A CODE OF PRACTICE
For the Control of Bed Bug
Infestations in Australia
Click
on the front cover below to download
the Draft Third Edition of the Code of Practice for the Control
of Bed Bug Infestations in Australia
The
Working Party for the Australian Bed Bug Code of Practice is
seeking submissions on the Draft Third Edition
Please
send all comments to: Stephen Doggett, c/o Department of
Medical Entomology, Westmead Hospital, PO Box 533, Wentworthville
NSW 2145.
Email: Stephen.Doggett@swahs.health.nsw.gov.au.
Closing
date for submissions is 15 October 2009.
Preface to the Third Edition
The
fact that there is now a third edition of the 'Code of Practice
for the Control of Bed Bug Infestation in Australia' (CoP) indicates
that the bed bug problem is yet to abate. Between the years
1999 and 2006 there was exponential growth in the number of
new infestations equating to an extraordinary increase of 4,500%
(Doggett and Russell, 2007). Fortunately the magnitude of rise
has not continued, however bed bug infestations are still common
and it will be some time before this nuisance public health
pest will be considered again rare. In the meantime, bed bugs
will continue to bite causing discomfort, mental trauma and
persist in being a serious economic burden to many.
Since
the last edition of the CoP, bed bugs have had a broader societal
impact, with infestations experienced by increasingly disparate
groups. For example, infestations have been reported in hospitals,
physician waiting rooms and cinemas, while amongst the socially
disadvantaged bed bugs continue to be a growing concern. In
the United States, one of the consequences of these wider societal
impacts has been a concomitant growth in litigation. While a
number of bed bug disputes have been taken to various rental
tribunal boards in Australia, there have yet to be any cases
taken to court. However, it can be only a matter of time in
our country. Most cases in the US tend to be settled out of
court as the accommodation facility usually does not have a
management policy to deal with bed bugs.
In response
to the lack of management policies and to help protect those
in the accommodation industry, this edition of the CoP has provided
the minimum requirements needed for those in the industry to
develop their own policy (Section 19.2). In parallel and interlinked
with this, a section devoted to the development of bed bug management
plans for the Pest Manager is now included (Section 15).
Other
new or expanded sections have been added in response to recent
trends, research and innovations in control solutions. This
includes; updated information on control by heat treatments
(Section 16.1.4), recent research on insecticide efficacy (Section
16.2.3), an enhanced section on pest identification (Section
12), and details on bed bug traps and barriers (Section 16.1.9).
Choosing a Pest Manager can be a daunting task both for the
hotelier and home owner and some tips are provided to help find
a quality operator (Section 10). Increasingly, new tenants and
landlords are finding that their rental properties are infested
with bed bugs and strategies to achieve control are provided
(Section 20.2). Overseas bed bug infestations are quite common
on aircraft and to pre-empt this for Australia, a new section
dealing with this situation is included as aircraft disinsection
is a highly specialised area (Section 20.3.1). The section on
bed bug prevention (which is really about risk minimisation)
has been revised to take in account the four key phases of a
bed bug infestation, namely; Introduction, Establishment, Growth
and Spread (Section 19). Overseas, there are a number of insecticides
registered for bed bug control with real potential to be of
assistance to the Australian Pest Manager and these are discussed
in Appendix A.
Currently,
there are many new bed bug management devices and products coming
onto the marketplace and the efficacy of many of these have
yet to be scientifically verified by an independent body. If
the devices and products are not specifically mentioned within
the CoP then they are not yet recommended.
As mentioned
in the previous edition, bed bugs are 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 Italian Pest Management Association
(Associazione Nazionale delle Imprese di Disinfestazione) have
adopted the Australian CoP, with some modifications for their
specific circumstances. Other pest management associations can
encourage their members to undertake best practice through the
promotion and adoption of this CoP, and are welcome to do so.
The
CoP is the culmination of the hard work of many and sincere
thanks must be given to the CoP Working Party (listed in Appendix
B), those who provide feedback, and to the individuals listed
in the acknowledgements.
Stephen
Doggett
July 2009
Click
here to download the Second Edition
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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