To better understand the bed bug problem in Hong Kong, particularly among low-income families, we interviewed Professor Wong Hung from the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Department of Social Work. Professor Wong is the founder of the Anti-Bed Bug Research and Action Group, and his work has been instrumental in addressing this issue within the community.

The interview provided us with crucial insights that have since shaped our human practices and education initiatives. We identified four key takeaways:

1. Elimination is challenging: The time-consuming nature of bed bug elimination often discourages residents from seeking professional help from pest control companies.
2. High prevalence in low-income areas: There is a significant and widespread bed bug problem in low-income communities.
3. Raising public awareness is key: It is crucial to increase public awareness about bed bugs to address the problem effectively.
4. The importance of collective action: While people should clean their homes regularly, simply repelling bed bugs from one's home can inadvertently spread them to the rest of the community. A successful solution requires cooperation from everyone to prevent the problem from reoccurring.

This interview solidified our primary goal for human practices: to focus our efforts on raising public awareness about bed bug infestations and promoting community-wide action.

To better understand the government's approach to the bed bug issue in Hong Kong, we interviewed Mr. Cheung from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Our goal was to gain insights into the current situation and to get direction for our public awareness activities.

The interview yielded four key conclusions that significantly influenced our project's human practices:

1. Limited Government Intervention: We learned that the government's direct involvement in bed bug control is minimal, with most of the work delegated to private pest control companies.
2. Targeting Key Demographics: The interview helped us identify two key groups for our educational initiatives: domestic helpers and residents in low-income areas such as public housing and old tenement buildings.
3. Actionable Strategies: Mr. Cheung's input guided our plans to prepare and distribute educational flyers and to host community workshops.

This interview was a pivotal moment for our project. It confirmed that there is a significant lack of public awareness regarding bed bugs in Hong Kong, and it directly informed our strategy to focus on outreach to specific at-risk communities. This has become a core goal of our human practices.

To gain a firsthand understanding of the bed bug problem, our team interviewed Uncle Chow, a resident of an old tenement building who had experienced a bed bug infestation. The interview provided crucial insights from a community perspective, directly informing our project's design and human practices.

Throughout the interview, we drew three main conclusions:

1. Low Awareness: Residents in low-income areas often don't fully realize the severity of a bed bug infestation.
2. Costly Solutions: The high cost of professional pest control services is a significant barrier for many residents.
3. Acceptance of Chemical Devices: Uncle Chow was open to using a chemical device in his home, provided it was effective.

The interview identified cost as a major barrier to effective solutions. As a result, we understand the importance of conducting further research into the public's acceptance of chemical devices to ensure our final product is both affordable and meets community needs. Concurrently, the interview revealed a low public awareness of the bed bug problem, made us realize the necessity of hosting workshops and other educational initiatives to address the awareness gap within the community.

To better understand the properties of bed bugs and the effectiveness of current solutions, we interviewed Mr. Francisco, the head of NoBedBugs-HK Pest Control Company. This expert consultation was vital in shaping our project's approach, revealing key insights into the challenges of bed bug control.

We reached four main conclusions:

1. Behavioral Traits: Bed bugs avoid bright light and are attracted to heat. This knowledge is crucial for designing an effective trap.
2. Trap Ineffectiveness: A simple trap alone is insufficient for eliminating an infestation in a home, as bed bugs will prioritize a human host. A trap cannot eliminate all bugs, leading to continued reproduction and potential re-infestation.
3. Repellents are Temporary: Repellent products only offer a temporary solution, as bed bugs will return after the repellent's effect wears off. Killing or preventing bed bugs from entering a home in the first place is a much more effective strategy.
4. Effective Elimination: The most efficient method for killing bed bugs is a 3-hour heat treatment at 70°C, supplemented with silica powder. This process, however, requires a professional pest control service.

The interview made it clear that the most effective and accessible strategy for preventing the spread of bed bugs is to restrict their entry into homes. As a result, our team could design a trap specifically for this purpose.

To raise public awareness about bed bugs, we collaborated with Mr. Francisco from NoBedBugs-HK to produce a short promotional video. We aimed to make the biology behind bed bug infestations accessible to a wide audience.

In the video, we explained the life cycle of a bed bug and detailed the different stages of an infestation. By visually breaking down these processes, we provided our audience with crucial information for identifying and understanding the severity of a bed bug problem.

The video was uploaded to our Instagram account to maximize its exposure and reach a broader demographic. This project was a key part of our educational outreach, using a professional partnership and engaging content to inform the public and promote action.

To address both public health and safety concerns related to our project, our team interviewed a medical graduate from the University of Cambridge. This consultation provided crucial insights that directly influenced our human practices and product design.

The interview focused on two main areas: the medical aspects of bed bug bites and the safety of our proposed application method. We gained three key insights regarding safety:

1. Childproofing and Instructions: The attraction kit for our device must be childproof, and we need to provide detailed instructions to prevent misuse and ensure user safety.
2. L-Lactate Concentration: We must carefully control the concentration of L-lactate in our solution, as high concentrations could potentially cause throat damage if inhaled.
3. Product Purity: The final, purified lactate must be completely free of any E. coli by-products, such as LPS (lipopolysaccharide), to prevent adverse health reactions.

Additionally, the interview provided us with critical information for our educational outreach. We gained a clearer understanding of the symptoms of bed bug bites and learned how to distinguish them from bites by other arthropods. This valuable medical information will be included in our leaflet, which is specifically designed for domestic helpers and the elderly, to help them raise their awareness of this issue.

This expert consultation ensures our project is not only scientifically sound but also safe, effective, and responsibly communicated to the public.

Based on insights from our interviews with Professor Wong Hung and Mr. Cheung from the government's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, we identified domestic helpers and the elderly as key demographics to target for our educational outreach. Their living situations and low awareness of the bed bug problem make them particularly vulnerable to infestations.

To address this, we designed and produced an original leaflet containing crucial information on identifying, preventing, and managing bed bugs based on the information provided from the medical graduate from the University of Cambridge . We distributed these leaflets to a community center to raise awareness about this growing public health problem and provide these at-risk groups with a valuable, easy-to-understand resource. This campaign was a direct response to our expert consultations and a key part of our human practices efforts to make a tangible impact on the community.

Our human practices journey demonstrates a commitment to integrating public feedback and expert knowledge into every stage of our project. By engaging with diverse stakeholders—from a university professor and a government official to a community member and a pest control expert—we didn't just design a product; we created a solution grounded in real-world needs and validated by scientific and social expertise.

Through the process of meeting diverse stakeholders, we were able to refine our technical design and shape our educational outreach. We believe that our Integrated Human Practices were not just an add-on; they were the very foundation of our work. By combining a deep scientific understanding with genuine community insight, we transformed our project from a theoretical concept into a viable, responsible, and impactful solution designed to directly address a pressing public health issue.