This story from WZZM News 13 in Grand Rapids emphasizes how difficult bed bugs are to treat — a message viewers need to hear more from the news media:

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. (WZZM) – A Grand Rapids area apartment complex is finding out how difficult it is to get rid of bed bugs. “It’s a mess, I tell you,” says resident Deb Bigelow.

Exterminators have been battling the bugs for over a month in the suburban apartment complex. They have taken up residence in over half of the apartments in a 12-unit building.

Residents who are interviewed complain about how treatment has already been going on a month, and about the fumes from pesticides. One tenant notes helpfully that bed bug fecal spots on the mattress “look like mold.”

I was concerned when Kaitlin Oele declared her bed bugs eliminated because, since treatment, she hasn’t “seen any more.” Residents need to know what a rare thing it is to actually see a bed bug; those who do not react to bed bug bites (with itchy marks on their skin) should be cautious about declaring themselves free of the problem.

Also, is it just me, or is there a weird, lingering shot that looks like a red spider rather than a bed bug?

You can read the article or watch the more interesting video below.

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