Ekko is the name of a Parson Russell terrier that has been trained to find odious bed bugs. His owner/trainer keeps bed bugs in small vials in his house so Ekko can practice finding hidden bed bugs. His owner, Andrew Farago stated that “Ekko smells bedbugs. Everything has an odor and if it has an odor you can teach the dog to find it.”

Farago stated he allows the training bed bugs to suck blood out of his arm every couple of weeks to keep them alive. The world is full of high technology but it only takes seconds for the bed bug detection dog, Ekko to find bedbugs.

Most residents of New York City realize it’s very difficult to find bed bugs. New York City bed bugs can hide almost anywhere. Properly trained New Jersey and New York City bed bug detection dogs are in high demand from homeowners and hotel owners. Finding all the bed bug hiding locations is very important before using a bed bug exterminating procedure.

Yes, bed bugs are a significant problem in New Jersey and New York City but they are also a problem in the state of Ohio. The state of Ohio is requesting that the Federal government allow the usage of an industrial pesticide in homes in order to kill the odious bed bugs. Just in Franklin County, Ohio about 70 percent of the hotels have had bed bug infestations. No, they didn’t relocate bed bug infested New York City hotels to Ohio.

The Ohio Department of Agriculture is asking for an emergency exemption in order to use Propoxur which is utilized in commercial buildings and in flea collars for pets. Propoxur was very effective in killing bed bugs in tests performed at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Pollack, a public health entomologist at Harvard University stated that “If used wisely and against the right kind of pest I think it will probably offer far more benefit than risk.”

If you think you might have bed bugs in New Jersey or New York City, trained bed bug detection dogs are great at finding the horrible insects.

It’s that time of year again.  Thanksgiving is here and with such, people are on the move around the entire United States.  Traveling by car, train, bus, airplane, and horse and buggy…okay, maybe not horse and buggy, unless you live in Amish country that is.  The point is; everyone is on the move, which means that we will absolutely see an increase of the little blood sucking creatures that are already bugging the daylights out of so many.

Bed bugs are waiting for you on your Thanksgiving getaway! It’s no secret that bed bugs have made a huge comeback throughout the US. One exterminator reported today in a survey that 100 percent of hotels in a particular county in Ohio have bed bugs!  That can really put a damper on your holiday festivities!

So what do you do to protect yourself? No matter if you are staying in a hotel or Aunt Molly’s house, you should look for signs of bed bug infestations.  Check the mattresses and sheets for blood splatters and fecal spots.  Bed bugs are elusive creatures that hide in small crevices.  They like headboards, bed frames, pictures, phones, baseboards, peeling wallpaper, outlets, and dresser drawers, etc.  They will hitchhike home with you in anything. Luggage, purses, backpacks, computers, and clothing are all easy hiding places for these pests.

If you are unfortunate enough to encounter bed bugs and live in New York or New Jersey, contact a pest control expert who knows how to get rid of the buggers immediately.  Bed bugs multiply quickly so early treatment is key to their quick demise!

New York City had 8,830 bed bug complaints in 2008 which was almost five times as many as 2005. Experts claim that all but eight complaints were made by one person. Nah, actually experts believe a larger number of New York City residents experienced bed bug attacks but failed to make an official complaint.

Bed bugs infestations are also a serious problem in New Jersey and cities and states all over the nation. Some New York residents and visitors don’t realize that bedbugs have sucked blood out of them while they were sleeping because a large number of people don’t show a skin reaction to the bites. Without people complaining about the odious bed bugs they have plenty of time to crawl through cracks in the walls and invade other apartments or hotels rooms. New Jersey and New York City residents and visitors might be better off if bed bugs were as big as adult sea turtles.

If you think you might have bed bugs in New Jersey or New York City hire a bed bug detection dog to help you.

Access-A-Ride workers are steaming mad, and they have every right to be!  They have been enduring an unimaginable nightmare since the summer of 2008, and it is only now that officials at the New York City Transit offices are paying any mind to the trouble.  The workers been greeted each day by blood sucking bed bugs and have still been required to provide services for Access-A-Ride customers.

Last week dozens of employees took their grievances to the streets and rallied outside the office building in Long Island City.  Their demands are quite simple really…they want the building fumigated so that they don’t have to spend the day having their blood sucked!  Quite frankly, it’s bad enough when you have bed bugs at home and they sneak into your bed at night to suck your blood.  I can only imagine the horror of being awake and on the phone with a customer as you watch a bed bug travel across your desk ready to feast on a big ole’ chuck of skin.  YUCK!

One employee complains that she took bed bugs home with her to her apartment in the Bronx.  She was lucky; her landlord paid the fumigation bill.  He did not pay to have the bedroom and living room furniture that had to be discarded replaced though.  Access-A-Ride would not pay either, even though they know that the bed bugs came from their place of business.

Nobody should have to work under these circumstances.  It’s shameful!

If you are experiencing a bed bug infestation, call in a pest control expert who knows how to kill the buggers once and for all.  Stern Environmental Group has a huge arsenal of products and services that are proven to work to get rid of bed bugs.

Bed bugs are a serious problem in New Jersey, New York City and all over the nation. Some experts suggest that a stronger effort to get rid of the odious bed bugs needs to happen all over the nation. Laws and regulations need to be updated and a plan which offers a coordinated response would be very beneficial.

Let’s say something outrageously amazing happens and all the New York City bed bugs have simply vanished. All the bed bug detection dogs concur even the Beagles. Euphoria would occur in New York City. However, if a small town in Montana, that shall go unnamed, does not have a smart bed bug plan or strong bed bug laws and regulations then a family from this Montana town could visit New York City and accidentally bring some bed bugs with them. Soon the bed bugs problem happens all over again in New York City.

If you live in New Jersey or New York City and you think you have bed bugs let a New Jersey, New York City bed bugs pest control professional get rid of the insects.

Dead rat we found while on our rat safari.

Rats  are not only considered a nuisance because they are messy and leave disgusting droppings everywhere they go. They feast of the waste that we humans leave behind.  They multiply at lightning fast speed and a small infestation can turn into a major head-ache before you know it.

Rats also harbor diseases that are dangerous to humans.  People have been known to become extremely ill and even die just by cleaning up rat droppings, urine or encountering rat saliva.  The rat droppings disintegrate into dust very quickly and are easily breathed in or ingested by humans, which will then cause Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).  Because of this, it is always wise to hire a pest control expert who is trained in the removal of rats and their droppings.

Stern Environmental Group provides expert rat services to the commercial and hospitality industry.  Our services include: Pro-Active Rat, Mouse, and Rodent Prevention Treatment, Rodent Extermination Treatment, Baits, Traps, and Poison Treatments in Safety Containers, and Quick Rodent Eradication Services.  We can also treat for cockroaches, ants, spiders, bed bugs, and other insect pests. 

Protect your reputation; give Stern Environmental Group a call today!

Rat infested alley in New York City.

Continuing on with our rat safari story…

To begin their rat expedition, the men met at 6:30 p.m. at the fountain at City Hall Park, across from City Hall in Lower Manhattan.  Their first stop to observe the rats was Theatre Alley, which is directly behind J&R Music World. Ushering Douglas to his favorite rat viewing spot at the Starbucks window seat across the street; they sipped a Latte and enjoyed the view as they watched the rats scurry to and fro in Theatre Alley.  The men then walked through the alley watching the rats tear through black trash bags and climb in and out of trash bins while noshing on their nightly feast of discarded garbage.  The two gentlemen then traveled to Collect Pond Park & Columbus Park to view the destructive nature of the rats on the vegetation.  There you could see big rats with long white whiskers that were big enough to put saddles on.  Oblivious to the presence of seasoned rat killers in their midst, the rats continued on their nightly quest of food foraging and destruction.

After his New York City rat safari, Douglas Stern said “Going on this safari with Bobby really brought the book alive to me.  I was able to walk the very alley’s that Robert Sullivan, Bobby Corrigan and countless others had spent so much time studying the rats in.”

I think both men will agree that they were grateful that no rats chose to run across their feet while they were on their rat safari!  In all actuality, the rats should be grateful because they would not likely have survived such an attempt!

Bobby Corrigan looking in a sewer for rats.

Some people take a safari to Africa for fun.  If you are in the pest control business, you might consider another type of safari to be just as fun.  A few years ago Douglas Stern read a fascinating book called “Rats” Observations on the History & Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants by Robert Sullivan.   In the book, the author visited Theatre and Eden Alley in New York City to study the infamous rats that continue to plague the City.

Douglas Stern was joined by New York City rat expert Bobby Corrigan on their own rat expedition on November 11, 2009.

Bobby Corrigan is a virtual superstar when it comes to rat knowledge and behavior.   When New York City Mayor Bloomberg had the unpleasant experience of having a wayward rat run across his foot several years ago, Booby Corrigan was called in to the rescue.  Mayor Bloomberg’s rat encounter brought the plight that New Yorkers face daily in regards to rat’s major attention.  Bobby now works at the New York City Heath Department where he inspects every building in Lower Manhattan.  In his inspections, he marks down where any openings might be in building foundations or gaps in the doors of all of the buildings where rats could use as an entry point.  Information is then put into a database that can be searched upon as needed.

Please check back on Thursday for the conclusion to our rat safari story.

Rat feasting in garbage dumpster.

New York City has very specific rules and regulations when it comes to the disposal of trash.  Besides being unsightly, trash is one of the ways that the rats in New York City have been able to successfully live and breed with such great ease.  If you take a look down any street or alleyway during the night, you will find rats helping themselves to trash at businesses and residences where the strict rules of the City are not being followed.

Douglas Stern and Bobby Corrigan recently took a trip into NYC to observe the rats in their comfort zones.  Take a look at the picture in this post.  In it you will see a NYC rat enjoying his nightly adventures among a pile of black trash bags that are ready for the sanitation departments pick up.  Without effort, this rat will tear through these bags and enjoy a feast that I am sure he will tell all of his rat friends about.

All NYC trash must be placed into leak-proof receptacles with tightly fitting lids.  This rule applies to all dumpsters as well.  Heavy duty black or brown trash bags are allowed to be used however, which clearly is no match for the powerful teeth of a rat. Despite the rules, regulations and fines that are enforced in NYC, many residents and business owners do not adhere to the guidelines and the rat population continues to rise.

Rats are not only a nuisance, they can carry dangerous diseases.  If you are experiencing a rat infestation in New York or New Jersey, contact a pest control specialist who knows how to get rid of the creatures.

Make sure to come back tomorrow as we chronicle Douglas Stern’s rat safari with New York City rat Czar Bobby Corrigan.