Bed Bugs Part II

All:

Since the bed bugs are so popular ... I'm continuing the post from last week.

1. News you can use!

Congratulations to ...  Ginny McCarthick for answering the question about the hungry bed bug! Ginny will be receiving a healthy homes tool. She gets to choose from a few gadgets that I have one hand. Watch for more fun contests.

Here is her answer:

A hungry bed bug looks like a flat disc... it blows up after it has eaten.  It also gets bright red after it has eaten.

2. Housing question of the week: Why do we have such a bed bug problem now?

Basically... Bed bugs were nearly eliminated in the US by 1940 and are now making a comeback.
There are three hypothesis: (1) Changes in pest control; (2) Increased global travel; (3) Insecticide resistance. 

3. Fun housing pictures: Here are pictures of bed bugs as they move through their lifecycle

See how the nymph is on someone's hand and is red? It is having a blood meal.

Egg

Nymph

Adult

4. Anything else I can think of that might help you in your work

If you have ALREADY taken the "Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners" training with me...

You can SELF-STUDY the materials I gave you and take the exam in Stillwater on APRIL 17. The exam qualifies you for the Healthy Homes Specialist credential.

For more info, 

• Please visit http://www.neha.org/credential/HHS/. 
• Or, give me a call or an e-mail!

That's all for this week. I hope that all is well with all of you out in your counties.


GP

Bed bugs!

All,

Due to popular demand ... Bed bugs! This will be the first in a series, since there is so much information to cover. As always, please let me know what you need and I will get the information to you!

1. News you can use

First, bed bugs prevention/elimination are part of healthy housing. How? "Keep it pest free" is one of the seven principles of healthy housing.

2. Housing question of the week: Why do we care about bed bugs, anyway?

Basically...

     * They feed on us (they feed exclusively on humans; bed bugs need a blood meal)
     * They increase quickly; they can build up in large numbers before they are noticed
     * They are hard to eliminate!

3. Fun Housing Picture
These pictures are compliments of Pawnee County. Trinity had a consumer with an overwhelming bed bug problem. Here is a photo that the consumer provided. Yes, it is a bed bug (front and back) and it is hungry.

The first person to explain how we know it's hungry will get a prize (a healthy homes tool of my choice). Thanks for the photos, Trinity! 

4. Anything else I can think of to help you in your work 

I have 15 people signed up for the upcoming "Essentials for Healthy Homes Practitioners" course. Here, you will learn LOTS about bugs and how to help prevent/eliminate them.

If you want to know more about the training, I'd be happy to fill you in. This is for your professional development. There are no strings attached. Basically, I want all of you to be thoroughly training in healthy housing so that we can get some GREAT programming done.

That's it for this week!

GP