Comments on: California fights bed bugs: good news from the golden state

By: Maud Newton: Blog

Maud Newton: Blog — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:01:57 +0000

[...] Boston has warning stickers. Lexington, Kentucky is distributing leaflets. San Francisco has assistance for low-income residents. [...]

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:42:33 +0000

Kevin,
I am troubled by your repeated reports that you showed the Dept of Public Health inspector bed bugs and were told there were no signs.

Months back we had another reader who lived in a SF SRO who had similar reports.

By: Kevin M. Kirby

Kevin M. Kirby — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:14:38 +0000

The San Francisco health dept. took one look at my collection of 1000+ books and tapes, made an unsuccessful inspection of the mattress, and advised me to donate all my possessions to charity. Meanwhile, the flat-wallet bedbugs show up every night in wee hours to become blood-red hot dogs by dawn. If not for the heart palpitations, anxiety and stark sleeplessness, I’d also believe that this was really no trouble at all.

Of course, the Mission District is “supervised” in a slightly different manner than the more civilized regions of the city. Apparently, the insect kingdom finds a welcome home in this cipher of a neighborhood.

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 08:39:10 +0000

That’s awesome, kraystone! I mean the 17 days.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:37:16 +0000

I can’t login as kraystone…

I stay 4 blocks away from where the photo was taken. In fact, another friend who got bedbugs are located 2 blocks away from there. Another infestation which I heard of occurs just opposite my laundromat, 1 block away. Not sure if their situation had been solved but I haven’t got a bite for 17 days, hooray!!!

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 06:44:30 +0000

Anon and Winston,

The freezing referred to in this article appears to be freezing of belongings, not of the rooms themselves. The grant appeared to be about helping tenants with their side of treatment, rather than paying for treatment itself which the SRO hotel was responsible for. So I assume in this case, they’re not talking about Cryonite, but some kind of rent-a-freezer type service. Which we definitely need to know about.

Laura Krueger will probably see this after the holidays, and she may know folks in SF who can fill us in.

We have heard of Cryonite, and apparently Terminex has used freezing technology (cryonite or otherwise) in the US, including (apparently) at the U of Texas at Dallas. hopelessnomo comments on it in this thread.

By: Winston O. Buggy

Winston O. Buggy — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:35:49 +0000

Hats off or is it mattress covers to the folks in SF. I have a comment or two
on their guide but is a good start and certainly is addressing many of the myriad
of issues that must be tackled. As far as NYC politics it’s not just the balloons
with hot air. Freezing has been used in Europe especially in the UK with a patented system called Cryonite. From what I’ve heard it is a tool but usually involves chemical applications as well. Hot or cold the little devils are in the detailing, moldings and other crevices.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:14:50 +0000

Freezing services? There are now at least two references to freezing services in San Francisco. Anyone know about it?

Even as misery loves company, so far it would seem that ground zero for bed bugs in San Francisco are in downtown. It’s still not a very wide spread problem and I don’t see the blogging or social networking chatter about it.

By: parakeets

parakeets — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:52:44 +0000

Yes, as early as the First International Bedbug Symposium in Herndon VA in September 2006, they were talking about how San Francisco was taking a lead in the bedbug issue. Good for San Francisco! Even if these are only “guidelines” right now, they can be used as suggested practices and if someone has to go to housing court against an uncooperative landlord, there is something to fall back on that says, in writing, what the standards should be.