Category Archives: Bed Bugs Massachusetts

Pre-treatment Procedures Once a bed bug has been positively located and identified, treatment (e.g., pesticide application) will be necessary to rid the building of the pests. Control actions should be instituted in the immediate area, within 24 hours if possible.The office manager/area director, facility manager, and licensed pest control applicator should determine the scope (e.g., size of area, materials affected) requiring treatment.The treatment area may be the original isolation space or an expanded area as identified through the inspection.Once the size of location is determined, the space must be prepared for pesticide treatment.When possible, the following preparation procedures should be taken: Only pesticides approved for use against bed bugs by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may be legally applied.Further, the pesticide applicator conducting the treatmentmust hold a current licensefor pesticide application in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.The most common room treatments include liquid and aerosol insecticides.Based on the experience of DPH/BEH staff, the most common and effective chemical products used in treating office space includes: These pesticides are designed for targeted application and will not be applied to any desk surface or personal belongings.By implementing the treatment preparation procedures, staff can facilitate a successful treatment and prevent any potential for unintended treatment of personal items that may be left on the floor. As mentioned, treatment of an office requires not only preparation of the space but also coordination of staff to be away from the office. Continue reading →

The dramatic resurgence of bedbugs has not plagued Americans equally, according to a new, creepy-crawly study from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Researchers tracked inspection reports of 21,340 Chicago buildings from 2006 through 2018 and found that bedbugs thrive in poorer neighborhoods. Continue reading →

AMHERST, Mass. In the first study to use systematically collected data from multifamily housing inspections to track bed bug infestation, investigators including Christopher Sutherland at the University of Massachusetts Amherst confirm what has long been suspected for bed bugs, but also for public health issues in general infestations are strongly associated with socioeconomic factors, including neighborhood income, eviction rates and crowding Continue reading →

It took only a few seconds to spot one. Then another Continue reading →

It took only a few seconds to spot one. Then another. As I walked into the small park around noon, dozens of rats could be seen scurrying in every direction Continue reading →