Ohio shouldn’t try to bite bedbugs back
Health officials in Ohio are attempting to bring back a dangerous pesticide to wipe out the growing number of bedbugs lurking in hotels and bedrooms.
But it’s not worth bringing a chemical that can cause nausea and vomiting back into households just to get rid of some tiny bugs.
More than two-thirds of hotels in one county in Ohio, however, have had bedbug infestations, according to the Associated Press. The state is now asking the Environmental Protection Agency to use the chemical Propoxur in hotels and homes. Propoxur was a widely used insecticide for lawn ants and in flea collars for pets before the stuff was banned in the 1990s.
Discussions have circled back to Propoxur because bedbugs seem to be resistant to many of the products now used to combat them. It’s supposed to be 100 percent affective in getting rid of the little critters.
Still, the negatives of reintroducing Propoxur far outweigh the positives. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to sleep for hours in the midst of a substance that even Wal-Mart banned from its products. And while it may be scary to think of bedbugs crawling over you in your sleep, the truth is they don’t carry diseases and the worst harm they can do is leave little red bumps.
But the best, cleanest way to rid beds of bugs is regular cleaning with hot water and vacuuming with a high-powered vacuum or steam cleaner. It also can help to cover mattresses in bedbug-proof plastic. Instead of rushing to a chemically induced solution, Ohio should think about an educational campaign to help eradicate bedbugs. In fact, the EPA recently held a Bed Bug Summit to brainstorm ways to control the bugs’ resurgence. Here’s what they found out.
For more on how bedbugs get under your covers and how to get them back out, check out http://bedbugsguide.com.
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Comments
Props to the author of this for making an effort to raise bed bug awareness. However, I do have a nit to pick.
Bed bugs are not the result of untidy habits. Untidy habits can make bed bugs more difficult to detect and deal with however. Regular cleaning with hot water, vacuuming and using a steamer are all well and good but they won't get rid of bed bugs in most cases. What if they are hiding in your bed frame, in the walls, in wall furnishings, in your nightstand, in your clothes?
Bed bugs are becoming a big problem for a reason. If you vacuum up all the bed bugs but a male and female, you will still have a problem that will grow. All you have gained is a false sense of security. The best thing you can do is take precautions to protect yourself and your home. If you do get a bed bug infestation, consider getting the opinion of a professional. While we may not like using chemicals because of environmental concerns, the reality is that in some cases it is the best we can do right now.
I agree to your comment, but I think there's a mojor step missing.
People are so focused on destroying an existing infestation, that they don't put enough effort into prevention.
I don't believe that any home should go without bed bug mattress covers if you want to keep bed bugs out and reduce harm from pesticides.
I got mine from a website that has tons of bed bug proof products for your house and for travel.
I think prevention should be the new insecticide of choice.
I agree with the 1st comment(thank you for touching on the falsities of the story, misinformation is one of the BIGGEST problems we're facing w/this bed bug epidemic).
As far as the environmental aspect, i will gladly take a little nausea over this nightmare. And let's touch on another environmental aspect.... do you know how many hundreds od Ziploc bags, Space Bags, Hefty 3XL bags, i have gone through in the last month because of this, anyone who reads the check list of what needs to be done to start battling this hell, will also note that in addition to ALL the hundreds of plastic bags(that can't be re-used) and the countless loads of laundry that must ALL be washed & dried on the HIGHEST/hottest heat setting possible(aka boiling & baking) in excess of 2hrs, etc etc
Nothing about bed bug fighting without proven chemicals fro destroying them, in environmentally sound, NOTHING, including the enormous energy bills.
Bed bugs can be eradicated by heating a hotel room for several hours. There is no need to use banned dangerous poisons to manage bed bugs. Using mattress protectors will not prevent or get rid of bed bugs, they are simply part of an integrated plan to prevent bed bugs from establishing nests in your boxsprings. If you have bed bugs check out thermal treatment locally.
It a really difficult choice. It's easy for people that aren't from Ohio or that have never had a bed bug problem to sit back and form opinions, but unfortunately its a tough call. It's not just a few bugs or even an infestation anymore, it feels like the 11th plague. If they invaded your home, you would do anything and everything to get rid of them, I know cos it happened to me. On one hand there are anti bed bug products out there, for example I bought encasements for my home from www.bedbug.com as per my exterminators strong suggestion and on the other hand there are dangerous insecticides that can be used to eradicate the bed bugs, the truth is they both work and both do a good job. Except you can't carry your insecticide with you when you travel but you can buy anti bed bug luggage liners to encase your suitcase with so that the buggers don't hitch a ride home with you.
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