note that a product is only registered for use if there is reasonable certainty that no harm will result from exposure to or use of the product as directed on the label.

More information about the Incident Reporting Program is available on Health Canada’s website. Should you require further information please contact the Pesticide Incident Reporting Program.

Thanks to Lou Sorkin for providing the pictures.

Two bills under consideration would provide renters protection and compensation

“Don’t let the bedbugs bite” is easier said than done for many New Yorkers.

One state Assembly member is pushing legislation that would require landlords to divulge any history of bedbug infestation to potential renters and another that would offer compensation for expenses accrued from dealing with infestations.

Linda B. Rosenthal, who represents the Upper West Side and parts of Hell’s Kitchen, introduced the two-bill legislation in mid-March as an effort to combat New York’s growing bedbug problem.

“As the scourge of bedbugs continues in New York, I am committed to giving my constituents the tools to protect themselves both epidemiologically and financially from this plague,” Rosenthal said in a statement.

The first bill would require the disclosure of any instance of bedbug infestation dating back five years. A memo in the bill states that the justification for the legislation is that “prospective tenants have a right to access relevant documentation regarding the history of bedbugs within their new living spaces” because the information is essential to making an informed decision.

“People who have gone through the plague of bedbugs are happy that I’m trying to address some the issues they’ve had to deal with — people who are long-time tenets who somehow get bedbugs or new tenets who move in to discover an infestation and have to deal with it,” Rosenthal told NBCNewYork.

After the bill was referred to the housing committee, it was amended and recommitted on April 20. The bill originally included the more complicated issue of apartment sales as well, so was amended to make the bill easier to pass. Rosenthal does support the protection of homebuyers and seeks to advance it in the future.

“Bedbugs are an enormous expense, and there is no mechanism right now to get that money back,” Rosenthal said. “I thought the state has responsibility to try and deal with it in some way.”

The second bill provides a tax credit of up to $750 to help with the cost of replacing property lost due to bedbug infestations. This property includes furniture, bedding, clothing, and any other belonging discarded during the extermination process. Since most renters or homeowners insurance does not cover bedbug infestation, the bill seeks to assist affected New Yorkers by offering a “modest tax credit.”

“If the state were in better economic condition perhaps the tax credit could be higher,” said Rosenthal. “But we’re in a precarious economic state, so offering high tax credit was impossible. We think what we came up with is more feasible.”

However, it is not clear when the two bills will be voted on in Albany.

Here is the first screenshot of their story on bed bugs in which they posted on their website.

After countless readers clued them into the image they used not being bed bugs, but rather dust mites, they promptly changed it to this picture of a cockroach:

Perhaps if the media would spend more time fact checking and less time sensationalizing we would all have more respect for what they have to say …

The heaters used for camping or cooking are typically meant for outdoor use.  Using these types of devices indoors produces carbon monoxide and can be fatal.  PLEASE DO NOT USE THESE DEVICES INDOORS.

It’s nice to see Manny Osborne-Paradis hasn’t let it get to him, this whole business of being the first man out of the starting gate for Canada at the home-game Olympics.

He might or might not win Canada’s first medal of these Olympic Games when the real racing begins Saturday with the men’s downhill (2:45 p.m. ET), weather permitting, but if he doesn’t it won’t be because the pressure got to him. Because nothing seems to get to him except, maybe, those damned bedbugs.

There was Osborne-Paradis on Thursday, after squeezing in another training run on a shortened version of the Dave Murray Course, laughing and joking with reporters again, this time about the bedbugs that have nested in the private local condos where the Canadian skiers are staying. No one is giving out the top-secret location, naturally, except perhaps to a fumigator.

Earlier this week, he woke up with the itch and was scratching away even as he stood at the start gate for a training run. So he has washed the sheets and taken precautions and perhaps wondering why he got the lucky bed and teammate Robbie Dixon, sleeping five feet away, escaped the critters. He thought it wise to add, in case others were listening, “I have a girlfriend. I want to make it clear I’m not going around sleeping in any other rooms.”

Read More

Bed Bug Resource: As predicted bed bugs would be an issue at the Olympics, to what extent we still do not know.  If Sydney was any indication of what is to come for Vancouver then the pest control companies in the Lower Mainland are going to be busy.  The question is, will hotels and purveyors of accommodation be proactive or reactive to the situation?  Should they choose the later the spread of bed bugs is imminent.