- Bed Bugs Expert to Speak in Philadelphia: Wed 10/21/09

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Bed bugs are becoming an emerging public health issue after years of relative invisibility. These nocturnal bloodsuckers do not discriminate and will infest any environment with beds and sleeping people.  Bed bugs cannot fly, so either walk or hitchhike to a new location on used mattresses, furniture, clothing, backpacks or suitcases. Both people and the things they buy are traveling greater distances more frequently, and many city residents live in multiple-unit housing allowing hitchhiking bedbugs to spread quickly. To help address this growing problem, the Philadelphia School and Community IPM Partnership will be hosting an educational session on bed bugs Wednesday 10/21/09 from 2 – 3 p.m. at the School District of Philadelphia at 440 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia with bed bug expert Changlu Wang, Rutgers University.

Bed bugs are blood-feeding parasites that bite people at night while they sleep. They are tiny, less than 1/8 inch, wingless, chestnut brown in color and oval shaped. They are difficult to control because their small size enables them to hide during the day, however their bodies become elongated, swollen, and dark red after a blood meal. They can be found in any part of the house, including cracks and crevices in walls, floors, beds and furniture. Bed bug bites may cause itchy welts on their victims, and often leave small dark spots on sheets and other surfaces. They can live up to a year without a blood meal.

Dr. Changlu Wang, assistant extension specialist and urban entomologist at Rutgers University, will discuss recent research findings on bed bugs, resident surveys, effectiveness of various monitoring methods, and a step-by-step approach of conducting a successful bed bug integrated pest management (IPM) program.  An IPM approach involves tactics that are safe and environmentally compatible, including preventive measures, sanitation, and chemicals applied to targeted sites.

Dr. Wang’s research focuses on developing new and improved urban pest management technologies that are cost effective and environmentally friendly by studying the biology, behavior, and ecology of urban pests such as bed bugs, cockroaches, ants and termites. He received his Ph.D. in Entomology from West Virginia University and was previously a research entomologist and professor at Purdue University.

Dr. Wang’s education session will follow the Philadelphia School and Community IPM Partnership’s sixth annual meeting taking place 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to update partners on the progress of the group’s various projects, discuss pest control and pesticide issues, and brainstorm future needed activities and funding sources.

To RSVP to the meeting, education session, or both, contact Michelle Niedermeier, PSCIP coordinator, at the Philadelphia IPM office,  (215) 471-2200, ext. 109, or e-mail pscip@psu.edu. For more information on pests and pesticides, and their effects on public health, visit the PA IPM Program’s Web site at http://paipm.org and click on ‘Public Health’. For more information on PSCIP, including meeting minutes, partners in the initiative, and current and future activities, visit Web site http://www.pscip.org.

PSCIP was formed eight years ago after the Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management Program (PA IPM) at Penn State began looking for community-based solutions to manage pests effectively and safely in indoor environments. PSCIP members include community groups, schools and child development centers, tenant groups, environmental groups, health professionals, pest control professionals, university staff and city and state agencies.

The Pennsylvania IPM program is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture aimed at promoting integrated pest management in both agricultural and urban settings. For more information, contact the program at (814) 865-2839, or Web site

http://www.paipm.org. To view our archived news releases, see Web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/10.htm.

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Editors Contact:

Kristie Auman-Bauer

PA IPM Program

(814) 865-2839

kma147@psu.edu