Tag Archives: bed-bugs

News

Bed Bugs And Rodents Prompt A Call For Stricter Legislation In Boston

This weekend marks the annual move-in weekend for students attending college in Boston, Massachusetts.  As many of the remaining students moved out of their apartment units on Friday, city code inspectors used the time of open doors to descend on the city in mass and perform much needed inspections.

According to Whdh.com on September 1, 2012, city inspectors uncovered disgusting conditions of bed bugs, rodent droppings, asbestos, and overloaded dumpsters.  The problems are so vast that the Mayor of the City of Boston is warning students not to pick up any discarded furniture as it may be infested with bed bugs.

Additionally, the Mayor will be proposing a new ordinance to help students remain bed bug and rodent free so they can live in a safer environment.  The ordinance that will be presented to City Council will require that all building owners have a local contact so that students and code enforcement does not have to deal with an out-of-state property owner.  He would also like a “Chronic Offender Registry” to be created.  There rental properties can be listed that continue to have problems that are not addressed by the management.  He would also like to have inspections on the property completed every three years.  In the world of pest control, this however is not often enough.  In three years, a bed bug infested unit can contain millions of bed bugs that can make anyone’s living conditions horrible.  In addition, rodents left unattended make for unhealthy and dangerous living conditions.

Monmouth County NJ Pest Control recommends regular pest inspections and treatments so that all types of pests can be kept out of the home.

Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs Take A Bite Out Of Federal Employees In Ohio

When you go off to work, there are many things you may expect to encounter, but bed bugs are likely not one of them.  As the little vampires continue to spread, they have quietly infiltrated many businesses throughout the United States.  A survey that was conducted by the National Pest Management Association confirms that 40 percent of pest control professionals treated bed bugs in 2011.

Residents in Ohio have been plagued with bed bug infestations for the past few years.  According to Terminix, the State of Ohio has 3 cities listed in the top 15 most bed bugs infested cities in the United States.  Cleveland is sitting in the number 15 spot.

According to Cleveland.com on August 17, 2012, employees at the Federal Building in Cleveland, Ohio now have some unwelcome tenants in the building.   Bed bugs have found their way into the building!  They did not walk or fly into the building, or arrive in a shipping box as other types of pests would do.  Instead the bed bugs had to have hitched a ride by an employee (s) or a guest who was visiting the building.  They come in shoes, laptops, sleeves or pant cuffs of clothing, and purses. Even an unattended lunchbox from a bed bug infested home can harbor the pests.

Susan Jones, an entomologist and bed bug expert at Ohio State University, is quoted as saying “”Unfortunately this is becoming more and more common, and it’s a reflection of the fact that bed bug occurrence in the community is at a very high level.”

Workers should be on high alert for bed bug sightings in the workplace.  They should notify management at the first sign of the bloodsuckers report pest control professionals in Ocean County, NJ.

Bed Bugs, News

Bed Bug Infestations Make To 10 Complaint List of Consumers

So what are the top 10 complaints that American’s have these days?  The cost of food or gas?  The upcoming Presidential race?  The lack of jobs that are available?  The costs associated with sending kids off to college?  All of these issues are certainly ones to be concerned about, but interestingly enough, they do not appear to be of major concern to the majority of Americans.

According to Inland New Today on August 9, 2012, a survey was conducted to determine what the top 10 consumer headaches were in the United States.  Their report states that the Consumer Federation of America and the North American Consumer Protection Investigators conducted a survey in 38 states from March of 2011 through May of 2012.  County and City consumer protection agencies in 22 states also participated in the survey.  The reports of consumer’s top 10 complaints include familiar issues that plague American families…one of which is tenant bed bug infestation problems!

Anyone who has a bed bug infestation problem faces difficult challenges in their quest to rid their home of the pests.  Tenants often have a more difficult time eradicating bed bugs for the following reasons…

• The tenant may not know what to do about the pests.

• The tenant may be afraid to tell their landlords about the bedbugs for fear of being evicted.

• Landlords may blame the tenants for the infestation and insist that they pay for bed bug treatment, even if state or county laws say otherwise.

• A tenant can comply with all of the guidelines to eliminate the pests, yet because of the shared walls in multi-unit housing, the bed bugs will simply come back and re-infest the apartment.

Under the best of circumstances, bed bugs are extremely difficult to eliminate for any type of home or business.  It does not surprise me that the little vampires made this top 10 list!

Bed Bugs

Bed Bug DNA Tracking

Deoxyribonucleic acid, otherwise known as DNA, contains the genetic makeup for all living things.  DNA contains codes that provide specific information at the cellular level.  DNA codes are analyzed for a variety of different reasons.  It is commonly used for testing genetics, diseases and for solving different types of crimes.  DNA is also used for anthropology, archeology and paleontology.

According to BBC Nature News reported on July 11, 2012, like all other creatures, both alive and dead, the DNA found in bed bugs is aiding in tracking down bed bug origins.

Toby Fountain, a biologist from the University of Sheffield in England, is gathering information in hopes of tracking down the origins of the bloodsuckers in the “great bed bug boom”, which was first documented just after the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

The practicality of knowing the specific DNA of bed bugs is that eventually the bed bugs DNA will be able to reveal exactly where it has come from.  If pest control professionals keep a record (sample) when they provide services, they will be able to know if the entire colony has been properly eradicated if more bed bugs surface at the same location.  Bed bugs that are picked up from a hotel will also have the potential of being specifically identified.

In addition to gathering specimens in London, which is considered to be a “bed bug hotspot”, Mr. Fountain is also collecting bed bugs from international destinations.  Kenya is a prime bed bug collection site as bed bugs have always been a pest that people live with in Kenya.  Finding a genetic link to any collected bed bugs in Kenya would explain the global bed bug resurgence of 2000.

Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs In Libraries Spell Trouble For Bookworms

Being an avid reader, libraries used to be a haven for me.  It was a place to find solace among the massive amount of interesting books.  Now my visits to our local library are a bit skewed and not quite as pleasant.  The realization that I just might find more than my favorite book at the library is a bit unnerving.   Last week I picked up a book to check out.  As I stood at the counter going page by page looking over the book before checking it out, a kind librarian said “can I help you find something in there?”  I smiled and said “if I find what I am looking for, you will probably run!”  She looked puzzled until I whispered “I’m looking for bed bugs.”  Then she gasped!  True story.

The fact that you just might find more than your favorite book when you make a trip to your library is a frightening thought.  Many people read in bed, often falling asleep while they read.  Bed bugs like beds, and sleeping people.  Bed bugs like slim places to hide, especially after they have received a blood meal.  A book that is lying on a bed is the perfect place for a lazy bed bug to snuggle up until the next time its tummy rumbles.  Unsuspecting people could easily return the library books, with the bed bugs tightly nestled away and there you have it, a bed bug now lives at the library.  If it is a female, it will begin to lay its eggs.  If it is a male, it will soon be hungry and hitchhiking.

This can happen at any moment in time, with any book, at any library in the United Sates.  Is there any wonder why I am worried about picking up a bed bug infested book at the library?

Bed Bugs

Summertime Means Bed Bug Time!

Its summertime which means that many people will be hitting the road for great summertime vacations.  Some will fly, some will cruise, some will hop a train, and some will travel by car to places near and far.  No matter where your destination is, you must always be on the lookout for the blood thirsty beast that attacks in the night…BED BUGS…are alive and well and looking forward to the summer travel season too!

Pest control professionals in Ocean County, NJ have already seen an upswing in bed bug related complaints as travelers returning home from their vacation travels have accidentally brought home the bloodsucking pests.  Besides hotels, motels, planes, trains, and automobiles, bed bugs are also a problem for children who attend sports camps at college campuses, and summer camps throughout the United States.

While it is nearly impossible to completely avoid these little hitchhikers, there are some things you can do to try to keep bed bugs away from your home and family.

Before you travel you should check BedBug Registry.  This free website lists bed bug reports in hotels and apartments in both the United States and Canada.  To date they have collected approximately 20,000 bed bug reports from about 12,000 different locations.  The BedBug Registry will soon be including the United Kingdom in their database of information as well.  For those of you on the run and in need of information at your fingertips, you can purchase the BedBug Registry App from ITunes for $2.99.

As a reminder, bed bugs are not a sign of uncleanliness.  Look for bed bugs when you travel, even in high priced hotels.  Any establishment can be bed bug free one day and infested the next as bed bugs are hitchhikers and can fall off of a person or crawl out of their belongings anyplace.