Bedbugs!

Or you could buy a Six Flags Flashpass at Magic Mountain and ride X and Terminator...

Or Maverick

The Maverick joke I definitely missed, but it makes me laugh every time and I have no idea why. You could be making fun of me for all I know, and I don't care. I'm still amused for no clear reason. :D

Lord Gonchar said:

Bedbugs have always been a 'problem' and they still are a 'problem' - but the hype surrounding them got completely out of control, too many folks fed off of the fear and created more wackiness and people are still finding ways to make money off of the whole thing two year later.

I do apologize for feeling the need to correct these statements, but, bedbugs were nearly eradicated in the US following WWII. Until around 2009 reports were at a minimal level staying closely to within an expected precentage with no reportable increase or decrease. Since 1995 CDC reports have increased and since around 2008 YOY reports in the US have increased ~500%. This is what qualifies this as an epidemic for those following along at home.

I have spoke to longtime entomologists and pest control associates who, until recently, had never even seen a live bed bug.

And for a visual inspection, you are looking for something generally the size of an apple seed, however, unless it is a severe infestation you are not going to see the bug itself. Eggs and staining are most commonly what you will see.

If you are cavalier towards the issue there is a good chance if you are unlucky enough to find yourself in an infested residence or room that you will bring it home with you. I am just trying to be proactive with the facts and stave off the feasting of hearsay and conjecture.

ldiesman said:

I have spoke to longtime entomologists and pest control associates who, until recently, had never even seen a live bed bug.

I'll be sure to let my wife know she has more real-world experiences with bedbugs than some entomologists and pest control associates.

Hell, even I've seen live bedbugs.

If you are cavalier towards the issue there is a good chance if you are unlucky enough to find yourself in an infested residence or room that you will bring it home with you.

That's a lot of 'ifs' in there.

I am just trying to be proactive with the facts and stave off the feasting of hearsay and conjecture.

Thanks for that. However, I stand by what I said:

"There are bedbugs. There always has been. Your odds of encountering them aren't real high. It sucks for those that do. If you're concerned or like to live in fear, you can certainly do visual inspections to reduce the risk."

Here's the CDC FAQ page on Bed Bugs for those interested.

Lord Gonchar said:

I'll be sure to let my wife know she has more real-world experiences with bedbug than some entomologists and pest control associates.

Hell, even I've seen live bedbugs.

That’s an awfully condescending tone to a statement of fact, not sure why you feel the need to be aggressive. So you’ve seen a live bedbug? Odds must not be that bad of seeing one.

I am just trying to be proactive with the facts and stave off the feasting of
hearsay and conjecture.

Thanks for that. However, I stand by what I said:

Your welcome, but quite honestly it's not for your benefit.

"There are bedbugs. There always has been. Your odds of encountering them aren't real high. It sucks for those that do. If you're concerned or like to live in fear, you can certainly do visual inspections to reduce the risk."

Here's the CDC FAQ page on Bed Bugs for those interested.

Thanks for referencing an article I co-authored several years ago.

Make sure everyone focuses on this line, “Where are bed bugs found?

Bedbugs are found across the globe from North and South America, to Africa, Asia and Europe. Although the presence of bed bugs has traditionally been seen as a problem in developing countries, it has recently been spreading rapidly in parts of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other parts of Europe.”

No one has disagreed with the fact that yes they have always been present. The fact is in the US they had been nearly eradicated in the late ‘40s with resurgence in the late ‘90s and major reports in the mid ‘00s.

If I in some way rubbed you the wrong way or challenged your power here I do apologize, but to be honest you are using second hand experience and online research to try and marginalize the 1000’s of hours of on hands experience that I have. I have studied, watched and been very active in bedbug research for nearly 10 years. I have seen how they spread and watched them evolve to resist pesticides almost as quickly as they come to the market. I was with a team that in 2010 discovered that the bedbug genome allowed it to quickly evolve to resist certain pesticides. If you think that the bedbug issue in the US today is the same as it was 10 years ago and 20 years ago you are mistaken. I understand you have your followers and an image to uphold so you may pick this apart any way you want. My statements are based on fact and firsthand experience.

Your facts separated from context don't matter. If 1 in 10,000 people get smacked by Lindsay Lohan on a crack binge, 2 in 10,000 is in fact a 100% increase, but hardly an indication that Lindsay is twice the problem she was before.

It is good to have an actual authority on the subject posting. Thank you for the clarification.

And with that, I'm gonna shut up and go do some work.

bunky666 said:

Or you could buy a Six Flags Flashpass at Magic Mountain and ride X and Terminator...

You mean X2 and Apocalypse. :-P

ldiesman said:
That’s an awfully condescending tone to a statement of fact, not sure why you feel the need to be aggressive. So you’ve seen a live bedbug? Odds must not be that bad of seeing one.

I don't think the odds of seeing one are necessarily bad. I just don't think they're significantly worse. I'd seen live bedbugs long before the unecessary scare of 2010.

Quite frankly, I'm alarmed that actual entomolgists and pest control professionals haven't.

I'm a baker, but I've never actually seen a donut.

Thanks for referencing an article I co-authored several years ago.

You're welcome. A good source is a good source.

Make sure everyone focuses on this line, “Where are bed bugs found?

Well, more in the context of the discussion before you jumped in, I was hoping people would focus on these lines:

• Bed bugs should not be considered as a medical or public health hazard.
• The best way to prevent bed bugs is regular inspection for the signs of an infestation.

Basically the article confirms that bed bugs are not a public health hazard and that visual inspection is an effective measure.

No one has disagreed with the fact that yes they have always been present. The fact is in the US they had been nearly eradicated in the late ‘40s with resurgence in the late ‘90s and major reports in the mid ‘00s.

Agreed. It's the level, severity and importance of the resurgance that seems to be the source of friction.

And Jeff jumped in, but I feel the same way. The threat has increased 500%. I don't even dispute that. I'm sure you know what you're talking about. But 5 times next-to-nothing is still a whole lot of nothing.

...but to be honest you are using second hand experience and online research to try and marginalize the 1000’s of hours of on hands experience that I have. I have studied, watched and been very active in bedbug research for nearly 10 years. I have seen how they spread and watched them evolve to resist pesticides almost as quickly as they come to the market. I was with a team that in 2010 discovered that the bedbug genome allowed it to quickly evolve to resist certain pesticides. If you think that the bedbug issue in the US today is the same as it was 10 years ago and 20 years ago you are mistaken.

You're right, I am. I never claimed otherwise. I'm using 20 years of second hand experience with one of the places you're most likely to encouter bedbugs and bedbug infestations.

I understand you have your followers and an image to uphold so you may pick this apart any way you want. My statements are based on fact and firsthand experience.

Holy passive aggressive!

I'm sure my followers will be pleased with my work. The cult is strong. Thanks for the permission to be myself.

Again, thanks for the facts and sharing of experience. Still sounds hilariously alarmist in tone though.

Jeff said:

Your facts separated from context don't matter. If 1 in 10,000 people get smacked by Lindsay Lohan on a crack binge, 2 in 10,000 is in fact a 100% increase, but hardly an indication that Lindsay is twice the problem she was before.

But if she then smacked 4 in 10,000 followed by 8 in 10,000 followed by 20 in 10,000 then she is showing a growth trend in that pattern of bahavior and not a statistical anomaly indicating she is a growing issue.

Since my experience is in Central Ohio that is the only place that I feel comfortable enough to give hard numbers for. As far as data collected it is fairly convoluted in rural areas with many health departments not recording calls correctly so it is nearly impossible to give statistics for those areas. Numbers I can confirm are for Franklin County and Hamilton County in Ohio. The rule of thumb is usually 1:2, 1 report for 2 non reports or multiple infested units in the same complex (e.g.: hotels or apartments count as 1 report even if there are multiple units infected to help control the risk of errors with duplicate reports). I was not involved with the task force while Statistics for 2010-current in Franklin County and from 2009-Current in Hamilton County where compiled so I do not have those, however, from what I have been advised the growth trend continued in the same fashion with Hamilton County expected to reach 2% of housing infested in the final report for 2011 which will not be final until later next year. The only numbers I am willing to confirm as accurate are below because I physically helped compile them.

This is not an apocalypse; I think people expect to see bedbugs everywhere they look. At this point it is still extremely early stages of an outbreak. Reasonable measures and this will be kept under control until we will get the right chemicals to eradicate them once again. Remember, a lot of these reports come from 5 star hotels and higher end condos or apartments. Also, it's the growth that is the concern not the current levels of infestation.

Franklin County:

2003: 0 confirmed reports (est <.01% of housing infested)

2004: 0 confirmed reports (est <.01% of housing infested)

2005: 7 confirmed reports (est <.01% of housing infested)

2006: 20 confirmed reports (est <.01% of housing infested)

2007: 40 confirmed reports (est <.01% of housing infested)

2008: 135 confirmed reports (est .03% of housing infested)

2009: 450 confirmed reports (est .10% of housing infested)

Hamilton County:

2003: 0 confirmed reports (est <.01% of housing infested)

2004: 0 confirmed reports (est <.01% of housing infested)

2005: 60 confirmed reports (est .02% of housing infested)

2006: 120 confirmed reports (est .04% of housing infested)

2007: 900 confirmed reports (est .27% of housing infested)

2008: 1400 confirmed reports (est .43% of housing infested)

ldiesman said:

This is not an apocalypse; I think people expect to see bedbugs everywhere they look.

There we go. My point exactly.

ldiesman said:
But if she then smacked 4 in 10,000 followed by 8 in 10,000 followed by 20 in 10,000 then she is showing a growth trend in that pattern of bahavior and not a statistical anomaly indicating she is a growing issue.

Lord Gonchar said:
But 5 times next-to-nothing is still a whole lot of nothing.

What the hell happened to CoasterBuzz?

I remember when it all used to be about double entendre and innuendo. Now all we talk about is bugs. :-(

Umm, in ur indo. Better?

Carrie J. said:
What the hell happened to CoasterBuzz?

I remember when it all used to be about double entendre and innuendo. Now all we talk about is bugs. :-(

Um...Maverick?

We DO have a thread called Debby pounding Orlando...feel better? Lol

This is when we miss Moosh the most.

Considering what Debby is doing, I hope Orlando doesn't get some kind of bug from her...

I say bring back DDT so we can end this discussion.

Idiesman, first off let me stress that this is not intended to be a rip on you. Quite the contrary, I acknowledge the fact that it appears you are far more versed on this topic than I, or anyone else on this site. I am interested in the numbers you quote for Franklin and Hamilton counties. With all observational, non-random controlled trials there is the problem in interpreting data due to selection bias. The differences observed between 2003 and 2008 could theoretically be accounted for due to heightened vigilance due to the publicity concerning bedbugs. Hopefully, this was addressed in the paper prior to publication, otherwise it would never have been published. Obviously, a coaster geek site is not the best place to get into your scientific methods for the study, but if you would include a link to the paper, I'd be curious.