EDUCATION

An IPM approach requires that residents, building staff, and pest control professionals be well informed and active participants in the eradication effort. Education should support a shared sense of the objectives and methods of IPM and an orientation toward bed bug prevention. Early identification of bed bug infestations is a major part of an education program. Eradication is easiest when bed bug infestations are identified early. Identification requires an ability to recognize bed bugs in their various life stages from egg to adult. Bites are often the first indication of infestation. The bites often occur in twos or threes as the bed bug looks for a capillary to feed on. However, many people will not react to bed bug bites. One study indicates that as many as 70% of people do not react to bites. Consequently, education about the signs of bed bug infestations is also important. Signs can include blood stains and fecal stains from bed bugs found on bedding or other surfaces, and the finding of cast bug skins on bedding and in cracks and gaps. Since not all people react to bites, these signs can be the first indication of an infestation. 

For those people who do react to bites, some doctors have misdiagnosed them as a variety of skin diseases, allowing the infestation to continue to grow. Bed bug experts see misdiagnosis as widespread, and when Richard Pollack, the lead entomologist at Harvard, tested a group of physicians on bed bug bite identification, not one picked out the bed bug bite correctly. Education around stigma, myths, and misinformation should be conducted to ensure that people are unashamed of the bed bugs in their home, are willing to report infestations when they are first suspected, and immediately pursue effective bed bug treatments.

Education should also focus on moving people away from home remedies including the use of over-the-counter insecticides in aerosol cans, rubbing alcohol, and kerosene, to systematic, professional eradication efforts. Home remedies often create a repelling effect that can fragment the colony and push the bed bugs towards adjacent units, only to return at a later time.

People with unsupportive landlords may need education about the legal implications of bed bugs. Tenants should know their rights under local housing legislation such as Ontario’s Residential Tenancies Act including who is responsible for what portion of the bed bug management strategy. Typically, the landlord is responsible for ensuring the apartment is bed bug free—by hiring a pest control company for treatment—while the tenant is responsible for making sure that the appropriate preparation work is done to allow for effective treatment. Legal advice and supports may be necessary prior to approaching the landlord for treatment; a lack of education and support might isolate people and discourage them from reporting bed bugs out of a fear of eviction or other repercussions from the landlord.