New York City Spends Between $10 Million and $40 Million, Per Year, on Bed Bug Control

Posted on December 12, 2011 with No Comments

The financial impact of bed bug control has been significant.  Just one bed bug in one room can start a bed bug infestation.  Although bed bugs are not known to transmit disease, their bites cause allergic reactions, such as severe itching and inflamed welts (red bump, ridge or swelling of unbroken skin). Bed bugs are causing social and economic hazzard to owners and residents of apartment buildings, as well as hotels and public buildings.

In a recent study, Rajeev Vaidyanathan, PhD, associate director of Vector Biology and Zoonotic Disease at SRI International, explained:

“New York City alone spends between $10 million and $40 million per year on bed bug control, and these numbers are repeated in other major cities across the US. Over 95 percent of pest control agencies reported bed bugs as a priority in 2010, thus superseding termites as the number one urban pest.”