If you think you aren’t going to be affected by bed bugs at one time or another, you’re probably wrong. Bed bugs infestations are on the rise and they don’t care who they are disturbing. In Franklin County, Ohio especially, where bed bugs have affected not only those low-income renters who originally were thought to be the only ones affected by these pests.
“We’ve had reports from schools, churches, bowling alleys, dialysis centers, and vets offices,” said Paul Wenning, with the Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force.
These bugs don’t care where they are and what kind of furniture their in, as they’ve been found in private residences, couches, and beds as of late. More incredibly, a map including every ZIP code has been created and filled in only two years since the bed bug task force was born. Apartment complexes have been cited in creating certain areas to throw out furniture that has been infected by bed bugs for their residences. The only way to get rid of these pests is to hire a licensed professional, attempting to get rid of these yourself can be frustrating and nearly impossible.
In New Jersey, a bill is in play that will change the protocol when it comes to tenants, landlords and bed bugs. As of now, Landlords have to treat for bed bugs, however, after treatment is done, the costs can be passed along to the tenants. The problem with this is simple; most tenants can’t pay for the treatment, as well as follow-up treatment. So, instead of reporting the problem, they would rather not tell the landlord, and live with it. This in the long run costs the landlord more money, as they have to treat it later. The bill, however, would change that. When notified of the bed bug infestation, the landlord has to treat for it, and at their own expense. If the landlord doesn’t treat the bed bugs, they will be fined. Also, a local health board will come in, treat for the bed bugs, and then bill the landlord.
It is up to the tenant to notify the landlord. The landlord has up to 10 day to start treatment. This forces the landlord to be proactive and be on top of the process. Then the tenants must give the landlord access with 48 hour notice to inspect and treat the area. However, if the tenant fails to do so, they then become liable for the cost of getting rid of the bed bugs. Also, if bed bugs are present when the tenant moves out, the cost of getting rid of them will be taken from the security deposit.
There are some flaws to the bill. For instance, landlords are only responsible for one treatment and one follow-up per year. This is less than most treatments require. Additional treatments that maybe needed would be placed on the tenant. Also, the 48 hour notice maybe too little. Making a person who works everyday clean all their clothes and bag everything, in the span of 48 hours in which they work the majority of them, might be unrealistic. This is not to mention the burden it would be on those who are seniors or need assistance. Regardless of the flaws, this bill does improves the laws that are in place. If it would be put into effect, it would have a great benefit to all those effected, landlords and tenants alike.
If you are a landlord or a tenant, and think you have bed bugs, please do not hesitate to contact us. Let us get a K9 Bed Bug Inspection Dog out to see if in fact your really do have bed bugs present.
Our friends over at Bedbugger.com informed us of this story.
Canadian downhill skier, Manny Osborne-Paradis, wanted to win a medal at the Winter Olympics. So far during his stay, he has won something. Unfortunately he won bed bugs. Osborne-Paradis is staying in private condos with his fellow Canadian skiers and he is the only one who has been bitten by bed bugs. His roommate, Robbie Dixon, sleeps 5 feet away, yet, he is unaffected by the bed bugs. Manny woke up and was itchy from the morning until he got to the starting gate for training. Manny has washed his sheets in hopes that it will get rid of the bed bugs, even though this is not how to get rid of bed bugs. A pest management professional must be called in, and we recommend a Bed Bug K9 Inspection Dog.
Bed bugs live in your bed and can bite you. However, it is very rare that a bed bug will actually pass something on to its host. Instead, one will get an itching sensation. It is rumored in Vancouver that there is a link between being promiscuous and bed bugs, which hasn’t been verified as true or not. However, there is a very good chance that those who are in Vancouver will bring some sort of bed bugs back with them, leaving them with a problem at their home. It must be known too that if you are bitten by bed bugs, you may not always feel it. There is a chance that the symptoms will appear in a week, a month, or never. Olympic athletes need to have their minds on other things other than bed bugs when they are ready to compete. But, for now, they hold they will sleep tight and not let the bed bugs bite.
Bedbugs created a stir in the media world on Wednesday, giving Universal Music Group, who Jay-Z and Rihanna belong to, and IFC members a scare. An outbreak of bedbugs caused numerous top agents and executives to leave their offices at 825 Eighth Ave, New York City a month ago, while on Wednesday, members of the IFC ran from the creepy crawlers. These bugs live off blood of humans and other warm blooded animals, and are often found in places like hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and can be transmitted via furniture and baggage.
A source claimed, “Universal had its three floors fumigated last month. But this week, a small area of the ICM offices directly below were found to be infested.”
The ICM offices contain agents that rep stars such as Megan Fox, Halle Berry and Mickey Rourke. Apparently, they “even brought in bedbug seeking beagles” to aid the situation. Bedbugs are not known to carry or transmit disease, and are not even considered to be as dangerous as the common flea. These pests can be very difficult to eradicate and can only be completely eliminated by experienced pest management professionals.
Remember that bed bugs do not discriminate and are not a “dirty” pest. Anyone can get them, sanitation is not a factor. If you suspect that you have bed bugs, please contact us so our K-9 bed bug inspection dog can come out and check to see if there is an infestation in your home or place of business.
Holiday Inn has announced that they are rolling out a new service in London and Manchester.The service?
Bed warmers.
Holiday Inn will send employees to your room before you get there to warm the bed up for you. This may seem a bit odd. The hotel chain says that it is easier to get to sleep when you are in a warm bed.
This is a problem. Hotel workers lying in customer beds before they come in will create a perfect environment to spread bed bugs. There is already a widespread problem in hotel rooms with spreading bed bugs. This service should be immediately discontinued, if the hotel chain wants to warm beds for customers they should install something in the bed that would automatically do the heating.
We wrote last week about an off campus apartment complex that is infested with bed bugs at Portland State University. Students that were living there found the bed bugs, then alerted management who hired a sub-par pest control company that did not treat the apartments the correct way, claiming the products would only work for one week. When the students demanded their security deposit back, the management refused. They did not pay rent and some students proceed to move out, however they were locked out of their apartments until rent was paid. PSU legal services are assisting the students in the lawsuit, but until then students are left without a place to live. Watch the video below from KGW Portland.
At Portland State University in Oregon, students residing in one of the more popular apartment complexes say many apartments in the complex are infested with bed bugs. Residents that spoke to the Daily Vanguard say that the building management has tried several treatment options, but none of which work for more than a week.
“I had to go to the doctor because of an allergic reaction; the bites were swelling to the size of eggs.” – Kris Thomason, Resident
Fumigation has been used on the premises on a per-room basis, which will make bed bugs relocate to different rooms, making the infestation worse. Spraying has also been done, but they have been told it will only be effective for a week.
Apartment management has not been helpful at all during this problem. They will not allow students that have elected to move of to retrieve their things unless they finish paying rent, or pay the early move-out fee. Bed bugs are still present in many of the rooms, but students are turning to bed bug mattress covers which will prevent any bed bugs living in the mattress to live any longer. However, bed bugs can live in the wall, behind picture frames, and even in electrical sockets! Students are turning to PSU for legal assistance in this situation.
As the bed bug resurgence becomes more popular in the United States, we will see more and more of these situations. Many questions must be answered by the courts on whose responsibility it is to pay for the treatment. Bed bugs are not normally covered in basic pest control programs that apartment complexes are on contract for.
If you run an apartment complex and think you may have a bed bug problem, please contact our offices. We employ a K-9 bed bug inspection dog so the infestations can be found without treating rooms that do not have bed bugs in them.
ABC 7 aired a very interesting story today about a Do-It-Yourselfbed bug removal trick. They clam you can get rid of bed bugs for under $20. A Rutgers professor has been studying bed bugs for many years and he believes this is the inexpensive answer. Do we have you listening yet? Hold Up….
There is a major flaw in this “solution” for bed bugs. This device that the professor made simply attracts the bed bugs to the upside down pet dish. This is not an effective way to get rid of bed bugs in your home. It is a great way to detect if bed bugs are present in a certain room. This homemade device works in the same way the NightWatch monitors work, releasing Co2 to attract bed bugs. The only proven way to get rid of bed bugs is with extreme heat or products that pest management professionals use. We see Do- It-Yourself pest removal ideas fly through our office on a daily basis, most will only temporary resolve the problem, or not do anything at all. Watch the video below and let us know what you think.
JP McHale Pest Management now carries the BioSensory Bed Bug NightWatch monitors. These monitors are placed in bed rooms and left for a minimum of 48 hours. These monitors will tell you whether or not you have bed bugs. NightWatch is 99.98% effective and is a low cost solution to inspections. This product will not treat the bed bugs, but will detect to see if any are present. This product is ideal for hotels, motels, and other large commercial or industrial establishments. Please contact us if you are interest installing these monitors in your home or establishment.
Last week ABCNews.com wrote an article outlining the seven human parasite infections, citing Bed Bugs and Lice as number 4. Bed bugs are back after a long 50 year disappearance, and they are hitting New York in huge numbers. Typically found in bedrooms, bed bugs are a nocturnal pest that feed off of the blood of humans. Now that this pest problem is getting worse and worse, we are beginning to see bed bugs in public places such as subways and buses.
Remember when the Fox News Studio in NYC was infested with bed bugs? Yeah, bed bugs are real, and here to stay. Since human bed bug inspections are not the most accurate (30% – 40%) we recommend a K-9 bed bug inspection dog. (~90% accurate). We employ Inspector K-9 for bed bug inspections. Please contact us if you think you have bed bugs, or would like more information about K-9 inspections.
If you think you aren’t going to be affected by bed bugs at one time or another, you’re probably wrong. Bed bugs infestations are on the rise and they don’t care who they are disturbing. In Franklin County, Ohio especially, where bed bugs have affected not only those low-income renters who originally were thought to be the only ones affected by these pests.
Holiday Inn has announced that they are rolling out a new service in London and Manchester. The service?
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