Continuing from Monday…

I took note of the fact that the hotel did not use a Climbup Insect Interceptor or a Mattress Encasement, both of which could help protect customers from bed bugs.

It was then time to tackle the bed.  It was a beautiful pillow top bed, covered in a white goose down comforter and white sheets.  I flipped all of the bedding to the center of the bed and began my inspection.  I quickly realized that I was in trouble…there was a suspicious pile of black pepper like debris sandwiched in between the pillow top layers near the foot of the bed.

Despite what I saw, and all that I know about bed bugs, I was in denial about the fact that I was likely looking at a pile of bed bug excrement.  I took a piece of cardboard advertisement from the room and folded it up like a box and began to gather the pieces of my find with tweezers.  Still in denial, I tried to convince myself that what I was picking up was some sort of crumbs…only how could they have gotten under the sheet in between the pillow top?  Logic prevailed and I continued my search in hopes of finding an actual bed bug to confront the hotel management with.  It did not take long for me to unearth several bed bugs, in several different stages of their life cycle.  The bugs clearly had a face and legs.  One was dead, several were alive.  I folded up my evidence, gathered my belongings, and quickly exited the once pristine room.

On the way to the lobby a nice lady in a suit entered the elevator.  She asked me if I was leaving the hotel.  I said “no, I just arrived”.  Just then the doors opened and more people boarded the elevator.  She looked at me with a confused look and asked “Is there a problem with your room?” I told her “Yes, but you might want to speak to me in private.”  We silently rode to the bottom and she asked if I could follow her to a private location.  It was then that I told her that I worked in the pest control industry.  I also told her that I am a writer.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.

Countries all over the world have bed bug infestations. Some of the major reasons are international travel, changes in pest management procedures, immigration and pesticide resistance.

A large number of bed bug infestations have been reported to government officials in New York City but the actual number of infestations is much higher since a lot of New York City residents don’t file a complaint with the government.

Once the little critters find a home in an apartment unit they can easily invade neighboring units. A lot of people have bed bugs but they don’t realize it because they don’t get a skin reaction to the bites. This can be a big problem in apartment buildings since people that don’t get a skin reaction don’t complain about bed bugs to the apartment manager which gives ample time for the bed bugs to invade other units. Also some people believe they have mosquito bites when they are actually bed bug bites.

Bed bug monitors are an important part of a comprehensive bed bug prevention plan.

A pest extermination company located in Manhattan claimed that the commercial market for bed bug treatments is growing three times faster than the residential market. Yes indeed, bed bugs are invading hotels, banks, hospitals, offices and perhaps even haberdashery shops at a fast pace. Restaurants are also having bed bug infestations. Retail shops are also having problems with the odious insects. They seem to be everywhere.

What can people do in their battle against the horrible bed bugs? Well, don’t put used furniture in your residence, especially the furniture dumped along roads. People dump the furniture not because they find it boring but often because it is infested with bed bugs.

Bed bug monitors are very effective at providing early detection that the little critters have invaded your residence. If you think you have a bed bug infestation hire the services of a bed bug pest control company that provides the services of highly trained bed bud detection dogs. They are superior to humans at finding bed bugs.

Often people living in New York City and New Jersey and other locations blame bed bugs or other insects when they get itchy. However, there are other potential causes of itchiness other than insects. Allergies, medications, cosmetics and environmental contaminants can cause reactions similar to insect bites.

People living in New Jersey and New York City and other places need to investigate other sources of itching and not just insects. However, if a woman witnesses a mosquito biting her arm and the specific area of the attack because red and itchy perhaps and extensive investigation of her cosmetics can be avoided.

The publication produced by Michael F. Potter, Professor of Entomology at the University of Kentucky, titled Invisible Itches: Insect and Non-Insect Causes is a an excellent comprehensive text on the subject of invisible itching. The text includes useful information on topics including sources of irritation, obscure biting arthropods, environmental factors, household products, health-related conditions and finding a solution.

By the way, if you want to avoid itching sensations due to the odious bed bugs, consider placing bed bug monitors in your residence.

Residents of New York City and New Jersey and other places may be interested to know that scientists have been analyzing bed bug saliva protein. Sounds exciting! Well the saliva proteins are the reason why bed bugs can suck blood out of their human victims and be able to escape and not get smashed by their human blood meal. The findings of scientists may have medical applications in diagnosing bed bug bites as well as preventing itching.

The proteins in the saliva of these blood sucking insects make the blood vessels of their victims dilate which creates a better blood flow, inhibit clotting and also prevents people from immediately feeling pain and itching that could wake up the human blood meal. The human would probably crush the odious bed bugs.

Some scientists believe that the proteins contained in bed bug saliva may be utilized for immune detection of humans and animals to bed bug exposure or as part of desensitization vaccines.

Bed bug monitors are an important part of a comprehensive bed bug prevention plan.

It’s important for anyone who applies pesticides to be licensed by the state that they are working in so that officials can make certain that the proper chemicals are used at all times, in the correct scenarios that they are intended for.  When used improperly, people are at risk of becoming ill, and in some instances, even death can occur from over-exposure to poisonous chemicals.

A Massachusetts man, who was running a pest control company, was recently arrested by federal authorities for using agricultural chemicals for bed bug infestation treatments.  As you all know, bed bugs are found on the inside of homes and business establishments; and this is where the man is accused of spraying the toxic chemicals.  People who have experienced his lack of expertise say that he did a poor extermination job when he visited their homes.  Not only did he leave an apartment uninhabitable due to over-spaying, he also sprayed a baby’s crib with the potentially harmful chemicals that he used!

Upon further discovery of Josimar Ferreira’s alleged crime, federal authorities have also announced that he has not been able to pass the certification test to even be in the pest control industry.  Ferreira, is a Brazilian national and is not in America legally.

Please check back on Tuesday for the conclusion.

Continuing from Thursday…

The trouble is that disinfecting a building will not get rid of bed bugs as an infestation is not caused by being unclean.  Even the cleanest five star hotels have been subjected to bed bug infestations.  The metal bunk beds could be a good solution, but since bed bugs are good at hiding, any crack, crevice, or even a screw hole is an invitation for bed bugs to await their next blood meal…the residents.  Bug bombs are not good to use on bed bug infestations.  Instead of killing off the pests, these stubborn blood suckers tend to scatter to surrounding rooms when bug bombs are used, thereby spreading the infestation faster.

Additionally, the Salvation Army is hoping that the heat that is generated in the box truck will be high enough to kill off the existing bed bugs that are infesting the bunk beds.  According to their spokesperson, the beds are due to be donated at a later date once the bugs are dead.

Because the resident’s belongings were not treated, there will likely be more bed bugs at the facility.  Bed bug monitors, bed bug sniffing dogs, and Cryonite are super effective in the war against bed bugs!

There is quite a bit of interesting information floating around the internet about how to properly treat a bed bug infestation.  Some people follow bad advice and end up spending time and money treating the problem only to have them return with a vengeance.  It’s important that you have a good pest control specialist on your side who knows exactly how to properly treat bed bugs!

The Salvation Army shelter in Fayetteville, North Carolina has been battling bed bugs for more than a year.  This past weekend, 25 volunteers stepped in to help the agency scrub the walls with bleach, buff the floors and haul away thirty wooden bunk bed that were infested with the blood suckers.

Reports are that the facility started their day off by setting of “bug bombs” prior to the cleaning and taking all of the infected beds to an awaiting box truck outside.  The agency reported that the beds were replaced with metal bunk beds so bed bugs could not “burrow into the wood”. The old mattresses were replaced with hypoallergenic ones that are wrapped in thick plastic.

Only some of their efforts sound like a good plan.

Please check back on Tuesday for the conclusion.

I always find stories involving bed bug lawsuits to be interesting.  Most people who sue because of bed bugs do so when they have been attacked by them in a hotel/motel room.  Sometimes I find a lawsuit where tenants are suing landlords.  On occasion I find where workers are suing their employers because they are being bitten while trying to perform their daily tasks.  The stories all fascinate and terrify me at the same time!

It’s recently been reported that the Dubuque, Iowa MainStay Suites Hotel is being sued by a woman who claims to have been attacked by bed bugs.  The lawsuit states that she rented a room at various times during July and August of 2009.   My question is, if she was attacked by bed bugs during July, why would she return to the same hotel in August?

Bed bugs are a menacing pest for certain and hotels would be wise to stay ahead of these blood suckers by using bed bug monitors and bed bug sniffing dogs to avoid lawsuits!

The New York City bed bug disclosure bill currently under consideration in the New York Senate has been amended. The original bill required landlords to provide disclosure of a building’s bed bug history going back five years to prospective tenants. However, this bill may not be fair to landlords since a bed bug infestation could of happened four years ago and eliminated four years ago, yet the former infestation could make prospective tenants go elsewhere.

An amendment to the bill states that an owner of the building has to provide each tenant signing a vacancy lease, a notice in a form approved by the state division of housing and community renewal that provides the property’s bed bug infestation history for the previous year regarding the premises rented by the tenant as well as the building that the premises are located in. So now they have to provide history for the entire building.

Landlords everywhere, including in New Jersey should give tenants bed bug monitors in order to get early detection of a bed bug infestation.