DEAR EDITOR:
I was very pleased to learn from The Record of Coun. Jaimie McEvoy's call for a bedbug task force. We have seen similar developments to the east led by Ontario and Manitoba. The needs of B.C.'s citizens is just as great here and building along with the bedbug population throughout the province. Coun. McEvoy is pointing the way to provide a co-ordinated effort to "spread the word, not the bedbug."
There is an abundance of incorrect and misleading information out there. A prod-uct can claim to "kill bedbugs" but will not rid your home of the pests. DIY efforts temporarily push the bedbug infestation out of the living area to neighbouring units only to return to the original host environment at a later date.
Government web information has been incorrect and misleading. B.C. Housing recently dropped a bedbug poster from their website - it had a posts that a bedbug is one inch long and seems to be confused with kissing bugs.
These errors demonstrate the need for qualified input on the task force and a commitment to provide current information. Vancouver Coastal Health information is more current, and it is the only site that has a picture of a bedbug.
There are glaring omissions on all sites. For example, not everyone has an allergic reaction. Additionally, a wash water temperature of 40C/104F is not lethal to the eggs of bedbugs.
Education and early detection are the cornerstones to control bedbugs. Until we return to the state of awareness our grandarents and their parents had, bedbugs will continue to spread and increase in numbers. A public information initiative that is accurate and current, like a bedbug task force, could be instrumental in helping to control bedbug infestations in theLower Mainland and this province.
Ken Hando, Bed Bug Mutts, Maple Ridge
