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Manhattan College students report bed bugs in Overlook Manor off-campus housing

nobugsonme — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:50:53 +0000

Manhattan College students claim their off-campus apartments have bed bugs, and that the situation is not being managed well.

Here’s the video of Fox5’s story on the situation at Overlook Manor, at 238th and Waldo Ave. in Riverdale.

It’s important to note the inaccuracies here: the students are speaking as if rooms where students have not noticed bed bug bites are necessarily bed bug-free; this is not so. You can have bed bugs and not have visible bite marks or an itchy skin problem.

It also is not true that a medical professional can examine bite marks and claim with any certainty that they came from bed bug bites. We hear a skin biopsy can confirm the bites came from an insect, but cannot determine which insect was the cause; visual inspections of bites cannot confirm bed bugs as a source.

Nevertheless, if some people in a building have bed bugs, it is definitely likely that others in the building experiencing new itchy skin conditions may have them as well.

Read the full article here.Similar Posts:

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Bed bugs invade New York City Department of Health offices

nobugsonme — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:56:55 +0000

The New York Post reports that New York City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene workers are being bitten by bed bugs.

Workers in the department’s tuberculosis-prevention unit complain that the painful pests have invaded their offices on the eighth floor of 346 Broadway for the second time.

“People are really upset,” one worker said, adding that while it was never made public, a bedbug colony took up residence on the same site two years ago.

“They told us we were crazy,” the worker said, referring to higher-ups. “I said, ‘I know what I saw. I’m not crazy.’ ”

Officials confirmed that bedbugs were found in the TB unit in 2007 and again within the last few days. In both cases, exterminators were called in.

“It’s fairly common to have a couple of bedbugs brought in by an individual,” said department spokeswoman Jessica Scaperotti. “It’s not an infestation.”

The “condition” of bed bugs in the tuberculosis-prevention unit of the NYC DOHMH suggests that the DOHMH also needs a “bed bug prevention unit.” Not for their building, but for the city.

Bed bugs don’t kill you like TB will (at least not in most cases) but they certainly are a quickly-spreading parasite which messes with one’s “mental hygiene” big time.

NY Magazine’s Daily Intel also questions the “it’s not an infestation” spin from John Jay and Department of Health, reminding me that “I’m not crazy” either.Similar Posts:

Co-op pays $250K after bed bugs found in several units, storage area, stairwells

nobugsonme — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:03:06 +0000

BrickUnderground reports that the July/August 2009 issue of Habitat magazine (not yet available on their website) reports that a three-tower, 217-unit Theater District co-op building paid $250,000 to get rid of its bed bug problem.

BrickUnderground writes,

The co-op in the Habitat article found bed bugs in several neighboring apartments, two stairwells and some of the basement storage lockers.

Working with one exterminator and several subcontractors, it treated infested apartments with powders for the walls and heat and chemicals for cracks and crevices.

In addition, everything in the basement storage lockers was packed in impermeable containers and shipped to an off-site exterminator, while the storage rooms were treated.

The plan includes new rules for sealing items before putting them into storage, and regular visits from a bed bug sniffing canine.

BrickUnderground reports the cost “was paid from the building’s reserve funds.”

This is a good lesson for other multi-unit buildings (whether rentals, condos or co-ops): take bed bugs seriously whenever they appear.

Better yet, develop a preventive strategy before you have any bed bug reports. And educate your staff and tenants or unit owners about bed bugs and how to spot them.

Education of management (including co-op boards/owner associations) is key: too often, we hear in the Bedbugger Forums from harried co-op or condo residents who suspect neighbors are infested, but can’t get through to them or the co-op board or condo association about the need for a cooperative effort.

See Co-op hair-raiser: $250,000 bed bug bill to read more from BrickUnderground.

We found out about this story via New York vs. Bed Bugs. Thanks, Renee!Similar Posts:

“The Hunt”: bed bugs in New York real estate

nobugsonme — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:41:05 +0000

Remember Joyce Cohen’s New York Times column “The Hunt” — which features New York tenants searching for just the right apartment? In 2007, two separate columns in three months described young couples ending their searches in an apartment with bed bugs.

In September 2007, it was Tabitha Shick and Benjamin Klein. Then, in December, we heard about Jon Werberg and Helene Mattera, who moved to a semi-gut-reno on East 117th Street, with bed bugs.

Now, in the fifth anniversary “The Hunt” column, we get an update on Mattera and Werberg, who were stuck in their apartment on 117th St. for one year:

… it seemed location was the only thing their apartment had going for it. They gladly left last summer, the day their one-year lease expired.

The $1,550-a-month apartment, on East 117th Street, was badly maintained, they said. They had several bouts with bedbugs, spending a small fortune on laundry and dry cleaning.

They hoped to buy a home — doing so remains “somewhere between a goal and a dream,” Mr. Werberg said — but their priority was to get out. When they left, they took nothing upholstered.

They were relieved to return to the Bronx. They liked the Parkchester condominiums, but they wanted a dog and dogs aren’t allowed, so they found a big one-bedroom rental nearby for $1,350.

Their new superintendent “is the kind of man who dusts outdoor breezeways,” Ms. Mattera said. “He is meticulous to a T. It makes a world of difference.”

Although a meticulous, well-kept apartment has so much going for it, readers need to know that it does not mean the home will not get bed bugs, nor does it mean that the landlord will handle them properly if it does.

Cleanliness does not prevent bed bugs.

And any landlord who has not dealt with bed bugs before faces a learning curve. Many good, meticulous landlords are not informed about how easily bed bugs spread, and how hard it is to detect them.

The truth about bed bugs is that you can clean like the Dickens and not get rid of or prevent them.

The good news is that it sounds like Mattera and Werberg are done with bed bugs. Let’s hope they never have this problem again!

Read the update in full here: The Hunt – So Where Are They Now? – NYTimes.com.Similar Posts:

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Bard of Bushwick Frank Hoier sings about bedbugs

nobugsonme — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:08:26 +0000

Oh, you’ll like this: this week in the Brooklyn Paper online, Frank Hoier gives us a modern take on bed bug blues songs, with a “musical editorial” with the refrain,

“They bit me high,

They bit me low,

They bit me places you don’t even want to know!”

Sound familiar, anyone?!?

The Brooklyn Paper kicks off its first installment of Frank Hoier’s “Rhythm and News.” This week, the Bard of Bushwick sings about bedbugs!

And he’s cuter and way more talented than all the singing hipsters on the recent Bushwick/East Williamsburgh bed bug edition of Law and Order: Criminal Intent. Just sayin’.

Check it out: The Brooklyn Paper: Frank sings about bedbugs.

And of course, for the “Mean Old Bed Bug Blues,” check out:

Furry Lewis (1927):

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Caveat dumpster! Do not take those Brooklyn sofas, Craigslist readers

nobugsonme — Tue, 05 May 2009 04:51:26 +0000

Those Craigslist crazies are at it again, this time in Bushwick/East Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Check this out:

CURB ALERT: 2 nice couches (Bushwick/E. Williamsburg)

Two very nice couches have been thrown out in front of 15 Thames St, in Bushwick/East Williamsburg. One is red velvet, the other is a floral pattern. They both have signs that say BED BUGS on them, but I’ve slept on both these couches in the past week and haven’t noticed any bedbugs. Please take these great couches and save them from someone else’s wastefulness.

(Emphasis mine.)

Now, why would someone who is throwing out a sofa say that it had bed bugs, if it did not have bed bugs?

We know it is possible to be bitten by bed bugs and not react to bed bug bites, and we know it’s possible you won’t see bed bugs when they’re around.

If someone advertises that something has been exposed to bed bugs, by all means, please stay away!

If you ever doubted that we need a widespread education campaign about bed bugs, which includes a focus on how easily they spread, how difficult they can be to spot, and how many people do not react to bed bug bites, consider this ad.

Consider also it was posted in Brooklyn, New York City, where even the USA Channel’s fake detectives know what bed bugs look like.

The recent Law and Order: Criminal Intent episode featuring hipsters with bed bugs got some things wrong, but it was set in the same neighborhood (Bushwick/East Williamsburg).

The address listed in the ad, 15 Thames St., is in a neighborhood with many infested buildings, according to the Bed Bug Registry. (And we don’t know which building the sofas came out of, of course.)

Keep in mind, all infested buildings are not listed on the Bed Bug Registry. Not by a long shot.

Needless to say, I would not take in a curbside sofa, at this point in time, whether it declared itself bed bug-free, or had no signage at all. I certainly would not take in a sofa with a bed bug warning. Sheer lunacy.

Caveat dumpster. That’s all I am saying.

The original ad is here, while it lasts.

A screenshot is here.

Thanks to KillerQueen for finding this one.

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More on bed bugs in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: again with the HAZMAT showers?!?

nobugsonme — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 04:39:52 +0000

Remember last week, when the boardinghouse/SRO hotel above the Tara Station Bar in Harrisburg was found to be infested — apparently by bed bugs — but in the two stories covering the case, WHPTV (CBS Channel 21) reporters refused to say the phrase “bed bugs”, referring instead to “bugs” and “insects?”

This was so, even though the attached videos showed what clearly appeared to be bed bugs crawling on a ceiling (speckled with what appeared to be bed bug fecal stains) and also crawling on a man’s shirt, and even though the same man showed them “bug bites” he had sustained? (Note: if you have an itchy bite mark and a bed bug is crawling on your shirt in broad daylight, entertaining a video crew, it’s probably a pretty safe bet you have bed bug bites.)

(You can see those earlier videos from CBS Channel 21 here and here.)

Well, we kind of figured that story wasn’t over.

Today, WGAL reports that the building was shut down by city code inspectors:

Police and fire companies are looking into possible bed bugs at a Harrisburg hotel. The chief of police said it is not healthy for anyone to stay the night.

Four city code inspectors were inside a small hotel owned by Wali Rentals LLC on Fourth and Chestnut streets Wednesday afternoon after they received a complaint about a bed bug problem.

Officials also closed a restaurant on the first floor of the building as a precaution.

Chief Charles Kellar said the inspectors themselves were infested with the bugs during their investigation. They were sent to Harrisburg Hospital to be decontaminated.

“One had a cuff, and she undid the cuff of her pants, and a lot came out of there. One guy said it looked like the walls were moving,” said Kellar.

(Notice how WGAL is referring to “possible bed bugs.”)

The residents were removed from the building:

Tenants were ushered through a mobile Haz-Mat shower unit to be decontaminated.

They were then taken to a local shelter and given a new set of clothing.

This is the second time we’ve heard of a HAZMAT shower being used to decontaminate residents who were asked to leave a bed bug-infested building. The first was in Jersey City last summer.

When fleeing a building where a code inspector could come out with “a lot of bugs” in a pants cuff, evacuees should be allowed to shower and change to fresh clothing and shoes. Precautions do need to be taken to avoid moving bed bugs to vehicles or to the evacuees’ next location.

But consensus in the comments on the Jersey City post was that a HAZMAT decontamination shower was overkill.

The hotel is getting three “exterminator treatments” (let’s hope that is enough to get rid of bed bugs in the building).

And apparently, the owner Wali Mohmand is still blaming tenants’ hygiene for bed bugs:

“I’m not their maid, they have to clean after themselves,” said Mohmand.

Sounds like CBS 21 News, the city code inspectors, and Mr. Mohmand still have a bit to learn about how bed bugs operate. They can infest any home, clean or dirty, cluttered or empty.

Oh, but wait, I forgot: first, someone in Harrisburg needs to actually verify that the “possible bed bugs” are, in fact, bed bugs.

Is that really so difficult?!?Similar Posts:

311 finally has bed bug category — New York vs Bed Bugs

nobugsonme — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 04:05:26 +0000

Renee of New York vs. Bed Bugs called to find out what it’s like to call the New York City 311 help line and report bed bugs, now that bed bugs are their own separate category in terms of 311 complaints. Renee writes,

I called 311 to see if anything was new in how the actual calls were handled and a nice guy named Joseph walked me through what they’re doing. Basically, it’s the same but there was a certain efficiency to this call and no more “bed bugs? did you say bed bugs?” It’s still a complaint process that’s routed to HPD or NYCHA, and a call transfer to the Health Department if the caller wants the bed bug fact sheet. Interestingly, they’re now also taking complaints for subways (it’s a script for rats, mice and bed bugs or conditions conducive to the same), and that call gets routed to the MTA.

That’s huge. Good to hear.

Now, can they meet the demand of bed bug inspections?

I know you’ll want to check out “311 finally has bed bug category” at New York vs Bed Bugs.Similar Posts:

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More information on cheap and cheerful bed bug monitors!

nobugsonme — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:46:51 +0000

Where else but Bedbugger.com do you see the phrase “cheap and cheerful” and “bed bug monitors” in the same sentence? Okay, we’re not Apartment Therapy, but we know a good thing when we see it.

Remember the Climbup™ Interceptors — the inexpensive bed bug monitors, developed by Susan McKnight, which you place under a bed or sofa leg? The idea is that bed bugs will get stuck either crawling onto or off of the trap, and you will therefore not only be able to know if you have bed bugs, but which direction they’re coming from. (One forum user whose PCO employed these referred to them informally as “coasters.”)

This is the view from above of a Climbup™ Interceptor with bed bugs caught in it. (Your bed or sofa leg would go into the center.)

This month’s issue of Pest Control Technology has an article by Changlu Wang, Timothy J. Gibb, and Gary W. Bennett detailing the study of the Climbup™ Interceptor. You can see the contents of the April PCT issue with a link to the article here. This is the same study I discussed in the previous post about the product. To quote from the PCT Online article,

RESULTS. The inspections revealed that all 13 apartments were infested with bed bugs. The average bed bug count was 6.7 per apartment. Among the residents interviewed, only four of 10 said they noticed bed bug bites. After visual inspection and hand removal of bed bugs, we installed Climbup interceptors under furniture legs. After seven days, an average of 8.8 bed bugs per apartment was captured using the interceptors.

CONCLUSIONS.: Bed bug interceptors are more effective than visual inspections for determining the presence/absence of bed bugs and estimating bed bug numbers. In addition, they can effectively detect low levels of bed bug infestation. Because interceptors remove bed bugs, they also provide immediate relief to residents from bites and reduce the need for insecticide applications as they catch the bugs.

[Note the fact that 4 out of 10 residents reacted to bed bug bites.]

Update (5/6/2009):

Climbup™ Interceptors are now available from NorthShore Care (with free shipping if you enter the code in the ad below) and other online retailers, as well as from Residex and Oldham Chemical. In New York City, you can get them from Standard Pest in Astoria.

(Disclosure: Bedbugger has an affiliate relationship with NorthShore Care, which means that if you purchase through our links, it helps support this website at no additional cost to you. We’re grateful to NorthShore Care for offering our readers the best deals we know of on Protect-a-Bed AllerZip encasements and Climbup™ Interceptors, as well as free shipping with the BBFREE coupon code.)

You can also click the following links to download a PDF brochure about Climbup™ Interceptors, or instructions for their use.
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Meanwhile, also in the world of bed bug monitors, David Cain of bed-bugs.co.uk (who is well known to our Bedbugger Forum users) has been developing a different kind of passive bed bug monitor. Again, this would be something which will be affordable to everyone and could be potentially used in every bed as an ongoing monitoring tool.

The March and April 2009 issue of Pest has an article on David’s passive monitor. Click here to download a PDF.

Pest notes,

The monitor is roughly the size of a packet of cigarettes. Made of moulded plastic it consists of a seven layer sandwich. On top is a label to record the monitoring routine. This is stuck to the top layer of the plastic monitor, within which is the filler consisting of corrugated pulp-based tunnels – ideal hideaways for bedbugs.

The monitors are designed to be anchored to a particular spot on various types of beds.

According to Pest, limited quantities are currently available from bed-bugs.co.uk, “with large scale availability before the summer.”

These two passive monitors have different functions. The Climbup™ Interceptor can only intercept bed bugs which are climbing onto or off of legs of the furniture placed in the disks. They should remain trapped if they cross the interceptor.

David Cain’s passive bed bug monitor is a harborage for bed bugs in the bed itself (attached to the bed base or onto a bed slat, depending on the type of bed). Bed bugs are not forced to remain in the monitor, however.

Neither of these items is going to trap all of your bed bugs or remove them from your home; they are just monitoring devices. But monitoring devices are very valuable where bed bugs are concerned, and both of these tools allow pest professionals and clients can work together to monitor whether bed bugs are present in a space.

We are most excited to see these tools being developed. Bed bugs are a most elusive enemy, and we need all the help we can get in determining they are present.Similar Posts:

WNYC on the EPA National Bed Bug Summit, which starts tomorrow

nobugsonme — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:21:45 +0000

WNYC reports on the EPA National Bed Bug Summit which is happening tomorrow and Wednesday in Arlington, Va.

WNYC’s Fred Mogul interviewed New York City Assistant Health Commissioner Dan Kass:

KASS: There are folks who have done a tremendous amount of study, about the kinds of products and practices that work well, there are other jurisdictions that may have some ideas about how to encourage property owners to act quickly. We’d like to hear some of those.

Kass says he wants to see what regulations other states have to police over-the-counter pesticides – many of which he says are dangerous and ineffective.

The city health department for years said bedbugs were not a public health problem, because they are a nuisance but do not transmit disease. Kass says his agency now is committed to assessing the problem thoroughly and helping property-owners, tenants and exterminators work together more effectively.

See: WNYC – News – Conference to Address Bedbugs.

I’m really glad Dan Kass is enthusiastic about the EPA Summit.

We really need housing and health officials to learn as much as they can from entomologists who study bed bugs, and can speak to various issues around their control and spread.

We also need public officials to share their experiences and learn from the experiences — both good and bad — of their counterparts in other locations.

You can get all the information on the EPA Summit from this post at New York vs. Bed Bugs.

I look forward to hearing about the EPA National Bed Bug Summit, which I unfortunately cannot attend due to work commitments. Perhaps some of our regulars would report back to us about the event.Similar Posts:

Soundbites from the EPA National Bed Bug Summit