Coming in September: National Bedbug Awareness Month

Dold of Illinois will help host summit in Chicago in late September.

August 27, 2011

THE PATCH

September will mark the first National Bed Bug Awareness Month in which U.S. Rep. Robert Dold, (R-Ill.) and 10 of the foremost bed bug experts from across the country team up to create videos, articles and interviews geared toward helping the public fight back against bed bugs.

Organized by BedBug Central, this educational campaign serves as a comprehensive response to the continued spread bed bugs throughout the country. National Bed Bug Awareness Month will kick off Sept. 1 with the launch of an interactive, online tutorial series and culminate with the North American Bed Bug Summit being held in Chicago from the Sept. 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare.
According to the president of BedBug Central, Phil Cooper, National Bed Bug Awareness Month is an important step in educating the public about bed bugs as the pest takes root in untouched regions of the country.
“Last year bed bugs received a tremendous push in awareness due to constant media exposure. However, this year awareness is stagnating, not because bed bugs have gone away, but because they are not receiving enough coverage,” said Cooper. “In the war against bed bugs education is still critical. This campaign is aimed at creating awareness in a more engaging and interactive way.”
Research entomologist and doctoral candidate Richard Cooper of Rutgers University has been championing public education as crucial element in the war against bed bugs since 2003. Cooper acknowledges that while there is increased awareness, actual education is lacking.
“The initial lack of public education and awareness enabled bed bugs to spread and become a major problem in the United States,” said Cooper. “Although awareness that bed bugs exist has vastly improved, education has not. There are still myths and misconceptions that allow bed bugs to continue to spread. Without the proper education, prevention is not accomplished and the spread is not stemmed.”
To engage the public better, BedBug Central has collaborated with Howcast.com, a media company specializing in online how-to videos, to create 14 online videos with research entomologist Jeffrey White who is also the host of BedBug TV. White provides basic bed bug facts as well as instructions and tips on how to help prevention and treatment.
The videos will be released periodically throughout September along with informational articles and interviews with leading entomologists throughout the nation. U.S. Representative Robert Dold (R-Ill.) will also provide interviews on the government’s role in combating bed bugs.
“During the past three years bed bugs have proven to be an extraordinarily complex pest to deal with on a large scale,” said Dold. “In order to develop both practical and effective bed bug treatment methods, leaders in government, the private sector and even local communities will need to collaborate closely to find long-term solutions. The work being done at this summit is a step in that direction.”
The North American Bed Bug Summit represents the culmination of National Bed Bug Awareness Month. The summit, officially titled BedBug University: North American Summit, will bring together 26 of the leading entomologists and bed bug experts from around the world together with a cross-section of affected industries.
By gathering stakeholders such as government agencies, colleges and universities, health care, hospitality and multi-family housing under one roof, entomologists and experts will able to provide an educational blue-print for dealing with bed bugs across a variety of sectors.
The Summit will also demonstrate over 70 of the latest bed bug technologies including all-natural bed bugs sprays such as Stop Bugging Me!, entomologist approved mattress encasements such as Protect-a-Bed™ and BugZip Luggage Protectors.
National Bed Bug Awareness Month will begin Sept. 1 through Sept. 27 where it will conclude in Chicago with the three-day summit. For more information about bed bugs and bed bug awareness visit www.bedbugcentral.com. To learn more about the North American Bed Bug Summit visit http://www.nabedbugsummit.com/summit/.

(http://geneva.patch.com/articles/coming-in-september-national-bedbug-awareness-month)