Penn State Ag Sciences Newsline -- December 4, 2007

Resurgence of bedbugs slowly taking hold in state, nation (:49)

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Suggested Intro:

DON'T SCRATCH NOW, BUT BED BUGS ARE MAKING A COMEBACK ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, AND A SPECIALIST IN PENN STATE'S COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES SAYS THEY SEEM TO PREFER CITY LIFE THIS TIME. GARY ABDULLAH REPORTS:

Story:

(:12) BED BUGS WERE ONCE A COMMON PEST, BUT WERE MOSTLY ERADICATED IN THE LAST HALF-CENTURY. THEIR RETURN CAN BE TRACED TO INCREASED INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, THE USE OF MORE SELECTIVE PESTICIDES AND A LACK OF PUBLIC AWARENESS.

(:10) PENN STATE EXTENSION ENTOMOLOGIST STEVE JACOBS SAYS THEY'RE JUST AS LIKELY TO BE FOUND IN LUXURY HOTELS AS IN SUB-STANDARD LOCATIONS THIS TIME AROUND, AND COULD TURN UP IN JUST ABOUT ANY URBAN AREA:

Jacobs Actuality:
(:18) "WE'RE AT THE POINT RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE BED BUGS PROBABLY IN EVERY STATE AND PROBABLY IN MOST PARTS OF PENNSYLVANIA: PHILLY, AND HERE IN STATE COLLEGE, AND PITTSBURGH AND ERIE AND SCRANTON-- THE MORE POPULATED AREAS. PROBABLY SOME OF THE MORE RURAL AREAS, NOT YET, BUT IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. SO YOU HAVE TO TAKE IT UPON YOURSELF TO LOOK FOR BEDBUGS WHEN YOU CHECK INTO YOUR ROOM."

(:09) JACOBS SAYS THE TINY, QUARTER-INCH BUGS HIDE IN CRACKS AND CREVICES IN HOTEL ROOM BEDS AND FURNITURE, AS WELL AS ON OTHER ROOM SURFACES. FROM PENN STATE, I'M GARY ABDULLAH.

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Learn more:

Entomological Notes: Bed Bugs (College of Agricultural Sciences publication in PDF format -- Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

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