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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Bed Bug Expert Discusses The Critters

With news that bed bug complaints soared in 2008 and the City Council poised to vote on bed bug legislation this Tuesday, the NY Times spoke to entomologist Louis Sorkin, who works at the American Museum of Natural History. His descriptions are fascinating, if creepy: "Around 1989, someone brought in our first bed bug. Most entomologists had never seen a live infestation before. Now, infestations may be approaching the levels of 50 years ago, before DDT was used." Referring to how the suckers are becoming more immune to toxins: "That’s why pest control companies do all sorts of things besides using chemicals: heating, freezing, steaming, vacuuming. The hardest part of controlling bed bugs is finding them. Most of the literature out there talks about a quarter-inch-long reddish-brown insect, but a bed bug is a millimeter long when it’s born, about the thickness of a credit card." Sorkin added, "A pest-control company once brought in slippers from an infested apartment. You could see all the eggs that had been plastered onto the soles and all the bugs that were hiding." Blergh.

Jen Chung, NY, NY

posted by Can't Bug Me # 11:58 AM 0 Comments

Friday, February 20, 2009

Bring Home Memories Not Bed Bugs This Spring Break!

National Pest Management Association offers travelers tips to prevent bed bug infestations.

FAIRFAX, Va.
— Spring break is no longer simply for college students. Now, many s also “break” the winter blues by heading for warmer destinations. As spring break approaches, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) reminds all travelers of the risk of bringing home bed bugs from their spring sojourns, especially as the NPMA continues to note a 71% increase in reports of these pests since 2001.

"Bed bugs are elusive, nocturnal pests that thrive on ." says Greg Baumann, senior scientist for NPMA. "While these pests do not transmit diseases, bed bugs inject an anesthetic-like liquid that numbs the skin as they bite, leaving their victims undisturbed. It is only when people awake that they find unexplained, itchy red welts covering their bodies."

One reason that bed bugs pose such a problem for travelers is their keen ability to “hitchhike.” Bed bugs can travel easily – from beds to sofa cushions, from room to room and even home via suitcases. Once an infestation develops, bed bugs are extremely difficult to remove and require the experience of a pest professional to eliminate an infestation.

More, it is important for travelers to understand the prevalence of bed bugs. “Although many associate bed bugs with sanitation levels, this is simply a myth,” states Baumann. “Vigilance is critical, especially as we know that a five star resort can be as susceptible to bed bugs as a hostel.”

The NPMA offers three tips to prevent bed bugs from returning home with travelers:

1. At hotels, pull back the sheets and inspect the mattress seams, particularly at the corners, for telltale stains or spots. If you see anything suspect, change rooms/establishments immediately.

2. Thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking, including behind the headboard and in sofas/chairs. If any pests are spotted, change rooms/establishments immediately.

3. After traveling, inspect your suitcases before bringing them into the house. Vacuum them thoroughly and wash all of your clothes in hot water.

Meg Kane, 610-455-2746

posted by Can't Bug Me # 11:42 AM 0 Comments

Thursday, February 19, 2009

New York bedbug complaints increase 34% in a year

New York's bedbug infestation is getting worse, with almost 10,000 complaints to the city last year - one-third higher than the year before. "There are lots and lots of people who are having a devastating experience with bedbugs," said Renee Corea, who helped start the coalition New York vs. Bed Bugs after being bitten. "We are already regarded as the most highly infested city in the United States." New Yorkers called 311 with 9,213 bedbug complaints in the last fiscal year, up 33.7% from the year before, according to records that Corea's group obtained through a Freedom of Information request. That probably understates the problem, Corea said, because uncounted numbers of New Yorkers call exterminators instead of phoning 311. Bedbugs are tiny insects that live in mattresses and other furniture but can travel on clothes or luggage. They come out at night, feasting on and leaving ugly red welts. Killing them may require people to disinfect or throw away thousands of dollars worth of furniture and clothes. The bugs often just slink into neighboring apartments, ready to return. "It's a huge problem," said CityCouncilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan), who is sponsoring a City Council hearing next Tuesday on bills to ban the sale of used mattresses, train exterminators to handle bedbugs and force all city agencies to come up with a united strategy. The city Health Department doesn't consider bedbugs a health issue, but at least three other city agencies track bedbug infestations separately in Housing Authority projects and school buildings. Not all exterminators know how to spot and treat bedbugs, and critics say the city doesn't do enough to stop infected mattresses from being reused. Some victims may be too embarrassed to seek help, and some small landlords may not be able to afford a competent exterminator, advocates say. The worst hot spots are in central Brooklyn, where the number of complaints in a cluster of six community boards doubled from 566 to 1,132 in just one year, the data show. Other spikes appeared in the northern and eastern Bronx, in midtown Manhattan, in the Rockaways and a section of eastern Queens, and on the North Shore of Staten Island. "If you look at other cities, their local governments have taken a big step to try to educate people and deal with the problem," said Louis Sorkin, a bedbug expert at the American Museum of Natural History. alisberg@nydailynews.com

posted by Can't Bug Me # 1:49 PM 0 Comments

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Don't let the bed bugs bite

I can't decide where, in our battle with the bedbugs, we reached the nadir. Was it when my son's reception class teacher called my wife to express her concern about the number of bites on his arms, body and face? "He says they're ... bedbug bites," she said, disbelievingly. "That's right," my wife replied. "We've got an infestation that we're being treated for." "Oh, I understand - I've come across bedbugs, when I've been travelling in Africa." The words "but not when I've been teaching in north London" went unspoken.