New Jersey pest control experts have been treating bed bug infestations in homes and businesses in great numbers since the resurgence of the blood thirsty pests.  For businesses, having bed bugs creeping about is more than just an icky occurrence.  NJ pest control professionals say that reports of bed bugs, either real or false, can drive customers away in droves.  With today’s heightened public awareness of the threat of bringing bed bugs home, even the sighting of one bed bug at a business, can tarnish a company’s image and affect profit margins.  How a business reacts to the accusation of bed bugs is paramount to their ultimate survival through the ordeal as well.

The Dayton Daily News reported on July 7, 2011, that a lawsuit has been filed against a nationwide furniture rental company with a store location in Dayton, Ohio.  In the lawsuit, three Ohio roommates claim that they received furniture from the rental company that was infested with bed bugs.  The trio claims that they developed red bumps from the bed bug bites immediately after the arrival of the furniture and that they had to dispose of many of their personal possessions because of the bloodsuckers.  They are seeking compensation for the extermination cost, their loss of possessions, and emotional distress.

According to reports by the Dayton Daily News, a spokesperson for the rental company said that the company has policies to guard against bed bugs.  Additionally, reports are that the spokesperson said “even when furniture becomes infested with bedbugs, it is often difficult to determine the source.  A child returning from day care or an adult returning from a trip are capable of transporting the insects.”

You may read the article here.

Bed bugs can be transported via a wide variety of ways for certain.  They are masters at hitchhiking and they can be found wherever a human host can be found.  Used furniture is also known to be a hotbed for bed bug activity.  The cracks and crevices in wood furniture provide amble hiding spots for the slim stature of the elusive bed bug and their eggs.  Cloth covered couches, chairs, mattresses, box springs, and the like also provide excellent places for bed bugs to lurk.

It will be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out in the court system in the months to follow.