Continuing from Monday…

• 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.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) performs many functions.  They are the gatekeeper of policy information, clarification, announcements, and procedure decisions. They also provide useful information for residents, property management personnel, and pest management professionals on managing bed bug infestations.  Recently developed policy changes give stricter rules as to how bed bug infestations must be handled in HUD Insured and Assisted Multifamily Housing building/units/homes throughout the United States.

Despite the fact that bed bugs are not known to spread disease, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consider bed bugs to be a “pest of significant public health importance.”

Three new notices that must now be followed have been released by HUD.  Here are some of the interesting highlights from Notice H 2011-20.

• Owners and Management Agents (O/As) are encouraged to develop and follow an Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM).  The goal is to prevent bed bug infestations as well as have a program in place when there is a bed bug infestation occurrence.

• O/As should consider a tenants complaint of bed bugs to be an urgent matter.  Tenants should be contacted within 24 hours by the O/As and an inspection of the property should occur within a reasonable time period.

• O/As should inspect a dwelling to determine if bed bugs are present using a variety of detection tools such as bed bug sniffing dogs and visual inspections.

• The O/As should have the affected unit inspected within three calendar days by a licensed pest control operator, or keep documentation as to why those services could not be completed within the recommended time frame.

• At the minimum, any unit above, below, and on both sides of the suspected bed bug infested unit must also be inspected for bed bugs.

Please check back on Wednesday for the conclusion.

City leaders across the United States always wait with eager anticipation the various reports that are released each year that rank their city in a variety of different categories.  Popular topics are:  housing prices, cost of living, safest city, and job projections.  These rankings help keep people interested in living in a particular area, encourage potential new businesses to come into an area, as well as keep local businesses thriving.  One ranking that government officials are not always happy to hear news about is how their city is ranking when it comes to how their often their residents and businesses are dealing with bed bug infestations.  For the past few years, two major nationwide exterminations companies, Orkin and Terminix, have been tracking the cities that have had the most bed bug complaints and treatments.

It’s that time of year once again when we learn how our country and the bed bugs are faring in the United States.  Orkin has just released their final numbers for the “Top 50 Most Bed Bug Infested Cities in the United States”.   Some city leader are happy to see that they have dropped down the list slightly from last year’s ranking and some have dropped significantly which is an indication that the programs, laws, and educational campaigns that they have implemented are beginning to work in their communities.  Some cities are disappointed to learn that the bloodsuckers have taken a stronghold on their city.

WLS reported Orkin’s Top 50 Most Bed Bug Infested Cities on March 17, 2012.  Here is the top 10.  You may read the article here.

1. Cincinnati, Ohio (same ranking as last year)

2. Chicago, Illinois (same ranking as last year)

3. Detroit, Michigan (up from 4th place last year)

4. Denver, Colorado (up from 6th place last year)

5. Los Angeles, California (up from 25th place last year)

6. Columbus, Ohio (down from 3rd place last year)

7. Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas (up from 50th place last year)

8. Washington, DC (down from 5th place last year)

9. New York, New York (down from 7th place last year)

10. Richmond/Petersburg, Virginia (up from 16th place last year)

Clearly, more work needs to be done in 2012 to combat the critters.

Without a doubt, bed bugs can be a nightmare for a business. Customers afraid of picking up bed bugs in a retail store will likely head for the hills once the news breaks of bed bugs lurking among the goods on any store shelf. Hotels and motels with reported bed bug infestations face cancellations as guests worry about bringing the little bloodsucking hitchhikers home with them. Thanks to websites like BedBugRegistry.com, people do not need to rely on the honesty of any hotel or motel any longer. With a few simple keystrokes everyone is able to quickly find out if bed bugs are lurking in most any hotel or motel in any city in North America…even if the information is false.

Bed bugs are a difficult pest to endure. Many people suffering through an infestation report high levels of anxiety and sleepless nights. The stigma that is associated with a person experiencing a bed bug infestation can be too much for many people to bear. Besides dealing with costly bed bug eradication treatments, horrible bites and itching, bed bug victims are also faced with the stigma associated with having bed bugs. Once it is discovered that a person has bed bugs, people are understandably skittish about visiting an infested home. It is not uncommon for invitations to be rescinded, friends begin to disappear into the woodwork, and family members tend to shy away from even quick hugs because they all fear that they too will fall prey to the dreaded bed bug plague that is hitting the country.
Bed bugs may not transmit disease, but they are a nightmare to deal with once they have infiltrated your home or business. New York and New Jersey bed bug infestations can be eradicated with the help of an experienced bed bug expert like Stern Environmental Group.

First they are there, then they are not.

The verdict is…gavel please…carpet beetles!

Bed bug encounters are a constant threat among home and business owners report New Jersey pest control experts. The thought of bringing bed bugs home with you can easily bring any person panic as nobody wants to be on the menu of these blood thirsty pests, nor do they want to go through the hassle of the extermination process.

Several news stations in North Carolina reported on March 7, 2012 that the New Hanover County Courthouse had a bed bug infestation problem. In a surprising turn of events, County officials decided to close the entire courthouse so that pest control professionals would have full access to the facility so that they could eradicate the bloodsuckers with ease.

The closing resulted in a disruption of court cases as some were rescheduled, and some were moved into another building in an attempt to provide services to the public. In another surprising turn of events, WECT reported on March 8, 2012 that there were not any bed bugs in the courthouse after all. According to reports, the building is instead infested with carpet beetles! You may read the article here.

For the untrained person, carpet beetles are often mistaken for bed bugs when they are found. Unlike bed bugs, which feed on blood, carpet beetles feed on entirely different substances and cause damage to the items that they nibble on. Before becoming adults, carpet beetles feed upon: carpet, woolen fabrics, furs, preserved items, and stored food sources. Once they become adults, they must consume pollen and nectar to survive. Carpet beetles are small insects with a rounded body, and short antennae. They are easily distinguishable by their multi-spotted bodies, which bed bugs do not have.

A New Jersey pest control professional will be able to properly identify carpet beetles, bed bugs, as well as other types of annoying pests. Contact Stern Environmental Group for quality pest control services in New Jersey and New York.