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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > August > 25 > Entry
Richard M. Zimmerman: Bedbug warnings were ignored by officials
The emptying of the Biltmore Tower on account of a bedbug infestation should be no surprise to the Dayton Daily News, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Public Health Department.
More than two years ago, a local pest control industry insider warned local governments of the impending bedbug epidemic. The warnings were cast aside for fear of inducing panic. Local officials were well aware of Cincinnati and Hamilton County’s war on bedbugs, as well as the efforts taken by both to combat the bedbug outbreak there.
So why didn’t our local governments make an effort to warn citizens?
An occasional story in the DDN or an occasional spot on a local television station hardly seems like the type of response our community deserves.
Dayton and Montgomery County have ignored recent complaints that residents with bedbug infestations have been selling their personal items at garage sales, knowing that the unsuspecting consumers are at risk of carrying bedbugs to their own home. Local courts also have turned a deaf ear on landlords trying to evict tenants who have infested their property with bedbugs, and instead have favored tenants who fail to comply with notices to have the property professionally exterminated within prescribed time frames.
Ignorant of bedbug biology and not realizing the risk being created for the community, a local magistrate has ruled that tenants can treat whenever and however they want.
The treatment of the Biltmore, which probably will cost six figures, will be paid for by taxpayers, as was the fumigation of an area for preschoolers at Longfellow School when it became infested with bedbugs.
The spread of an infestation can easily be accomplished by people with bedbugs transporting the bugs to bus stop benches, restaurants, movie theaters, their place of work, schools, courtrooms, etc. Because of the biology of the insect, it can live for more than a year without feeding, giving the bug time to wander around and allowing an unsuspecting person to unknowingly provide the bug a means to hitch a ride to their home.
For those residents not familiar with bedbugs, it’s in your interest to educate yourself to the early signs of an infestation. Should you develop an infestation, you should investigate the proper procedures for treatment.
If you need to hire a professional pest control company, ask the company how it treats for bedbugs and hire a firm that treats according to pest control industry standards. Hiring the least expensive business may only compound your problem by leaving you with the infestation — and less money.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture, Pesticide Regulation, is an excellent source of information, as well as the entomology department at the University of Kentucky. And beware of online ads that boast that their product “kills on contact.” My shoe and your shoe can do the same thing. Buyers beware.
Richard M. Zimmerman, of Dayton, is president of A-OK Exterminating Co.
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