Bedbugs: Resources about identifying, preventing and treating infestations

Bedbugs are increasingly becoming a problem in Ohio. Several cities in Ohio - Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton - are considered among the top most cities with bedbug infestations. If you live in one of these cities and need information, contact:

• Cincinnati: Cincinnati Health Department
• Cleveland: Cleveland Department of Public Health - Division of Environment
• Columbus: Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force
• Dayton: Public Health - Dayton and Montgomery County

If you live in another area of Ohio, contact your local health department.

What to do if you have bedbugs in your apartment

People living in an apartment who have a bedbug infestation should immediately notify apartment management. If the landlord refuses to professionally exterminate the apartment building, you can contact your local Legal Aid Office for assistance. Contact the Ohio State Legal Services Association and Ohio Poverty Law Center if you are unable to find contact information for your local Legal Aid Office. Please note that legal assistance and/or representation is determined on a case by case basis.

Ohio State Legal Services Association and the Ohio Poverty Law Center, LLC
555 Buttles Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43215
614-221-7201 or 800-589-5888

Additional information about bedbugs

The following websites provide information about how to identify and prevent bedbugs and what to do if you encounter a bedbug infestation.

• Bed Bugs in Office Buildings: The Ultimate Challenge? (PDF file)
• Ohio Department of Aging
• Ohio Department of Health
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

The following are newspaper articles on bedbugs:

• Bedbugs survive most do-it-yourself attacks (The Columbus Dispatch, June 20, 2012)
• Editorial: Bug watch - Schools should be forthright in warning when bedbugs show up (The Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 20, 2011)
• Medicaid money fights bedbugs (The Columbus Dispatch, Jan. 6, 2011)
• Columbus ranks high on national bedbug-infestation list (The Columbus Dispatch, Aug. 24, 2011)

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Links updated February 2013