Continuing from Wednesday…

If bed bugs are found, treatment must be completed to the unit and all of the surrounding units as well.  PHAs may offer special services to tenants such as inspecting furniture, non-chemical treatment of furniture prior to moving into a unit, the use of bed bug detection devices or mattress encasements, but tenants are not required to use the services.  All special services must be incurred at the expense of the PHA.

Public Housing Agencies cannot deny residency to tenants who have had previous bed bug experiences.  Preferential treatment may not be provided to tenants based upon their response to the question regarding exposure to bed bugs.  Any person who lives in a HUD owned Public Housing Unit cannot be charged for bed bug eradication services.  All costs for bed bug eradication must be covered by the PHA.

Recognizing that tenants have some responsibility in controlling bed bugs, tenants must also take an active role in avoiding and eliminating the pests.

In the regulation, “tenants are strongly encouraged to immediately report the suspicion of possible bed bugs in a housing unit or other areas of the property.”  This should be a REQUIREMENT, not an encouragement!  Bed bugs spread very quickly.  It is imperative that pest control professionals be called at the first sign of a bed bug infestation.

Tenants will not be reimbursed for bed bug infested items so it is important for them to cooperate and aid in the eradication process.  When bed bugs are concerned, tenants, PHAs and pest control professionals must all work together for full eradication.

Public Housing Agencies and Pest Control Professionals are encouraged to keep abreast of the new HUD guidelines by reading Notice: PIH-2012-17 provided by HUD.

Any confusion as to who is responsible for a bed bug infestation within any public housing facility may now be put to rest.  The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created new bed bug protocol that will protect the tenant and the landlord that will go into effect immediately.

It has been recommended that Integrated Pest Management (IPM) plans be implemented to help control bed bugs as well as other types of household pests and HUD is strongly encouraging Pubic Housing Agencies (PHAs) to incorporate a good IPM plan.  According to HUD, the procedures include:

“Raising awareness through education on the prevention of bed bugs.

Inspecting infested area, plus surrounding living spaces.

Checking for bed bugs in luggage and clothes when returning home from a trip.

Looking for bed bugs or signs of an infestation on secondhand items before bringing the items home.

Correctly identifying the pest. Keeping records indicating dates and locations where pests are found.

Cleaning all items within a bed bug infested living area.

Reducing clutter where bed bugs can hide.

Eliminating bed bug habitats.

Physically removing bed bugs through cleaning.

Using pesticides carefully according to the label directions.

Following up on inspections and possible treatments.”

In the new guidelines, PHA must respond to complaints of bed bugs within 24 hours and discuss what measures will be taken to get rid of the pests with tenants.  Inspection of the unit in question, as well as the units above, below, and on the sides must also be performed within three business days.  If bed bugs are not found, re-inspection must be completed periodically over the next several months.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.

NJ pest control experts report that a high number of people should likely be carrying around a self-injectable epinephrine pen because of the potential for allergic reaction sustained from bee, wasp, or hornet venom.  For many people who have never been stung, the traumatic results of being stung always result in shock and dismay.

Thousands of Americans are transported to hospitals from coast to coast each year with serious allergic reactions to pests that sting.  Of those, at least 40 will die from anaphylaxis.

According to the Observer on April 24, 2012, Dr. Joseph Petrusek of La Grande, stated that encountering any of the 11 symptoms of a systemic reaction after a bee, hornet or wasp sting will put you at risk for a life threatening reaction.  The risks include:

“• hives.

• a metallic taste or tingling in the mouth

• swelling of the tongue, lips or throat

• difficulty breathing or swallowing

• abdominal cramps

• vomiting or diarrhea

• a rash or itchy skin

• coughing or wheezing

• loss of consciousness

• increased heart rate

• dizziness or sudden weakness”

According to reports, anyone who has had any of these reactions to a stinging pest is susceptible to experiencing some sort of life threatening reaction if they are stung by another bee, wasp, or hornet.  Upon testing by a physician, patients who are allergic to the venom will be prescribed a self-injectable epinephrine pen which will lessen the chance of the allergic reaction being life threatening.

Having bees, hornets or wasps eliminated by a NJ pest control expert will help keep you and your family safe.

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.