Professional Property Management Association of San Francisco (PPMA)

Bed Bug Update by Craig Waddle I met my first bed bugs in 2002 and became fascinated with their physiology.  There wasn’t much data available at that time because, as far as anyone knew, bed bugs had been eradicated in the United States late in the 1940’s through the wide-spread use of DDT.  Protocols were based on what we knew from old research.  Over the past several years these bugs have become a global concern and newer studies have dispelled some of our previous beliefs regarding their behavior. Bed Bugs don’t migrate.   Not true.  Bed bugs do move from country to country, dwelling to dwelling and bed to bed primarily by hitchhiking on people, garments and luggage.  However, we now know that once a population has reached “infestation” level in one dwelling, active well fed, bed bugs will migrate via pipes, wires and through holes into adjoining units. As a result of this new information, once bed bugs have been identified in one apartment an inspection needs to occur in all adjace