Looking for a good PCO in NYC. « Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums

Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Bed bug pest control firms (PCOs), Bed bug k9s, etc.

Looking for a good PCO in NYC.

(3 posts)

clair de lune

newbite
Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 1

Posted 3 months ago
Sun Aug 2 2009 17:01:52
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Hi,

I've been living in my studio apartment in Soho for a little less than a year and have suffered through a mouse infestation, plumbing problems and now beg bugs. Now this is not a complaint about my landlord as they have been prompt in dealing with the first two problems but bed bugs seem much tougher to get rid of. I don't even know how these pests got here because I've only been noticing an abnormal amount of bites pretty recently (2-3 months ago); since I am prone to being bitten by mosquitoes I just assumed it was that until I saw a bug on the mattress. I inspected the sheets and found little black spots and when I lifted the mattress I saw another bug which I smacked and then flushed down the toilet.

Anyway I am extremely miserable and paranoid right now and pretty much stay up until 6am at times because I really don't want to go to bed in my apartment... So I'm asking you to please recommend a PCO who is able to get rid of these things. My studio is VERY small and there's really nothing here except a bed (just a mattress actually...), a desk and a computer. I am a poor student so I would really like if I didn't have to spend a fortune but if it gets these things out of my life forever, I guess I'd be willing to pay whatever the cost. Thank you for reading.
sisterfaith

junior member
Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 48

Posted 3 months ago
Sun Aug 2 2009 17:34:53
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hi Clair,

Have you asked your landlord to get one?
My landlord got one, and I had to use them or pay on my own.

I just spent the last week bagging up my apartment...I have a LOT of stuff.
The PCO (exterminator here in Brooklyn) came on Friday (2 days ago).
So that I could sleep, and not get bitten until they sprayed, I vacuumed and washed my wood floor with Murphy's Oil Soap (diluted) every night. I pulled my bed apart and wiped it down with Murphy's and also with 91% alchohol every night. I put stainless steel bowls with murphy's under my metal bed frame legs. For some reason...maybe all the stuff I was doing...I wasn't bitten from when I started this process...up to today. That's 10 days.

Since I'm still going through the process I can't recommend my guy yet. I do have a name to pass on...if nobody else responds to your note. I'll check back later and see.

It's a lot of uphill, but there IS a light at the end. I wish the best of luck.
cmk4868

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Joined: Jul '09
Posts: 26

Posted 3 months ago
Mon Aug 3 2009 13:27:24
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CDL ---

Discuss with your landlord and see if they have a preferred exterminator, preferably one with BB experience. (The same guys that put roach bait out for the bldng every month may or may not be any good with bedbugs.) If the landlord does not have a preferred vendor, do some research here and educate your landlord with some good options.

I am in the middle of treatment now with my landlord's PCO of choice, a big company that advertises extensively in the NYC area. I don't want to comment on them yet until I see how things work out, but they are expensive so you (and landlord) probably do not want to go that route.

Basically for effective BB tx, you need an "Ahab" figure, a small "artisanal" PCO who is very experienced with BBs, knows exactly where to look to find them, and who will use a steamer with patience over the course of a couple of hours to kill all the bugs and eggs. You also want to avoid "green" extermination methods as pesticide deployment backed with a reliable "instant kill" method like steaming is the quickest and most effective way to eliminate BBs. A lot of local NYC companies try to talk up their "chemical free" methods of getting rid of bugs, but NYC bedbugs are among the toughest in the world, and therefore you need the most powerful weapons you can find to deal with them, preferably in a multi-tiered approach.

As I said, I cannot give you direct recommendations at this time, as I have only used the PCO chosen by my landlord, but others can give you second-party referrals. (Or you can check the forum archives on the NYC area PCO topic...)