North Carolina Schools 

N.C. JUDGE SAYS SCHOOL DISTRICT'S EARLY START OK (Source: VISITNC Weekly Newsletter) A North Carolina administrative law judge on Tuesday (yesterday) declined to grant a preliminary injunction challenging the state Board of Education's waiver to the Macon County schools, one of the broadest exceptions to a North Carolina law requiring a 10-week summer vacation. The judge's action clears the way for the Macon County schools to start classes on Aug. 4. The district got a waiver from the state Board of Education to open doors at 10 out of 11 schools three weeks earlier than allowed by state law. The case represents the first time nearly an entire school district has sought an exception under a provision that allows earlier opening dates for a specific school that wants to serve a special population for a defined educational purpose. If the exception for Macon County is allowed to stand, it’s speculated other school boards that want to operate within different dates could follow. 

Outer Banks Tourism 

New Poll Shows Most Americans Plan to Go on Vacation This Year (Source: VISITNC Weekly Newsletter)– For the first time in three years, a majority of Americans plan on taking a vacation. A majority (51 percent) of Americans say they’re confident (36 percent very confident/15 percent somewhat confident) that they will take a vacation in 2011, defined as leisure travel of at least a week to a destination at least 100 miles from their home. This proportion is up 13 percentage points from last year, according to a new Ipsos Public Affairs poll conducted on behalf of Mondial Assistance USA. One in ten (9 percent) Americans say they’ve already taken a vacation this year (down 2 percentage points). Just four in 10 (39 percent) are not confident (25 percent not at all/14 percent not very) that they’ll take a vacation, which is down 4 points from last year. 

Beach Nourishment Project 

As of Thursday, October 27, 2011, the project is complete.

www.townofnagshead.net/index.asp.   
 

Bedbug Epidemic 

(June/2011) Reports of bedbug infestations in residential and other properties are on the rise. A broker must notify all parties of the presence of bedbugs in properties for sale or rent once an infestation comes to the broker’s attention. Brokers should encourage their owner clients to take reasonable steps to eradicate infestations. Absent any indication of a pest problem, no disclosure is required. For additional information check the North Carolina Real Estate Commission website.

Bed bugs make regular headlines as they infest homes, hotels, and dormitories worldwide. Bed bugs feed on human and animal blood. As long as there's a source of blood available to them, they will happily take up residence in even the most pristine home. Dirt does not cause bed bugs.

Exterminating bedbugs: While it may be true that DDT was once used to virtually eliminate bed bugs, many of today's bugs actually appear to be resistant to DDT . DO NOT try to obtain some black-market DDT (yes, people talk about this on message boards - not a great idea). DDT nearly wiped out the bird population including the osprey, peregrine falcon, bald eagle and brown pelican.  Since the ban on DDT, their numbers have increased ten-fold.   

So what is available? There have been a few chemicals that have shown to be effective. These chemicals include pyrethoids and malathion. There may be risks involved in using these chemicals, do so only under the supervision of a pest control specialist.

Non-Pesticide/Insecticide Options: Mattress encasements: serve the purpose of locking in any active bugs/larvae, as well as locking out/removing potential hiding places for the bugs. Vacuuming up any bugs and eggs that you may find.

Moat-style system - this might sound crazy, but it works- after encasing the mattress, put each of the legs of the bed frame into plastic dishes. The dish itself is slippery, which is challenging for the bugs. On the outside of the dish, place double-sided carpet tape. Inside the dish, fill it with mineral oil.  On each leg of the bed frame, rub on vaseline.  Make sure the bed is far enough from the walls that nothing is touching to allow the bugs back into the bed.  Make sure that the sheets and covers can not touch the floor (if they could, the whole moat idea was for not). At night, the bugs could emerge from their hiding, but they would not be able to get into the bed.

Finally, washing/drying all clothing - while bed bugs have shown to survive even a washing machine, they have not been able to withstand a hot dryer. Take every article of clothing / cloth and run it through a wash and dry cycle. Yes, bugs do find their way into your closet, so everything has to be done there as well. Because the series of treatments from the pest control company takes time, place and keep the clothes in large, plastic garbage bags which will  keep the clothing bug-free. These bags should be sealed shut with twisty-ties. Once clothing had been worn, it has to be cleaned before being placed back inside the bags. I know this is alot of work, but getting rid of bed bugs is a process that you cannot let up on - if the bugs returned to the clothing, it could mean starting over from square one.