A CODE OF PRACTICE
For the Control of Bed Bug
Infestations in Australia
Click
on the front cover below to download
the Second Edition of the Code of Practice for the Control of
Bed Bug Infestations in Australia
Please
send all comments on the Second Edition of the Code to Stephen
Doggett (Stephen.Doggett@swahs.health.nsw.gov.au).
Preface
to the Second Edition
The
first edition of the 'Code of Practice for the Control of Bed
Bug Infestations in Australia' (CoP) was produced in response
to the re-emergence of bed bugs as a common public health pest.
Yet since the birth of the first edition, bed bug numbers have
continued to climb. A survey of 121 Pest Managers in 2006 found
that across Australia, bed bug infestations had risen by a dramatic
4,500% since 1999, with over 9,000 separately treated infestations
reported (Doggett and Russell, 2007). As this survey was only
a fraction of the pest control industry, the increase is undoubtedly
much greater, with the true number of treatments perhaps exceeding
100,000. The actual costs associated with bed bugs are also
beginning to become realised; one inner city motel with recurrent
bed bug problems found that the average cost per infestation
came to over $1,500 (Doggett and Russell, 2007). While it is
difficult to extrapolate these costs to calculate the true financial
burden on the Australian economy since the resurgence began,
a figure of $100million may well be a very conservative estimate.
Bed
bugs are blood sucking insects that can inflict considerable
discomfort and cause tremendous mental stress. Additionally,
as they are a serious economic burden on the accommodation industry,
it is paramount to ensure that the CoP is kept up to date and
relevant.
To
maintain relevance, the CoP has to evolve in conjunction with
the latest issues and research. This edition incorporates such
developments including; the use of sniffer dogs for bed bug
detection, research in the laundering of bed bug infested linen
and recent data on insecticide resistance.
This
edition of the CoP also addresses several key issues that have
been identified over the last year, including; bed bugs in the
socially disadvantaged, infestations in multiple occupancy residential
complexes and the need for training of Pest Managers in how
to conduct themselves in a bed bug infested environment to avoid
transferring infestations elsewhere.The CoP is the culmination
of the hard work of many individuals and thanks must be given
to all who have contributed, especially to the CoP Working Party
and those listed in the in acknowledgements.
Bed
bugs are currently an international problem and infestations
can only be reduced in number worldwide if best practice management
options are undertaken globally. It is thus encouraging that
the Pest Management Association of New Zealand (PMANZ) and the
Confederation of European Pest Associations (CEPA) have adopted
the Australian CoP. Other pest management associations can encourage
their members to undertake best practice through the promotion
of this CoP, and are welcome to do so.
Preface
to the First Edition
For
some 50 years Bed Bugs were considered a minor public health
pest as infestations
had become rare due to technological innovations such as the
invention of DDT. However,
towards the end of the 20th century, many pest managers
throughout the western world began to notice an increase in
the number of Bed Bug infestations.
This resurgence caught many unaware; few pest
controllers had the theoretical knowledge and practical experience
to successfully undertake treatments, while the hotelier did
not know how to recognise the pest or know how to deal with
an infestation. This has meant that Bed Bugs have often gone
undetected and treatment failures have been all too common.
The inevitable result is that the number of infestations have
continued to increase.
In an effort to stem the rise
of Bed Bugs, a Working Party was formed in June 2005 by the
Australian Environmental Pest
Managers Association (AEPMA) to develop a Code of Practice
(CoP) for the control of Bed Bug infestations in Australia.
The principle author of the CoP is Stephen Doggett, a Medical
Entomologist at the Department of Medical Entomology, Westmead
Hospital, and noted for his recent publication series on Bed
Bugs and their control (see 'Bed Bug Articles').
The CoP endeavours to provide a reference document,
which would be a guide for pest managers, the accommodation
industry, service industries and professions, and the general
public on best practice in the control of active bed bug infestations,
and the minimisation of the spread of existing infestations
and the prevention of possible future infestations.
The expected outcome from adherence to the CoP
would be to minimise the impact of bed bug infestations wherever
they occur. A draft version was available for public comment
(see below) and the submissions (see below) were used in the
development of the final release version.
(Note: this document is 1MB
& may take some time to download).
Click
here to download the First Edition.
Click
here to download all the submissions for the First Edition.
Click
here to download the Draft Code of Practice of the First Edition.
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