New Jersey pest control experts agree that developing bed bug legislations throughout the United States is a good idea.  Assigning responsibility and explaining expectations will eliminate confusion, and potentially lawsuits, when a bed bug infestation is discovered.  It’s important for lawmakers to be mindful of the fairness to all people when creating bed bug legislation.

In an effort to provide statutory framework to guide renters, landlords and the court system in how bed bugs should be dealt with, North Carolina lawmakers have recently proposed the “Landlord/Tenant/Bedbug Liability Act.

The proposed details of North Carolina’s House Bill 721 are as follows…

The landlord cannot offer for lease any rental property that the landlord knows is infested with bed bugs.  “The landlord may, prior to leasing the premises, obtain a certificate from a licensed pest control company certifying that the premises are free of an infestation of bed bugs, and the certificate shall serve as conclusive evidence of the landlord’s compliance with the provisions of this subdivision.”

This portion of the new legislation appears to favor landlords over tenants.  As written, landlords “may” have a certificate issued from a pest control company stating that the dwelling is bed bug free.  It does not state how the inspection is to be completed.  Will a bed bug sniffing dog be used or a human inspection performed?  Bed bug sniffing dogs are generally considered to be about 98% accurate in finding bed bugs and their eggs, while humans are far less accurate at finding the bloodsuckers upon visual inspection.  Will monitors be set up within the unit?  How can a landlord be compliant with the provisions of the new legislation when no specific guidelines are given as to how the inspection must be completed and no requirement that an actual inspection must be completed?

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion.

Continuing from Wednesday…

The BBD-100 Personal Handheld Bed Bug Detector is priced at $299 making it an affordable alternative for any homeowner that is concerned about bringing the blood thirsty pests into their abode.  This device is great for checking kid’s backpacks, library books, television sets, automobiles, toys, computers, radios, remote controls, and telephones.  Homeowners will also be able to check their own mattresses, box springs, headboards, electrical outlets, cracks, crevices, picture frames, baseboards, dresser drawers, clothing, and any other place within the home that could potentially harbor bed bugs.

The sleek design of the BBD-100 Personal Handheld Bed Bug Detector will allow travelers to discreetly inspect airline seats, taxi cabs, rental cars, luggage, and hotel rooms so they can travel with ease.

Hotels and motels that use the BBD-100 Personal Handheld Bed Bug Detector will be able to gain the upper hand against annoying bed bugs as it can be used as a preventative tool by maintenance or housekeeping staff members as well.  Its compact size and its ability to detect as few as just one bed bug will help the user in the hospitality industry avoid potential bed bug related lawsuits from guests, and the bad publicity involved when bed bugs are detected.

You can purchase your own BBD-100 Personal Handheld Bed Bug Detector by contacting Stern Environmental Group.  Please note that due to its extreme popularity, the manufacturer has informed us that there is currently a 2 week waiting period for the BBD-100.  Don’t be fooled by imitators, the BBD-100 Personal Handheld Bed Bug Detector will find those elusive bed bugs before they get out-of-control!

Stern Environmental Group carries a huge selection of bed bug products that will help you defeat your bed bug infestation once-and-for all!

Stern Environmental Group would like to announce the arrival of a new and innovative bed bug detection device that is sure to be a beneficial asset to pest control professionals and consumers alike.  The BBD-100 is the first patented personal handheld bed bug detector of its kind that will detect bed bugs that are hiding in most any type of crack or crevice.  The BBD-100 Personal Handheld Bed Bug Detector is small in stature, about the size of a calculator, but packs a powerful punch in the war against bed bugs!

Bed bugs are attracted to the C02 that humans exhale.  These pesky bloodsuckers typically attack their victims during their hours of slumber, and after enjoying their feast, slither away to their chosen hiding places to digest their blood meal.  Hidden bed bugs then generate gas emissions.  The BBD-100 Personal Handheld Bed Bug Detector draws in air samples in the room that it is used in and will sound an alarm, and display a red light, when there is the presence of those gas emissions that are emitted by bed bugs.  Early detection of bed bugs can be achieved by using the BBD-100 because this amazing detection unit is so sensitive that it will be able to detect just one hidden bed bug that is within six inches of the unit.

Not requiring electricity, the BBD-100 uses two AA batteries, and can conveniently be taken along and used anywhere.  Homeless shelters, hospitals, libraries, schools, college dorms, camps, theaters, retail stores, airlines, and doctor’s offices, will all experience the peace-of-mind knowing that their establishment is free of bed bugs when they use the BBD-100 Personal Handheld Bed Bug Detector.
 
Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.

Continuing from Wednesday…

Out of complete desperation to get rid of the bed bugs, Fox News hired an entomologist that was employed with the American Museum of Natural History.  The entomologist was able to determine that the treatments were working, but the office was continuously being re-infested by another staff member.  This was only confirmed after the entomologist visited each of the employee’s homes, and second homes, in an effort to pin-point the exact location of the bed bug infestation so that the re-infestation within the office building could stop.

Ms. Clark claims to have sustained physical and mental injuries because of the bed bug bites that she received, resulting in her resigning from her job in 2008.  Ms. Clark soon became the first worker to sue a commercial landlord, and its agents, over a New York City bed bug infestation.  Fox News was not named in the lawsuit.

New York Supreme Court Judge Carol Robinson Edmead dismissed the negligence lawsuit in mid-April.

The judge said that the Fox worker had “no contractual relationship” with the property defendants in the case and that “Fox News took extraordinary measures to combat the bed bug infestation.”  Quite frankly…she’s correct!

Judge Edmead said…

“Movants posit that since there are no effective prophylactic measures against bed bugs, the only thing they could do to prevent bed bugs would be to subject all persons entering the building and their possessions to a thorough search by specially trained dogs and human inspectors which would be much more intrusive than the searches conducted at airports — a practical impossibility since more than 6,000 people a day go into the building.”

The former Fox News employee has announced that she does intend on appealing the ruling in this case.

Businesses can avoid potential lawsuits by employees if they hire a licensed pest control professional with experience in eradicating New York City bed bug infestations!  For expert bed bug removal service, contact Stern Environmental Group.

Just the mention of bed bugs to many New York City residents can send shivers down their spines.  Since the pesky bloodsuckers made their way into the spotlight a few years back, New York City has been dubbed our nations “bed bug capitol”.  Typically nocturnal, these hitchhiking parasites have made their way into daytime venues too.  NYC retail stores, courtroom, hospitals, and offices have all reported trouble with NYC bed bug infestations.

It’s a high profile bed bug lawsuit that many people around the United States have been itching…pardon the pun…to learn the verdict of….

According to the much publicized reports, in October of 2007 Jane Clark claims that she was repeatedly bitten bybloodsucking bed bugs while working at the offices of Fox News in New York City.  According to court documents, she claims that the daytime munching continued even after Fox News relocated its office to another floor in the building in the early part of 2008.

Fox New was quick to react to the bed bug infestation and hired a pest control expert in October of 2007.  Pest control began chemical treatments of the office building on December 1, 2007.  It should be noted that the delay in providing immediate pest control treatment could have helped contribute to the spreading and multiplication of the bed bugs within the office.  The eradication services continued at Fox News even after the company moved to their new location within the building.

Despite the chemical treatments that ensued, the bed bug infestation persisted at Fox News.  Extensive efforts were made to get rid of the NYC bed bug infestation.  Fox News installed insect monitors, hired bed bug sniffing dogs, Cryonite was used to freeze the bed bugs and their eggs…and yet the bugs still remained.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.