City of Columbus, OH bed bug complaints and trends per zip codes. Sources: Krista McAfee Property Maintenance Inspector City of Columbus Department of Development Code Enforcement Division

1. BED BUG COMPLAINTS
Where are we now?
Krista McAfee
Property Maintenance Inspector
City of Columbus
Department of Development
Code Enforcement Division

2. Where do complaints come from?
• This presentation
only includes
numbers from
the City of
Columbus.
• Suburbs (like
Whitehall, Bexley,
Dublin) typically
do not fall under
Columbus’
jursidiction.

3. Where do complaints come from?
• A vast majority of complaints are requests
made through the City’s 311 call center.
• The remainder of the complaints are called in
to the Code Enforcement Operator.
• Complaints range from
– “I have bed bugs in my apartment” to
– “My neighbor has a couch on their porch that is
infested with bed bugs.”

10. Factors:
• Large immigrant population
• Somali and Nepali
• Language Barrier making
education difficult
• Cultural Barrier making education
difficult
• Large apartment complexes
• Management may experience
difficulty staying ahead of
infestation
• Management may be lax in
treating practices
• Some apartment complexes are
in court for inadequate
treatment of infestations.
• Transient population

11. Factors:
• Socio-economic issues
• Tendencies to acquire second-
hand appliances and furniture
• No extra income to pay for self-
treatment
• Ineffective self-treatment
practices and products
• Transient population

12. Overall Trend

13. Why the decrease?
• Callers and complainants seem more self-
educated.
– Callers often tell us they have received
information from COBBTF website or other
website.
– Callers and complainants often tell us they have
general knowledge of self-treating basics.
• Callers and complainants are often wary of
Code Enforcement’s involvement and are
willing to attempt self-treatment first.

14. Decrease, continued
• Callers and complainants are realizing that
Code Enforcement:
– may, under certain circumstances, hold tenants
responsible.
– does NOT offer or provide extermination services
or any type of financial assistance.
• Code Officers have seen leases that include
riders requiring tenants to agree:
– the unit was bed bug free and/or
– The tenant is responsible for the cost (whole,
partial, flat fee, etc) of the extermination.

15. Decrease, continued
• In general, inspectors and clients alike are
becoming more comfortable with handling
bed bug issues.

16. Hamilton County

17. http://www.orkin.com/press-room/
https://www.terminix.com/about/media-center/press-releases/
The Most Bed Bug-Infested Cities in the U.S.

18. Why the discrepancy?
• Requests and complaints made to
exterminators are different than those that
are reported to jurisdiction.
• Exterminators are receiving requests for
service from people who normally would not
call Code Enforcement (ie, high-income or
owner-occupants)

19. Thank you and
enjoy the rest of the Summit!
Krista McAfee
Property Maintenance Inspector
City of Columbus
Department of Development
Code Enforcement Division