THE LATEST ON BEDBUG INFESTATIONS FROM OUR FRIENDS AT NEWSMAX TODAY~

3. Environmentalists Blamed for Deadly Bedbug Plague

Government policies on the use of pesticides have led to a resurgent population of bedbugs — including some that carry a deadly antibiotic-resistant germ.

Bedbugs had been almost completely eradicated in the United States for half a century through the use of the now-banned pesticide DDT, but their population has grown rapidly during the past decade, overwhelming hotels, hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings, according to a report from the Heartland Institute.

Canadian researchers have recently discovered bedbugs carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to some antibiotics and can be deadly if it reaches the bloodstream.

H. Sterling Burnett, a senior fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis, blames the bedbug resurgence on “poor policy decisions.”

He told Heartland Institute: “Most households have never seen a bedbug before now. But in the early 1970s, the government banned the pesticide DDT, and now we’re seeing bedbug infestations in European and North American cities.

“This is another legacy of Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring,’ the 1962 book credited with starting the environmental movement, leading to the ban of DDT.

“By banning DDT, we’ve killed people in developing countries through the spread of malaria. Now we’re subjecting the U.S. population to bedbugs and other pests and vermin.

“Government should lift the ban on DDT and other pesticides that are effective in treating pests like bedbugs.”

Angela Logomasini, director of risk and environmental policy with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, agrees.

“We had eradicated bedbugs in the past, then we banned DDT for home use, and now they’re back. I think this policy needs to be reevaluated.”

She also said, “We need a better regulatory environment. Rather than removing products from the shelves, which is where we are today because of the precautionary principle, more evaluation and experimentation is needed.”

And from Barbara at Farm Wars blog, comes this information:

There is another solution, and one in which the mainstream refuses to swim. Diatomaceous Earth will eradicate them just as effectively as a noxious chemical :)

Diatomaceous Earth uses:

Pest control

Diatomite is also used as an insecticide, due to its physico-sorptive properties. The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate.[9] Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion. This also works against gastropods and is commonly employed in gardening to defeat slugs. However, since slugs inhabit humid environments, efficacy is very low. It is sometimes mixed with an attractant or other additives to increase its effectiveness. Medical-grade diatomite is sometimes used to de-worm both animals and humans, with questionable efficacy.[10][11] It is most commonly used in lieu of boric acid, and can be used to help control and eventually eliminate cockroach and flea infestations. This material has wide application for insect control in grain storage.[12] It has also been used to control bedbug infestations, but this method may take weeks to work.[13] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

GMOs? We don't need no stinkin' GMOs!

Barbara H. Peterson
http://farmwars.info