ACUHO-I News Blog

Bedbugs are the “perfect” parasite…perfect if you’re a bedbug, that is. If you’re one of its victims, or operating a residence hall, the bedbug’s annoying abilities to avoid quick detection, thrive in all sorts of environments and survive attempts at eradication are perfectly maddening.

Thanks to a nationwide “epidemic” of infestations, bedbugs are now mainstream news. However, there’s a silver lining to this problem (the silver lining isn’t dotted with bedbugs; I checked). Greater public awareness of bedbugs will assist considerably in the fight against them. Helping in the education effort is pieces such as this fascinating interview with a pest management expert on NPR’s Fresh Air.

The New York Times ran a story about Cruiser, an adorable puggle who earns his keep in the bedbug-detecting business. Handler Jeremy Ecker and Cruiser have busy days, since bedbugs  have made a comeback in New York City. Once wiped out by now-illegal pesticides such as DDT, the bedbug population is surging, thanks to more common and frequent international travel and two generations of unfamiliarity with bedbugs and their habits. Some article commentators wonder if bedbugs aren’t a sign of a badly-kept home, or if the bugs can’t be killed by a brief stay inside a plastic-wrapped mattress. As many readers here know, cleanliness doesn’t prevent a bedbug infestation, and the critters (and their eggs) can stay viable for a long time without food.

Ahem. So while Cruiser is most certainly adept, we would like to point out that the Talking Stick, and ACUHO-I in general, scooped The New York Times on this topic. Take that, Gray Lady! In our story, bedbug sniffer Jack–just as adorable and proficient as Cruiser, by the way–was the star. Jack demonstrated his talents at our Business Operations conference last October. See Wayne Walker’s October 2009 presentation on the subject in our library.

For yet another take on bedbugs, listen to the Fear of Sleep This American Life episode. Act two discusses bedbugs, and how intractable they are.

There has been another rash (pun intended) of bed bug stories in the media. The latest comes via the CBS Early Show who brought in Richard Cooper to offer advice on prevention and removal of the pests. He’s one of the authors of the invaluable Bed Bug Handbook and has become one of the de facto spokespeople on the subject.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Whether it is Talking Stick articles or conference presentations, ACUHO-I members know that bed bugs are a major topic of conversation and concern. It’s also one that the ACUHO-I central office fairly regularly gets phone calls about from the “mainstream” press. Recently we’ve seen stories in the USA Today newspaper, as well as the Chronicle of Higher Education.

This morning, the bed bugs hit the big time with an appearance on The Today Show.  Host Matt Lauer introduced a video — complete with the scary violin music from Psycho — on the subject. The video featured, along with concerned students, the University of Florida’s Wayne Walker who discussed treatment and preventative measures campuses can take. Lauer than interviewed Richard Cooper, co-author of Bed Bug Handbook (a popular choice at this year’s annual conference bookstore) who offered some good advice and touted Web site resources as well.

Sure, there are parts of the presentation that make the bed bugs sound like something from a 1950s science fiction movie, but hopefully what people will take away from this is that campuses have identified a potential issue and are prepared to address if, indeed, the bed bugs do begin to bite.