If bed bugs are found, treatment must be completed to the unit and all of the surrounding units as well.  PHAs may offer special services to tenants such as inspecting furniture, non-chemical treatment of furniture prior to moving into a unit, the use of bed bug detection devices or mattress encasements, but tenants are not required to use the services.  All special services must be incurred at the expense of the PHA.

Public Housing Agencies cannot deny residency to tenants who have had previous bed bug experiences.  Preferential treatment may not be provided to tenants based upon their response to the question regarding exposure to bed bugs.  Any person who lives in a HUD owned Public Housing Unit cannot be charged for bed bug eradication services.  All costs for bed bug eradication must be covered by the PHA.

Recognizing that tenants have some responsibility in controlling bed bugs, tenants must also take an active role in avoiding and eliminating the pests.

In the regulation, “tenants are strongly encouraged to immediately report the suspicion of possible bed bugs in a housing unit or other areas of the property.”  This should be a REQUIREMENT, not an encouragement!  Bed bugs spread very quickly.  It is imperative that pest control professionals be called at the first sign of a bed bug infestation.

Tenants will not be reimbursed for bed bug infested items so it is important for them to cooperate and aid in the eradication process.  When bed bugs are concerned, tenants, PHAs and pest control professionals must all work together for full eradication.

Public Housing Agencies and Pest Control Professionals are encouraged to keep abreast of the new HUD guidelines by reading Notice: PIH-2012-17 provided by HUD.

It has been recommended that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plans be implemented to help control bed bugs as well as other types of household pests and HUD is strongly encouraging Pubic Housing Agencies (PHAs) to incorporate a good IPM plan.  According to HUD, the procedures include:

“Raising awareness through education on the prevention of bed bugs.

Inspecting infested area, plus surrounding living spaces.

Checking for bed bugs in luggage and clothes when returning home from a trip.

Looking for bed bugs or signs of an infestation on secondhand items before bringing the items home.

Correctly identifying the pest. Keeping records indicating dates and locations where pests are found.

Cleaning all items within a bed bug infested living area.

Reducing clutter where bed bugs can hide.

Eliminating bed bug habitats.

Physically removing bed bugs through cleaning.

Using pesticides carefully according to the label directions.

Following up on inspections and possible treatments.”

In the new guidelines, PHA must respond to complaints of bed bugs within 24 hours and discuss what measures will be taken to get rid of the pests with tenants.  Inspection of the unit in question, as well as the units above, below, and on the sides must also be performed within three business days.  If bed bugs are not found, re-inspection must be completed periodically over the next several months.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln recently underwent a massive bed bug infestation problem in many of their student dorm facilities.  It has been reported that they spent over $300,000 ridding the campus of the bloodsucking pests by utilizing several bed bug sniffing dogs and heat treatment.  Not wanting to have bed bugs plague the facilities again, the University bought eight PackTite units that will be used to treat luggage, backpacks, and other small items that are brought in by students who have gone home for weekends and holidays as well as incoming students.

The PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber is an invaluable tool in helping curtail bed bug infestations.  Hotels will benefit from having a unit on site.  If a guest happens to find bed bugs in their room, the hotel can kill any bed bugs that have hitched a ride in their luggage or personal belongings in a matter of hours, causing minimal disruption to the guest.  The PackTite Closet is a perfect solution for hotels as its larger size allows for more air and heat circulation.  Any bed bugs or their eggs will not stand a chance in this unit when the temperature reaches 120 to 140 degrees.  It has been proven to kill all bed bugs, in all life stages, in just two hours!

You can find both the large and small size PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber at Stern Environmental Group.

Bed bugs are masters at hitchhiking from place to place on any person that they encounter.  Because of their tiny size and elusive behavior, they can and will hide anyplace that they have hitchhiked to.  It would not be uncommon to find bed bugs lurking within the confines of the sheets, blankets, or pillows on a bed.  It would also not be uncommon to find these bloodsuckers hiding among clothing in drawers, closets, and laundry baskets.

One of the dilemmas that bed bug exterminators and consumers face when bed bugs are present is what should be done with fabric items (ie…clothing and bedding etc.) that are crawling with bed bugs.  Dr. Mike Merchant, author of “Insects in the City” at Texas A & M AgriLIFE Extension shared important information about research that was conducted by two scientists at the University of Sheffield in England.  Their research about how to kill bed bugs and their eggs via laundering will help both consumers and bed bug exterminators stop bed bugs from spreading so that they won’t be moved from place to place via fabric items at the onset of the eradication procedure.

Please check back on Wednesday for Part 2.

• If a unit is suspected to have bed bugs, but no bugs are found, O/As should continue to re-inspect the unit/s for several months.

• When bed bugs are found in a unit, that unit, as well as the units surrounding it, must receive treatment for the pests.  Treatment can be in the form of heat, freezing, using mattress encasements, vacuuming, steaming, and interception devices.

• O/As may ask for financial help from HUD to treat bed bug infestations in a dwelling.  O/A’s should submit a request via the “Reserve for Replacement” or “Residual Receipts” accounts at HUD.

• O/A’s can help keep the incidents of bed bug infestations low by offering tenants bed bug mattress covers, monitoring devices, or other detection tools.  The O/As may not charge a tenant for the use of any of these products.

• To protect the building, O/As may voluntarily offer to inspect a tenant’s furniture before they move in and inspections of luggage when a tenant returns from a trip out-of- town, and inspection of any used furniture before it is brought into a building. The O/As may not charge a tenant nor can they require a tenant to be subjected to any of these services.

• Tenants that have had a bed bug problem at a previous residence cannot be denied residency based upon that history.

• The cost of bed bug eradication cannot be passed along to the tenant.  The O/As must incur the costs associated with the bed bug infestation or ask for financial assistance from the “Reserve for Replacement” or “Residual Receipts” accounts at HUD if necessary.

• Tenants should immediately report any bed bug sightings to the O/As so that treatment can commence before the infestation spreads throughout the building.

• Tenants should expect the O/As to perform treatment within 5 days of calling to report the bloodsuckers.  If not possible, tenants should be kept aware of when the pest control professional will provide treatment.

• Tenants must cooperate with all bed bug treatment efforts and OA’s can offer assistance free of charge if needed.

Bed bug sniffing dogs undergo months of training prior to an additional two week training course with their handlers.  Trained dogs are able to detect a single bed bug or egg within a home with a 96 percent accuracy rate.  Additionally, bed bug sniffer dogs can inspect a room in minutes whereas humans take hours to visually inspect a room.

Working dogs are not uncommon resources for humans to use.  Scent detection dogs have been trained to locate drugs, firearms, cadavers, bombs, fugitives, mold, cancer, termites, currency, and cell phones that have been smuggled into prisons.  There are even sniffer dogs that will detect bumblebee nests and Quagga Mussels in California that destroy boats.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) has been battling a large infestation of bed bugs since the students returned back from winter break according to reports by the NECN.com on February 1, 2012.  The tenacious bugs have continued to plague the students making a successful treatment of the facilities impossible.  The university brought in a sniffer dog to find the exact locations of the bugs.  The university has decided to bring in 2 other bed bug sniffing dogs from Minneapolis because there is only one sniffer dog that is certified in the state of Nebraska.  Additional dogs will help ensure that the entire campus is bed bug free in a faster amount of time.  You may read the article here.

Hiring a bed bug sniffing dog to search for bed bugs in your home or business will help pin-point the exact location of the troublesome infestation so that pest control professionals will be able to provide services to eradicate the bloodsuckers quickly.  For bed bug removal services in New York or New Jersey, contact Stern Environmental Group.

Pest control professionals that use an Integrated Pest Management approach to pest management problems can achieve success controlling all pest issues.

HudsonReporter.com reported on February 4, 2012 that Clarendon Elementary in Secaucus, New Jersey found bed bugs in a classroom.  It is believed that a student transported the bed bugs in from the home environment.  The school district immediately contacted Stern Environmental Group, which is their pesticide control manager.

Out of concern for the well-being of the children and staff, Stern Environmental Group was proactive in their treatment of the building, yet did not use any pesticides that could be harmful to those who entered the building.  Stern used the Cryonite system, which uses rapid freezing to kill bed bugs and other insects in all life stages.  Cryonite uses liquid C02 to kill bed bugs and is perfect for use in schools because it is non-toxic, there is no risk of contamination, and there is no risk of bed bugs becoming resistant to it.  Stern Environmental Group also used 145 degree heat to bake bed bugs to death.  These two integrated systems proved to work for the Secaucus school as no bed bugs have since been found by the pest control professional, the health inspector, or the bed bug sniffing dog.  You may read the article here.

SiouxCityJournal.com reported on February 1, 2012 that University officials have said that they have spent $20,000 trying to kill the bed bugs since January 9, 2012.  Because of the widespread infestation on the campus, officials are anticipating eradication costs to elevate upwards to $100,000!  Bed bugs have been found in closets, couches, lobby areas, and 25 dorm rooms in three different buildings.  Reports are that the University has purchased eight thermal pouches that will heat smaller items to kill the bed bugs and has bought a carbon dioxide machine to freeze the bloodsuckers as well.  In addition, the University has decided to use heat treatment to bake the bed bugs in the infested rooms. You may read the article here.

A bed bug sniffing dog has been brought in to help identify the exact location of the bed bugs in the housing units.  Bed bug sniffing dogs are extremely accurate at detecting adult, nymphs, and bed bug eggs.  They are even able to alert when bed bug skins are found.  A door-to-door bed bug search is now underway at the campus and the University has vowed to continue working until all bugs are killed.  The University is considering bringing in additional sniffer dogs from Minneapolis to help with this ongoing campus crisis.

Bed bug infestations can be overcome, but it will be a difficult task that requires the expertise of a licensed pest control professional.  Stern Environmental Group provides excellent bed bug eradication services in New York and New Jersey.

The new survey from the NPMA reveals that 99% of the pest control professionals that were surveyed confirmed that they have treated bed bug infestations during the past 12 months.  Of those who responded, 73% believe that bed bugs are they most difficult pest to treat.  Infestations are occurring in homes as well as public arenas such as college dorms, hotels, schools, retail stores, day care centers hospitals, movie theaters, airplanes, taxis, buses, and apartment buildings.

Nationwide, the increase in reports of bed bug infestations is staggering in comparison to information collected just one year prior.  According to the NPMA, examples of bed bugs increasing include:

• College dorms:  Current: 54% – Previous 35%
• Hotels/Motels:  Current:  80% – Previous 67%
• Nursing Homes:  Current:  46% – Previous 25%
• Office Buildings:  Current:  38% – Previous 18%
• Schools/Day Care Centers:  Current:  36% – Previous 10%
• Hospitals:  Current:  31% – Previous 12%
• Transportation (train, bus, taxi):  Current: 18% – Previous 9%
• Movie Theaters:  Current:  17% – Previous 5%

You may read these and more bed bug statistics from the National Pest Management here.

A NYC pest control expert like Stern Environmental Group can help you pin-point the exact location of your bed bug infestation problem.  We have multiple treatment options available and state-of-the art equipment to kill bloodsucking bed bugs with the greatest of ease.

Many libraries in the United States and Canada have suffered from bed bug infestations.  Libraries are particularly susceptible to bed bugs because people often read books in their bed and place the book on the bed, nightstand, dresser or other nearby furniture piece.  If a home has an ongoing bed bug infestation, it is very easy for tiny bed bugs to crawl into the book binding area or between the pages of the books.  These books are then transported back to the library where they have infested books, pictures, tables, chairs, and upholstered furniture.  Additionally, females could easily lay eggs within the book that would not be detected by untrained personnel.  Those eggs would have the opportunity to be delivered back to the library, hatch, and then venture out to bite other library patrons, or even hitch a ride home with another host thereby spreading the infestation.

A Library System in Canada, which shares books and other materials among 18 libraries, spent several months battling bed bugs that were inadvertently transported from one library location to several other library locations.  In an effort to avoid that bed bug nightmare from occurring again, they have decided to use the NightWatch Bed Bug Monitor reported The Globe and Mail on December 12, 2011.  The monitors/traps will be used in the trucks that transport library books and materials between the different libraries within the system, but are not designed to work in a space as large as the libraries.  In addition to using the NightWatch Bed Bug Monitor, bed bug sniffing dogs will be called to root out the bloodsuckers if there are any bed bugs that the NightWatch captures.

Stern Environmental Group offers the NightWatch Bed Bug Monitor in our online Marketplace as well as many other fantastic bed bug products for both home and business owners.