A Mom and her son in North Carolina had been sleeping with the lights on hoping that whatever was biting them in the dark would stop.  A recent trip to the pediatrician’s office unearthed the problem…bed bugs!  The doctor informed the Mom that the nighttime bloodsuckers had to be lurking in the dark corners of her apartment waiting for the perfect time to feed on their unsuspecting hosts.

Just like in New Jersey and New York, North Carolina has experienced a significant increase in bed bug problems.  In hopes of trying to get a handle on the problem, the Mom decided to throw away her couch and beds.  Many people don’t know that you don’t need to throw away expensive furniture if you have a bed bug infestation problem.

At Stern Environmental Group we offer products and services that will help you get rid of bed bugs and save your furniture as well.  Stop by our website to see our bed bug services, monitors, heat chamber, Cryonite system, bed bug sniffing dogs, mattress encasements, and travel accessories.  Stern Environmental Group provides fast expert bed bug services to Secaucus, New Jersey, the Greater New York City Metro and Connecticut Regions.

In continuation from Thursday…

I read a story a few days ago about some residents who are renting mobile homes at an RV park in Bakersfield, California.  Residents have complained to management about bed bugs biting them for months, yet nothing has been done to eradicate them.  Instead they have been told to buy a can of Raid to get rid of the bed bugs.  Sorry Charlie, bad advice there!  The pest control officials mentioned in the article (it is unknown if they are providing services to the RV park) say that you have to throw out any infested belongings, re-carpet, and fumigate to get rid of the bed bugs.  Again, not the best bit of information given out to the public.

There are many different treatment options available for people who are suffering with a bed bug infestation.  The most important things to do are educate yourself so you are well informed, and hire an experienced bed bug expert who can eradicate the bed bugs for you correctly!  New Jersey and New York residents, give Stern Environmental Group a call.  We are the bed bug experts!

Bed bug bites on her arm.

Continuing from Thursday…

Dressed in a tank top, my friend did take the dead bugs to the hotel manager the next morning.  He seemed shocked to learn that she had found bed bugs in her room (although he chuckled at the sight of the bugs) and even more shocked to see the massive amounts of bites that she had received.  It should be noted that he refused to reverse any charges for the hotel and instead referred her to the General Manager of the establishment.  As of this writing, the General Manager has not returned her calls or emails.  The corporate office won’t do anything either as the hotel is a franchise.  She did notify the Health Department who has sent out an inspector to the property.  Bed bugs were found by the inspector and the hotel has been ordered to hire a pest control expert immediately.

The bad news is that my friend does not own a Packtite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber, which could have killed any bed bugs and eggs that she likely has brought home with her.  As a necessity, she is taking a huge chance by bringing their luggage inside her residence.  Her home can very easily be infested as we have seen in the past.  Just one bed bug can turn into hundreds in a very short period of time.

I also informed her about a couple of items that she should pick up to help protect her from being bitten further in her own home.  The BugOff Bed Bug Mattress Encasement that is made by Protect-A-Bed is an essential tool in fighting bed bugs.  Another great product to have on hand is relatively new, but definitely worth using.  The Climbup Insect Interceptor creates a barrier between the floor and the bed and traps bed bugs climbing up or down the bed legs.

If you have been traveling and have encountered bed bugs too, don’t take any chances…call in a bed bug expert who is trained to get rid of the buggers before they get out of control.  Stern Environmental Group provides professional service to New Jersey and all boroughs of New York City.

Stern Environmental Group would like to take this opportunity to apologize to our faithful customers and readers.  We were recently notified by some of our customers that they had received some very strange email messages which initially looked like they were coming from our company.  Once investigated, we realized that our Stern Twitter account had been hacked by some unscrupulous people on November 4th and November 9th!  Hacking into someone’s online business sources is completely shameful and unethical!

We would like all of our customers and readers to know that Stern never participates in spaming or phishing schemes.  We will never contact you to ask you for any password or credit card information either. Stern strives to provide our readers with the most updated information about bed bugs, bed bug products, bed bug services, and other important pest and urban wildlife information.  Through our extensive research and experience, we are able to bring you interesting and sometimes even funny stories that are directly linked to the industry that we are so passionate about.

If you ever receive any communication from Stern Environmental Group that seems to be out of the ordinary or meets any of the above criteria; we ask that you please contact us immediately so that we can take measures to stop this deceitful practice of others.

We do encourage you all to stop by our Twitter page and view some of our interesting topics and links.

Now that summer is in full swing, many kids are off to camp. There they’ll discover lanyard making, s’mores, campfires, horseback riding, swimming and quite possibly bedbugs.

Once rare in North America, bedbugs are on the rise.  Bedbugs are most often found in hotels, motels, hostels, shelters, apartment complexes and any overnight facility where large numbers of people come and go. That includes summer camps.

Because bedbugs hide in small crevices, they can sneak into camp on luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes, and other objects. The bugs can hide in beds, floors, furniture, wood, and paper trash during the day.

Last summer, a camp in Maryland became infested with bedbugs. All parents had to be notified so that they could have their homes inspected and treated if necessary.

People who run camps (like hotel and hospital managers) need to devise a system for inspecting for signs of bed bugs. Visitors will bring bed bugs to camp, and other campers will bring them home.

And parents need to take a little extra precautions these days. Put your child’s pillow in a zippered Protect-A-Bed encasement. Also include a mattress encasement and encourage the child to put it on their bunk. Pack your child’s gear in BugZip luggage encasements and advise to keep their stuff zipped up. Kids loathe creepy crawly bugs that bite and make them itch. This will not be a hard sell.

It’s also worth taking precautions when kids come home after the summer.  Duffel bags, soft backpacks, and clothing can be washed and dried, sleeping bags can be carefully treated, and other items can be inspected in an attempt to avoid bringing home any hitchhiking bed bugs. If you suspect bedbugs, call a professional NJ, NYC pest control company that knows how to eliminate those little buggers.