OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the effect of physical factors of apartments, educational attainment, nationality and unemployment on the number and distribution of bed bug call inquiries in Budapest, Hungary. METHODS: Educational attainment, apartment conditions, the level of unemployment, the ratio of dependent people in the households, nationality and proportion of dependent people were selected as regressors. Monthly ambient temperature values were correlated with monthly call inquiry numbers. RESULTS: Downtown units showed the highest call inquiry rates. Significant positive correlations were found between the call inquiry rates and the ratio of low educational attainment inhabitants (people with ≤ 8 school classes), the rate of small floor area apartments (apartment area < 29 m2), proportions of the comfortless apartments in the district housing stock and proportion of unemployed people on district level as well as proportion of gypsy inhabitants in the districts. Significant negative correlation was found between the call inquiry rates and the average area (m2) of apartments. The number of call inquiries showed expressed, temperature-depending seasonality between March and December 2015. In multiple regression analyses, the level of unemployment and proportion of gypsy inhabitants showed significant correlations with the rate of bed bug call inquiries. CONCLUSIONS: Apartment conditions, educational attainment, nationality, unemployment, and the city structure have notable influence on the occurrence of bed bug call inquiries on urban level, although the level of unemployment and nationality seem to be the strongest factors. The annual changes of the ambient temperature have effect on the call inquiry rate.

Abatox Ltd Budapest Hungary

Department of Limnology University of Pannonia Veszprem Hungary

Independent Researcher Veszprem Hungary

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