Bed bugs
The wingless insects feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals. Immature ones appear colorless while adults develop a reddish brown color that becomes more intense as they feed. They can be found in beds, carpets and upholstered furniture.
For tips on how to treat for bed bugs or to report a facility infestation, call the Middletown Health Department at (513) 425-1818.
MIDDLETOWN — More than just a bedtime rhyme, health professionals say bed bugs are becoming a big problem locally due to lack of education and resources to deal with the growing infestation.
Once stereotyped as a problem isolated to dirty motels and residences, the blood-sucking insects spread quickly by “hitch-hiking” on people’s clothes and bags, quickly infesting homes, apartments, hotels, health care facilities, shelters, schools, movie theaters, dry cleaners and office buildings — pretty much anywhere the bugs can find crevices to hide, said Jackie Phillips, Middletown health commissioner.
“This isn’t just dirty places. We are seeing this in nice hotels and places that have never had an infestation,” she said.
The problem is so rampant that Phillips said she has suggested police carry jail jumpsuits for infested suspects after an officer came into contact with bed bugs during a pat down search.
The Ohio Bed Bug Workgroup, a 40-member task force led by the Ohio Health Director, released a report in May outlining solutions to the bed bug breakout — the worst seen in 50 years. The group has urged for a marketing campaign to increase public awareness and educate people on how to deal with infestations.
The group also has rallied behind the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s request submitted to the U.S. EPA to allow the use of Propoxur to treat bed bugs.
“The problem is the chemicals we use no longer get rid of them or people can’t afford multiple treatments, said Carla Early, city environmental director. “(Bed bugs) don’t cause very much harm but they do bite and are hard to treat.”
Residents with bed bugs should minimize clutter, vacuum and check clothes, furniture and linens, Early said. Throw out, and deface, infested furniture or mattresses to discourage others from taking the items.
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