CDC bedbug advice: Avoid pesticides and freeze your bedroom

The government is here to help on bedbugs — avoid insecticides and cool your room to 3°F.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today reported that during 2003-2010, 111 became ill after using insecticides to treat bedbug infestations. But rather than emphasizing that users follow label directions, the CDC first emphasizes,

CDC and EPA promote integrated pest management (IPM) for bed bug control. IPM is an effective pest control method that uses information on the life cycle of the pest and incorporates nonchemical and chemical methods. Nonchemical methods to effectively control bed bugs include heating infested rooms to 118°F (48°C) for 1 hour or cooling rooms to 3°F (-16°C) for 1 hour by professional applicators; encasing mattresses and box springs with bed bug–excluding covers; and vacuuming, steaming, laundering, and disposing of infested items. [Footnotes omitted]

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It’s not until the last two sentences of the final paragraph, that the CDC gets around to stating:

Persons applying insecticides should follow product instructions for safe and appropriate use. Insecticide labels that are easy to read and understand also can help prevent illnesses associated with bed bug control.

The EPA has done just about everything possible to put safe (when directions are followed) and effective insecticides out of reach of consumers. Integrated Pest Management makes a mockery of consumer wants and needs. There’s no way that IPM can solve the bedbug problem. Unlike insecticide use, IPM can’t be done on in a sufficiently widespread, prolonged or cost-effective manner

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