How about a Philadelphia Bed Bug Task Force?

City Council is prepared to fight the latest invader into the lives, homes and beds of all Philadelphians – the dreaded bed bug.

Imagine now a task force established specifically to address the growing problem of bed bugs creeping into the mattresses of row homes across the city. Beyond that, Council will consider a Bed Bug SWAT Team, which will work in conjunction with the Bed Bug Task Force to exterminate the infestation of these pests for all Philadelphians.

Councilman Mark Squilla had bed bugs in April, and according to one witness who testified before the Committee on Public Health and Human Services today, Squilla won't be able to "start relaxing" for two years.

"I've had people sleeping in bathtubs. People move out of their homes," said Martin Overline, spokesman for Aardvark Pest Management and the Pennsylvania Pest Management Association.

The Committee on Public Health and Human Services will hold hearings on the impact of bed bugs on people's physical and mental health, the rights and responsibilities of dealing with bed-bug infestation and to commission a bed bug task force to determine best management practices going forward.