The Role of Government Agencies in Bed Bug Control

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The Center for Disease Control (CDC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other federal agencies are working closely with state, tribal, local health departments, academia, and private industries to monitor and better understand the recent resurgence of bed bugs in communities throughout the United States.

The CDC is partnering with experts to better understand the resurgence of bed bugs.
The CDC will provide timely information on emerging trends in bed bug control with the goal of developing national strategies to reduce bed bug populations.
The CDC recognizes that very limited research has been conducted on bed bugs during the past several decades and encourages increased bed bug research to determine the causes of the resurgence, the most effective methods of control, and the potential for bed bugs to transmit disease.
The EPA is working to ensure that pest management professionals and the public have access to the latest information on effective bed bug control tools.
The EPA realizes that certain bed bug populations in communities across the nation are becoming increasingly resistant to many of the existing pesticides.
The EPA is actively working with industry and researchers to identify new compounds (or new uses of existing compounds) to control bed bugs.
The EPA is working to educate the general public, pest professionals, and public health officials about bed bug biology and Integrated Pest Management.

The EPA�s primary responsibility is the dual statutory charges to ensure that the pesticides with public health uses are (1) safe and (2) effective against the pests on their labels.

The CDC and EPA are facilitating communications and working to expand the knowledge base among agencies and programs that may have a role in reducing bed bug populations. The two agencies are also fostering cooperation with the private and the public sectors to encourage their help with this endeavor.

The EPA�s primary responsibility is the dual statutory charges to ensure that the pesticides with public health uses are (1) safe and (2) effective against the pests on their labels. The EPA carries out this responsibility by conducting rigorous scientific screenings of pesticides and imposing limits through registration of pesticides. This ensures that when used to control pests they do not harm people or the environment.

Other federal agencies are also involved in research and education about bed bugs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is funding research on bed bug monitoring and control in low-income, multifamily housing, along with educating public housing authorities and other housing industry groups about bed bug identification and control. Health departments can use local HUD field office personnel or local housing officials as resources when addressing bed bug issues in multifamily housing.

State, tribal, local government agencies, and health departments play a critical role in protecting the public from bed bugs. Public health departments serve on the front-lines, providing information on prevention and control of bed bugs through various programs to the public and private sector.

The public, together with their local health agencies, must be involved in the control and management of bed bug populations and must be provided with the knowledge of best practices to prevent and control bed bug infestations. In some cases, a coordinated community control program may be necessary to reduce or eliminate bed bug populations.

Portions of content provided by:
Entomologist Paul J. Bello, PJB Pest Management Consulting, LLC. - Author of "The Bed Bug Combat Manual"

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