Kristen Luce for The New York Times A bedbug-sniffing beagle inspects a child’s bedroom in Queens.

Pest enthusiasts and obsessives can clear their calendars: the second national bedbug conference is set for Feb. 1 in Washington, the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will focus on ways that the federal government can work with other entities to control the growing problem of bedbug infestations in the United States.

The E.P.A. does not track the number of infestations but refers reporters to the National Pest Management Association. That group reports that its member pest control companies have logged steep increases in infestations since 2000. Companies report receiving an average of one to two calls a week about bedbug infestations, up from one to two a year previously. This tracks with complaints recorded in cities across the country.

The E.P.A. says that while the elusive blood-sucking pests are not known to transmit diseases, they can cause discomfort like itching — and high stress.

The last bedbug summit was held in 2009 with the E.P.A. as host. The 2011 meeting is to be hosted by a federal bedbug working group, which includes the E.P.A. and a half-dozen other agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Defense.

The E.P.A. said the agenda included examining the infestation issue from the perspective of federal, state and local governments, the housing industry and the pest management industry. Barriers to effective community-wide bedbug control will be discussed as well as ways of addressing the highest-priority needs, the agency added.

View the original article here

Kristen Luce for The New York Times A bedbug-sniffing beagle inspects a child’s bedroom in Queens.

Pest enthusiasts and obsessives can clear their calendars: the second national bedbug conference is set for Feb. 1 in Washington, the Environmental Protection Agency announced on Thursday.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will focus on ways that the federal government can work with other entities to control the growing problem of bedbug infestations in the United States.

The E.P.A. does not track the number of infestations but refers reporters to the National Pest Management Association. That group reports that its member pest control companies have logged steep increases in infestations since 2000. Companies report receiving an average of one to two calls a week about bedbug infestations, up from one to two a year previously. This tracks with complaints recorded in cities across the country.

The E.P.A. says that while the elusive blood-sucking pests are not known to transmit diseases, they can cause discomfort like itching — and high stress.

The last bedbug summit was held in 2009 with the E.P.A. as host. The 2011 meeting is to be hosted by a federal bedbug working group, which includes the E.P.A. and a half-dozen other agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Defense.

The E.P.A. said the agenda included examining the infestation issue from the perspective of federal, state and local governments, the housing industry and the pest management industry. Barriers to effective community-wide bedbug control will be discussed as well as ways of addressing the highest-priority needs, the agency added.

View the original article here