Multi-unit housing sites, such as apartment buildings, are challenging environments for bed bug management due to the ability of bugs to move from one unit to the next, widespread use of potentially-infested secondhand furniture and personal belongings, high number of residents, high turnover rates, communication barriers, and lack of adequate funding. Surveys and research have identified these problems as well as some possible solutions. Do these research-based solutions work in low-income apartment buildings?
Area Urban IPM Advisor Andrew Sutherland demonstrated that proactive bed bug management programs with collaborating pest control operators were initially more expensive than prevailing complaint-based bed bug programs (the most common, according to industry surveys). Complaint-based programs are typically reactive and reliant upon insecticide applications. However, over time, the monthly costs of the proactive programs decreased. After one year, the number of bed bugs was drastically reduced when compared to the number of bed bugs at the beginning of the trial. Tenants were more satisfied with the proactive programs than the complaint-based programs. Proactive management programs that were demonstrated focused on tenant education, regular monitoring, effective nonchemical practices, and targeted insecticide applications.
Researchers are increasing their knowledge about what works in multi-unit housing communities to prevent and control bed bug infestations. Tenants with bed bug problems have more knowledge of bed bugs and skills to prevent or manage them. It is anticipated that teamwork amongst tenants, property managers, and pest control operators will lead to the increased implementation of IPM strategies in multi-unit housing for bed bug management.
Long-Term Impacts
