With all of the bed bug infestations blanketing newspapers and the internet this past month, it’s a pretty hot topic among folks.  I was just having a conversation with my neighbor about bed bugs and I told her that bed bugs could wreak havoc if they landed in the wrong hands and were purposely set loose in a public establishment.  She thought I was a bit off my rocker.  It’s bad enough that we all need to look for them in hotels and motels, and wonder if they are in the airline seat, rental car, train, bus, taxi, or movie theaters that we are sitting in.  We are not even safe from these blood suckers if we become ill and require a trip to the hospital or are visiting someone there, because bed bugs can be ready to pounce.

Then I read an article last night about the plastic baggie of live bed bugs there were found a few weeks ago at a Des Moines city building. The open baggie was found by custodians but not before the prickly pests had time to escape and run for cover in the Des Moines Armory which houses many public offices.  It is only now that they are finding out how bad the infestation is.

Officials believe that the bed bugs were left by someone who was seeking revenge against the city for some unknown reason.  Really, why else would a bag filled with live bed bugs be left in a building?

Forget chemical warfare, this is bed bug warfare!  The building has undergone fumigation services three times, but according to the bed bug sniffing dog and the employees itchy bites, the bed bugs refuse to die.  So far, the City of Des Moines has forked out $1,200 for fumigation costs.  Heat treatment for the building will cost the city an additional $5,000.  Without a doubt, employees have taken the blood suckers home with them as well.  Who assumes the cost for those bed bug infestations?  What a nightmare!

For protection, maybe I will just train my own dog to be a bed bug sniffing dog!

Insight Pharmaceuticals recently released a list of what they believe to be the top 10 cities that are infested with bed bugs in North America.  Starting from the top infested city: Columbus, Ohio; New York (yay, NYC, at the number 2 spot!); Toronto, Canada; Bloomington, Indiana; Manchester, New Hampshire; San Francisco, California; Durham, North Carolina; Vancouver, Canada; Chicago, Illinois; Denver, Colorado.

With the recent news reports of major retailers and an advertisement agency in New York City being plagued by bed bugs, it was only a matter of time before the finger pointing game began.  As I suspected, customers are now being blamed for bringing the infestations into the retail establishments.

The simple fact is that it may never be known where the bed bugs originated from.  Did an employee inadvertently transport them to work?  Perhaps a customer who had a bed bug infested home returned items to a store and spread their infestation problem.  Because bed bugs are hitchhikers, bed bugs could have entered any or all of the stores in question, on a shopper or shoppers at any point in time.  Many clothing items are transported from third world countries that are notorious for having bed bugs.  Since bed bugs can go for up to a year without a blood meal, and are excellent hitchhikers, bed bugs can easily enter the retail supply chain via other countries.

New York City customers are being advised to carefully inspect any clothing they buy for bed bugs and their translucent looking eggs.  Customers are also advised to dry all of the clothing they purchase on high heat as soon as they arrive home.  That’s good advice for anyone in the United States really.

At the moment, bed bugs are just considered a nuisance pest.  But with evolution being what it is, perhaps they will evolve into something more in the future.  The general public must be diligent and educate themselves in order to try to avoid a bed bug infestation.  Bed bugs are not a do-it-yourself type of pest as they are hard to eradicate.  If you think you have encountered bed bugs or have an infestation, it is wise to contact a licensed pest control specialist who can provide expert bed bug eradication services.

If you live in New York or New Jersey, you have likely heard about the unfortunate bed bug infestation problems that have been popping up in upscale retail establishments in Manhattan lately. Abercrombie & Fitch Co closed a store in the South Street Seaport and on Fifth Avenue because of bed bug infestations.  Preppy teen clothing store Hollister was hit and had to shut their doors due to an infestation.  Just this past week, Victoria’s Secret discovered that they too had bed bugs at one of their New York City locations.

Each of the stores treated their respected bed bug infestations in different ways; but it makes you wonder if it is safe to shop at any store because of the potential of bringing bed bugs home.  As a great customer service gesture, Hollister offered bed bug sniffing dog services to their customers.  Most people checked out fine, but some Hollister customers did indeed test positive for bed bug infestations.

Some pest control experts have gone on the record and said that the stores in question have reopened too quickly and that customers are still at risk of bringing home the creepy blood suckers.  Bed bugs are difficult to eradicate in a building, and the infestation could still be looming, despite the fact that the merchandise in question was removed and gas fumigation was used on the clothing.  It should be noted that Victoria’s Secret decided to destroy all of their affected merchandise rather than put it through the fumigation process.

People used to just be concerned about bed bugs when they travel to hotels and motels because bed bugs are known to be problematic occurrences.  These recent retail bed bug incidents make you worried to shop, as it brings to light the fact that bed bugs could be anywhere at any moment in time.  If you think you have encountered bed bugs in New York or New Jersey, contact a bed bug expert today!

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.

Continuing from Thursday…

Not only is Josimar Ferreira accused of operating a Massachusetts extermination company without being certified, but it has been reported that he has also allegedly maintained pest control companies in New Jersey and New York as well.  Both New Jersey and New York have cited Ferreira for operating an unlicensed pesticide business.  It makes you wonder how he is able to obtain toxic pesticides, without being properly licensed.  Clearly there was a breakdown…in three states!

Stern Environmental Group has been providing expert bed bug and pest control services in New Jersey and New York for over ten years.  We pride ourselves on providing our customers with the safest pesticide application available, and offer a wide variety of services and products to meet many different types of needs.  We offer professional services to both residential and business customers alike.  Whether you are looking for help with bed bugs, rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, groundhogs, ants, spiders, cockroaches, or bee control, Stern Environmental Group’s licensed pest control applicators are here to lend a helping hand!

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.

A woman named Nancy LeClair said she spent hundreds of dollars in her fight with bed bugs. She said “The only reason I do not have them now is that I washed all my bedding, got rid of any and all furniture, much of which was fairly new and moved.” Perhaps some residents of New York City and New Jersey have basically done the same thing. Bed bug infestations can be expensive.

Unfortunately, people are still bringing in used furniture into there residences that they found along streets. People need to realize that some of the furniture was dumped because it has bed bugs! Even used furniture bought at used furniture stores may have bed bugs. Some of these stores don’t thoroughly check used furniture for bed bugs and don’t use proper techniques for eliminating the terrible insects.

People in New York City, New Jersey and elsewhere that have bed bugs need to have a bed bugs pest control company provide treatments. Sprays for roaches or ants won’t kill bed bugs.