Comments on: Amazing news: New York City Council to hold hearings on three bed bug bills, 2/24/09 at 1 pm

By: nobugsonme

nobugsonme — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 08:17:37 +0000

Hi Jen! Hmmm. It is hard to say. I get the impression many hotels don't advertise bed bug prevention or detection methods, because they want us to think there is no bed bug problem. Meanwhile, others may brag about detection (e.g. a bed bug dog visiting) but may in fact use them so rarely that they aren't much help. Trip Advisor has many hotels listed for NYC. I like the website a lot -- I'd personally pick the highest ranked NYC hotel that you can afford, then read the reviews. If there are lots of reviews and no bed bug complaints, this is probably a good sign. If there are some complaints, remember that bed bugs infest rooms, not entire hotels (unless the room infestations are allowed to fester and spread). ANY hotel can get bed bugs any time, when someone brings them in. But obviously they vary in terms of how proactive they are about searching, and in terms of what they do if you bring a problem to their attention. You need to learn to search a room for bed bugs, and keep in mind you should do this in ANY room you visit. It is not difficult and should take less than 10 minutes and give you some peace of mind. When you check in, I suggest placing your luggage in the bathtub. Then search the room carefully using the recommendations in the travel FAQs. If you find any signs of bed bugs, grab your suitcase and hightail it to the front desk. Describe the problem and ask for another room. We've heard of this happening many times and the second room being found to not show signs of bed bugs. The travel FAQ on avoiding bed bugs when you travel also has other recommendations for how to deal with luggage and your stuff both in the room, and once you leave the hotel. Finally, Bedbugger Parakeets recommends you check in early. I believe she attended a bed bug conference where someone suggested hotels may hold rooms they are aware may have bed bug problems (because they were recently treated, for example) until the end of the evening and assign them last (so they may remain empty). Arriving early also means you avoid being assigned the last room in the hotel and finding it infested; who wants to find a new hotel (not just a new room) at midnight?

By: Jen

Jen — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:18:32 +0000

Any advice in choosing a hotel in NYC based on these bed bugs? Are there any hotels that are known to take efforts to prevent bed bugs?

Thanks!

By: Ugo Voso

Ugo Voso — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:05:35 +0000

Hi, will attend Tuesday Feb 24th, I am a license pest control applicator and would like to provide some advice to improve the bill’s chances of passing.
3 initial ideas:
A. Do not train landlords on pesticide use unless they are licensed by the D.E.C. (department of environmental conservation). It is against the law for anyone to do any pesticide application outside of his or her own apartment. Landlords and superintendents need to be trained in exclusionary methods such as caulking and patching holes, installing door sweeps and mouldings etc.. keeping pests contained from moving to adjacent apartments.
B. Involve the D.E.C. to train and list the qualified applicators. The D.E.C. already does the training, licensing and follow-up certifications. If you call 311 now to file a complaint, the D.E.C. is the agency that gets notified, thus keeping them in charge is ideal.
The Dept of Health is the incorrect agency!
C. Use the term “pest control applicator” instead of “exterminator”. It has been in disuse for over ten years!
Regards,
Ugo Voso
AA Advanced Action Pest Control, Inc.