New York City bed bugs are reportedly on the decline, but most other locations in the United States are not faring quite as well.  On any given day you can read stories of people who are subjected to bed bugs at their workplace, bed bugs in hotels, and bed bugs in single family homes.  Bed bugs are especially problematic in multi-unit housing units from coast to coast.

Many cities in the State of Ohio have been fighting the bed bug battle and losing ground daily.  In an effort to gain the upper hand on the problem, some landlords are making the tenants responsible for bed bugs by making them sign stringent contracts making them responsible for pest control responsibilities.

10TV.com reported on April 27, 2012 that tenants at a Columbus, Ohio apartment were given a pest control addendum to sign along with their lease renewal.  According to reports, the addendum required the tenants to:

• Certify that their apartment was currently free of bed bugs. – Not bad

• Agree to notify the landlord if any bed bugs were to appear. – Not bad

• Cooperate with pest control if bed bugs appeared. – Not bad

• Pay for all of the costs of extermination! – What!?

• Pay for all of the costs of exterminating other units if the bed bugs spread! – No Way!

• Agree that they would immediately lose their apartment and their lease would be terminated if they had bed bugs! – Wow!

You may read the article here.

Tenants who live in an apartment building are easily subjected to bed bugs that are in any other unit within the building because bed bugs travel between the walls and along the electrical wires and piping.  While some tenants may be honest and tell the landlord that bed bugs have appeared, perhaps another tenant may not be as forthcoming thus allowing bed bugs to spread.

It’s these kinds of strange rules that drive people into silence about bed bug infestations!  Incidentally, the tenants did not sign the addendum and were issued a 30 day notice to vacate the premises!  Unbelievable!

Rats continue to be a problem throughout New York City, seemingly in even more ways than people originally thought. Besides infesting restaurants, office buildings, homes and alley-ways, large populations of rats can even be found throughout New York City parks.

There are different methods to eliminate NYC rat infestations being utilized throughout the city. The options include live traps, glue traps, snap traps, and electronic rat stations. Most people are not fond of live traps because they must then relocate the unharmed trapped rat to a new location far away from its nesting site.

Glue traps are commonly used, but often times, a clever rat is able to escape from the glue trap by wiggling free or even chewing its own foot off to free itself. For the faint of heart, the sounds that a rodent makes when stuck to the glue trap can be difficult to endure. Snap traps and electronic rat stations are a fast and immediate rodent kill.

Some people choose to use poison to try to rid their homes or business of rat infestations.  Rodent poisons have proven to be effective at killing rats, but they are also extremely toxic to humans, pets and other wild animals. CBS News reported on March 10, 2012 that three seemingly healthy and uninjured hawks have recently been found dead in NYC parks.  Hawks provide some relief in the war against NYC rats as they are one of their favored meal choices. It is suspected that the hawks were poisoned by eating rats that had consumed rat poison. The NYDailyNews.com reported on April 10, 2012, that suspicions were indeed correct. A necropsy found traces of rat poisoning in the liver of the latest hawk that was discovered in Central Park according to the State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Traps alone cannot control rodent populations. Disease ridden NYC rats won’t leave on their own; a New York City pest control professional is needed to eradicate these pests.

April has been designated as National Pest Management month by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).  The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), is the “consumer education arm of the National Pest Management Association” which provides information to consumers about “the value of our industry and our ability to protect health, safety and property” according to the NPMA’s website.

Recognizing that bed bugs are still a major problem throughout the United States, the PPMA has designed the last week of the National Pest Management month to be “Bed Bug Awareness Week”.  In such, they would like to remind consumers to be vigilant in their quest to avoid bed bug exposure this summer travel season.  The PPMA recognizes that having knowledge about bed bugs, their habits, and their harborage will help consumers avoid bringing the blood thirsty pests home with them this summer.

Stern Environmental Group is a leading authority on bed bugs.  We have extensive experience with bed bug eradication and offer a multitude of bed bug products to help consumers remain bed bug free.

Stern would like to offer some reminders for safe and bed bug free traveling this summertime:

• Check for bed bugs in any hotel or motel upon your arrival. Carefully examine the entire bed, headboard, furniture and room.  Remember, even 5 star hotels can have bed bugs at any moment in time!

• Check for bed bugs when visiting a relative’s home.  Having bed bugs is not a sign of uncleanliness.  Anyone can pick up bed bugs from any location.

• Use the luggage rack in a hotel/motel.  Never place your luggage on the bed or carpeted floor areas.  The slick surface of the bathroom is also a good area to store luggage.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.

New York City has been touted by some pest control experts in other parts of the world as being the bed bug capital of the United States.  Nearly wiped off of our radar screen in the 1950’s, bed bugs have certainly made a comeback on America’s landscape.  They have now reportedly been found in all 50 states.  Larger U.S. cities, with more dense populations, understandably have had more trouble with the bloodsuckers, but bed bugs are indiscriminate blood thirsty characters.  They do not care where you live or what your economic status is.  They are after one thing…blood…preferably from a human host.

Scientists in the United States have previously reported that bed bug infestations have become more difficult to kill from coast to coast.  Modern day bed bugs have been able to transform themselves so that they can withstand current pesticide treatments that are available to New York, New Jersey, and other pest control professionals across the United States.  Bed bugs that are found today have mutated and now have a stronger exoskeleton which is able to withstand pesticides that are used by pest control experts.  In additions, this new breed of bed bug has also changed its genetic makeup which has further enhanced its ability to survive.

JunkScience.com reported on April 16, 2012, that “mutant bed bugs” have now been discovered in Scotland.  Pest control experts are finding that Scottish bed bugs are now twice as difficult to kill in comparison to years past.  According to reports, policy makers and scientists in Scotland are looking at new ways to try to combat the bloodsuckers before they become more of a problem than they already are.  Their discovery of “mutant bed bugs” appears to be the same troubles that we are experiencing here in the United States.  You may read the article here.

Trying to kill NY or NJ bed bugs on your own will prove to be an uphill battle as they are masters at hiding in odd places.  Their tiny size and their ability to multiply quickly make them one of the most frustrating and most difficult household pests to eliminate.  Store bought chemicals have proven to be ineffective on bed bug infestations.  Your best bet for treating NY or NJ bed bug infestations is to contact a licensed pest control expert with extensive experience in bed bug eradication services.

It’s one of the simple pleasures in life.  Whether dripping down from a hot fudge sundae or melting into a glorious goo in your mouth, for many people, chocolate is a delightful treat in their lives.

You might be shocked to hear that your favorite sinful treat has a few additives that you did not know about.  Worse yet, those additives, despite being considered “safe” are making some people sick!

Insects are in abundance throughout the world.  Without a doubt we have all consumed pounds of them during our lifetime, without even knowing it.

ABC News reported on March 26, 2012 that people who are allergic to chocolate may actually be allergic to something else entirely…cockroaches!

According to their report, the Food and Drug Administration allows for up to 60 insect pieces per 100 grams of chocolate to be present before it is rejected for consumption.  On average, there are eight…yes, eight insect parts that can be found in one single chocolate bar that is produced in the United States.  These “parts” are considered to be safe for consumption.  If you think you can just stop eating chocolate to avoid eating bugs, you would be mistaken.  “Other foods like peanut butter, macaroni, fruit, cheese, popcorn, and wheat also contain this material.”  You may read the article here.

What has been revealed is that these trace amounts of insect parts can adversely affect people who suffer from asthma and allergies.  According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the diagnosis of asthma has been on a steady increase in the United States for the past 30 years.  Cockroach waste has been proven to trigger acute asthma attacks, especially in children.  Studies have shown that “from 23 percent to 60 percent of urban residents with asthma are sensitive to the cockroach allergen.”

So the question remains…will you still eat chocolate?  Despite the insect parts, I know I won’t be able to give up such a decadent treat!