Who’s Responsible for Bed Bugs in Connecticut – The Landlord or the Tenant?

Posted on February 26, 2013 with No Comments

Connecticut lawmakers are considering legislation that spells out the responsibilities of landlords and tenants when it comes to bed bug infestations.  The General Assembly’s Housing Committee is scheduled to hear testimony Tuesday on several bills addressing bed bugs.

One bill, proposed by Bridgeport Sen. Andres Ayala, would establish the responsibilities of landlords and tenants. Another bill, proposed by Waterbury Rep. Larry Butler, would establish guideline and procedures for exterminating bed bugs found in public housing and non-public housing units.

Last year, lawmakers considered a bill that would have created a task force to study ways to control infestations in multifamily housing and recommend legislation to help landlords and tenants.

The Connecticut bill passed in the Senate, but was not taken up for a vote in the House and subsequently died.

NY, NJ and CT Specialists in Pest Solutions

Posted on January 10, 2013 with No Comments

J.P. McHale Pest Management is a proud partner of Copesan, specialists in pest solutions. As a Copesan partner we continue to establishing relationships nationwide.

Copesan is an alliance of premier pest management companies that are united as a single entity for the sole purpose of providing quality pest solutions to businesses with locations throughout North America.  Copesan is a client-driven company uniquely devoted to serving the pest management needs of the commercial and national account market.

JP McHale Pest Mangement Inc. is a family owned and operated enterprise. Fast, effective service is delivered to strategic areas in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Counties we work in include Westchester, Putnam, Dutchess, Rockland Fairfield, Bergen, Hudson, Morris, Pasaic and Essex. We have many of the same core principles that Copesan practices.

For more information about Copesan please visit http://www.copesan.com/home.asp

Hurricane Sandy Predicted to Have Long-Term Effect on Pest Populations

Posted on November 14, 2012 with No Comments

National Pest Management Association warns of serious pest health and property risks in storm’s wake

As those affected by the destructive damage and widespread power outages caused by Hurricane Sandy begin the rebuilding process, the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) is focusing on the impact the super storm will have on pest populations in affected areas of New York and New Jersey, specifically in hard-hit communities. Flood and storm-ravaged areas can expect to experience greater contact with pests including rats, bed bugs, termites and flies in the weeks and months after the storm due in large part to population displacement, as well as increased moisture. The NPMA is monitoring the situation, as the increase in contact poses serious health and property risks that must be addressed during recovery efforts.

“Communities devastated by the storm will likely experience an increase in pest encounters due to displacement and destruction caused by flooding,” said Jim Fredericks, Ph.D, technical director for the NPMA. “From the delay in sanitation services caused by power outages and road blockages, to the widespread structural damage and increased number of people staying at shelters, hotels or with family and friends, there are a number of ways Sandy will affect a variety of pest populations both in the short-term and months after the storm.”

“Our hearts go out to all who are struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy,” remarked Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the NPMA. “We are working internally with member companies and manufacturers to develop an action plan to help in mitigating these expected pest pressures, specifically in those areas hardest hit by Sandy.”

The NPMA has identified the following pests to be of greatest concern:

• Rodents: Many rodents were likely killed during the hurricane, however, a great number were displaced and immediately began seeking harborage and food. The delay in garbage pickup that many areas experienced, or continue to experience, will result in an abundance of food sources, while the expected increase in construction debris from remodeling will serve as excellent temporary harborages for displaced pests. As sanitation workers are likely to focus on “garbage” first, and place less of a priority on construction debris which may sit for extended periods, homeowners should keep food trash and construction debris separate so that sanitation workers can easily pick up the items most conducive to rodents.  When these two are mixed, food and harborage may be in place for extended periods of time, which can be conducive to infestations. Rodents are known to spread several dozen diseases.  Any homeowner coming into contact with rodent carcasses during clean up should wear protective gloves to protect against disease transmission.

• Flies: Flies breed in spoiled food, dead rodents or wildlife, and sewage caused by backups or broken pipes. Homeowners who lost power for several days or were unable to return to their homes for long periods of time are likely dealing with the disposal of rotten food. Fungus gnats breed in areas affected by moisture where mildew is growing, and may continue to be a problem in the coming months, especially in coastal areas, like NJ’s Barrier Islands, which are still closed off to many homeowners. Phorid flies breed in areas contaminated by sewage, which could be a problem for Rockaway Channel in Nassau County, Long Island, which is being flooded with raw sewage from the Bay Park sewage treatment plant.

• Bed Bugs: The large number of people forced out of their homes and living in hotels and shelters or receiving donated furnishings or clothing create an increased opportunity for bed bug infestations. Bed bugs are a much greater concern in urban areas hit by the storm, such as New York City, where larger populations of people live close together and interact in enclosed spaces on a regular basis. Because of the bed bugs’ ability to “hitchhike” on people and their belongings, bed bugs can become a problem for anyone living in close quarters while displaced from their home.

• Termites: Homes that were treated for termites in the past need to be retreated if the neighborhood was flooded and soil was moved or displaced by the water. The pesticide barrier was most likely disturbed and may no longer exist to protect the home from the serious structural damage termites can cause.

List of Diseases Spread by Deer Tick Grows in Connecticut

Posted on November 12, 2012 with No Comments

An emerging tick-borne disease that causes symptoms similar to malaria is expanding its range in areas of the northeast where it has become well-established, according to new research presented November 12 at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).

Researchers from the Yale School of Public Health reported that from 2000 to 2008, cases of babesiosis — which invades red blood cells and is carried by the same tick that causes Lyme disease — expanded from 30 to 85 towns in Connecticut. Cases of the disease in Connecticut, where it was first reported in 1991, also have risen from 3 to about 100 cases per year.

For more information about tick-borne disease and pest control for ticks in Connecticut contact J.P. McHale Pest Management here or read more here.  You can also view the entire article on our facebook page.

More Bed Bugs Found in Connecticut Libraries

Posted on August 20, 2012 with No Comments

It has an academic-sounding name — the Cimex Lectularius, from the family of Cimicidae — but it’s not welcome on library shelves.

It’s a bed bug.

Area librarians admit to heightened alert after Hamden’s library treated a couple of book shelves for evidence of bed bugs in response to a patron’s anonymous call Friday.

Middletown’s Russell Library closed for four days at the end of July because of bed bugs found in its audio visual department, and Danbury Public Library threw out three chairs with a few bed bugs last October after a trained dog found them in a routine screening.

Bed bugs in libraries have made headlines around the country, from Denver, Colo., to Norman, Okla., to Cincinnati, Ohio, during the past three years.

“Bed bugs are definitely on the rise. New York City used to be the worst area but they have spread out to the suburbs and Connecticut seems to be getting hit heavier than New York right now,” said Charlie Mastroberti of the Avon-based Quest Pest Control. His beagle, Ellie, became famous over the weekend for her work at the Hamden libraries.

“The odds are extremely low that you are bringing home bugs from the library, but can it happen? Yes,” he said. “This is the peak time of the year. Would it stop me from taking out a book? No way.”

Brookfield, New Milford and Bethel librarians haven’t seen bed bugs, but emails from state library officials have all facilities on alert.

“This is not something they teach you in library school,” Bethel Library director Lynn Rosato said Monday. “As far as I know we have no issue.”

Rosato had her staff check to see if any patrons borrowed from Hamden or Middletown libraries, and she’ll discuss the issue with her library board when it meets Monday.

“With more international travel and stays in hotels, people are bringing them home,” she said. “This is the practical experience you learn on the job.”

The Danbury Library, checked every other month for bed bugs by the Harlem River Hounds pest control dog, threw out chairs last October because of a few bed bugs, but the rest of the library has remained clean, director Michele Capozzella said.

“We’re on the look out all the time,” she said. “We’re in here too, so, when we checked out clean, everybody here breathed a sigh of relief.”

Capozzella said she’s been educating her staff, even showing them a sample bed bug, so they’d know what to look for.

The library now limits the size of bag a patron can bring in to the size of an airline carry-on to limit the chances that a bug is on board.

Last Friday, Miller Library in Hamden had some materials heat-treated after the dog, Ellie, put her paw near them on her search, but she found nothing at the library’s two branches.

Now, the library has a device with a portable heater that can hold up to 40 books and be zipped up to treat books if staff have concerns, interim library director Nancy McNicol said Monday.

“We really have been proactive,” McNicol said. “I can’t see anything more we can do now.”

Jackie Algon, of the University of Connecticut Extension Service‘s master gardeners’ program in Bethel, had some advice.

“The first thing is, there are a lot of look-alikes to bed bugs, so they need to be properly identified,” Algon said. “Bed bugs are shy. They like darkness and don’t come out when there is activity.”

If you think you have bed bugs, get them identified, she said. If they are bed bugs, bring in an expert right away instead of spraying.

She said that is the effective way for most people to deal with them.

“A lot of the response to bed bugs is in the social response, but when you think about insects that spread disease these are not ones we should worry about,” Algon said. “If you want, before you bring in a library book, shake it well outside. Libraries are attending to this.”

A Growing Trend: Bed Bugs Infesting Libraries

Posted on August 6, 2012 with No Comments

Just last week a library in Connecticut was closed because of bed bugs, and now one in Wichita.  Seems like there is a growing trend of bed bugs in public places.

Several bed bugs have been discovered at Wichita’s Central Library.  A customer reported the site of a bug in a chair late Wednesday afternoon.  The library removed the chair and contacted experts about the issue.  The expert identified the bug as a bed bug.  The library decided to close the building to the public to assess the extent of the situation.   Library Director Cynthia Berner Harris says they have no reason to believe that any of the library materials have been infested with beg bugs.  However to be on the safe side, the library has suspended the transfer of materials to other branches.

The Central Branch will also cancel all meetings and events for the next week.  Berner Harris says they are doing this as a precaution.  She says the extent of the problem has not been determined, she hopes they know more by Monday.  The Central Branch lobby will remain open Friday and Saturday. Customers can use the lobby to return materials, place holds and collect items on hold.

Other library locations are unaffected by the closure of the downtown library.  For more on this story watch the news clip here.

Connecticut Association To Host Bed Bug Awareness Seminar

Posted on July 10, 2012 with No Comments

The  Connecticut Community Providers Association, CCPA, will be hosting a CCPA Breakfast Briefing:  Bed Bugs, They’re Back.  The meeting,which will be presented by Dr. Gale Ridge of the Connecticut Department of Entomology, will be held on August 28, 2012.  For more information please visit The Community Providers Association website or here is a link if you would like to register for the Bed Bug Seminar.

In Connecticut JP McHale Pest Management currently services all of Fairfield County. Connecticut has a neighbor notification law that makes a lot of sense. Neighbors who desire notification, prior to pesticide application, are required to notify the CT DEP. The DEP then sends this list to all registered pesticide applicators. Applicators can then contact all who care to be involved prior to any pesticide applications.

Connecticut Bed Bug Task Force Bill Declined by CT General Assembly

Posted on May 22, 2012 with No Comments

A Connecticut bill establishing a bed bug task force that the House of Representatives approved in late April died when it failed to pass the Senate before the General Assembly adjourned in early May. Senate Bill 190 would have charged the task force with studying ways in which bed bug infestations are controlled in multifamily housing and recommending legislation to assist landlords and tenants to better control and prevent such infestations. The task force would have considered how to apportion liability between landlords and tenants for the cost of treating a bed bug infestation.

Copesan Partnership in Pest Control

Posted on May 3, 2012 with No Comments

Being a partner with Copesan has allowed JP McHale Pest Management to form an alliance with premier pest management companies that are united as a single entity for the sole purpose of providing quality pest solutions to businesses with locations throughout North America.

JP McHale Pest Management is devoted to serving the pest management needs of the residential, commercial, and national account market throughout New  York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

As a Copesan client, you can expect:

• Technical expertise applied at the local level
• A service program supported by a vast network of knowledge
• IPM service specialists trained in the most advanced pest management techniques