Bed Bug Website and Work Group Share Knowledge

 
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The new website organizes resources by state and topic.

Give them a chance, and the members of the Western IPM Bed Bug Work Group can teach you everything you ever wanted to know about bed bugs – and then some.

Last week, the group met in Las Vegas to plan upgrades to its informative and easy-to-navigate bed bug website, and then stayed an extra day to host a day-long workshop attended by more than 200 people in Las Vegas and at University of Nevada Extension offices throughout the state.

Go to the bed bug website

“We have bed bug experts from around the West as a part of this group,” explained Andrew Sutherland, who received the grant from the Western Integrated Pest Management Center to form the work group. “Holding a workshop in conjunction with our meeting seemed like a great idea.”

Sutherland, an area IPM advisor with the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said the group would continue to offer workshops in conjunction with its meetings whenever possible.

“The reception in Nevada was incredible, and shows there’s a demand for science-based information about bed bugs,” he said. “We think it’s a model other work groups may want to consider as part of their outreach and education.”

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What bed bugs look like as they grow. The larger insect pictured at each life stage has recently fed.

The day-long workshop covered the biology of bed bugs and management methods. It explained the development of pesticide resistance in bed bugs through amusing animation. It detailed quick and thorough inspection protocols, and took a deep dive into bed bug management in schools, multi-unit housing and hotels. (See the workshop presentations here)

The workshop even taught participants how to tell the difference between bed bug poop and cockroach poop by touch. (Because bed bugs have a completely liquid diet of human blood, their poop is round and smooth to the touch. Cockroaches eat anything and their poop feels gritty.)

Austin Cook of Prochem Proactive in Las Vegas, was one of the 50 or so pest-management professionals who attended the workshop at the Las Vegas Extension office. Like many of his colleagues, he knew the basics.

“Our company has been really focused on bed bugs for a while, so there wasn’t a lot of new information for me but it is good to get a refresher,” he said. 

But the audience wasn’t just pest managers. Mary Peters was one of four employees from the Clark County Department of Social Services who attended the training because bed bugs can be an issue for their clients.

“In my department, we work with an elderly population living in low-income housing,” she explained. “We can’t offer eradication in most cases, so I’m here to learn what resources might be available to help these people.”

Her colleague, Leslie Alworth, runs a homeless transition program for the department and has been battling reoccurring bed bug infestations in one of their apartment complexes. As she listened to the presentations, she realized one possible source was the donated furniture the program accepts, which they hadn’t been inspecting before delivering to clients.

Resources for Everyone

Being at the training was great for the folks who were able to attend the live presentations or watch on live video from the other offices, but it’s not the only way to learn about bed bugs. The group is sharing its knowledge and resources through its new website at http://westernbedbugipm.ucanr.edu/

The site contains links of both state-specific and audience-specific resources, so it’s pretty easy for a user to look for information relevant to them. The audience-specific resources include information specific to the following groups:

  • Bed Bug Info 101
  • Child Care and Schools
  • Cooperative Extension
  • Elderly and Disabled
  • Government
  • Hospitality and Lodging
  • Medical Professionals
  • Multi-unit Housing
  • Pest Management Professionals
  • Residential Housing
  • Second Hand Stores
  • Shelters
  • Tribal Housing Managers

The group plans to expand the website to include states beyond the West, and create new resources, like a bed bug management guide for public transportation managers.