Monthly Archives: February 2012

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Latest Bed Bug Incidents and Infestations Incident Radius: 30000 Miles 2614 COUNTRY ROSE CT, Madison, Wisconsin, United States, 53713 (2024-10-03) Edgewater Apartments 8525 106a Ave, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5H0K1 (2024-07-24) New Cambridge Lofts 10024 Jasper Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5J 1R9 (2024-06-21) #12 14504 108th Ave Nw, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5N1G8 (2024-04-22) Fern Lodge 460 E Fern Ave, San Bernardino, Redlands, California, United States, 92373 (2023-11-20) 143 Eighth Street, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, MV83C9 (2023-11-20) Underwood Senior Living 4850 Underwood Ave, Douglas, omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68132 (2023-11-02) 550 Westwood Drive South West, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, t3c3t9 (2023-10-29) 125 550 westwood drive southwest, calgary, Alberta, Canada, t3c3t9 (2023-10-29) BOB 550 WESTWOOD, WESTWOOD, CALGARY, Alberta, Canada, T3C3T9 (2023-10-29) We cannot vouch for the truthfulness of any report on this site. If you feel a location has been reported in error, or want to dispute a report, please contact us.

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Bedbug bill causes rash of debate in House subcommittee

Posted on February 1, 2012 by admin Click Here For Article

Little bugs opened a big debate in a House subcommittee hearing this afternoon.

Lawmakers heard conflicting – and at times graphic – testimony on legislation that would rewrite landlord-tenant law concerning bedbug infestations in rental housing.

The bill in question, House Study Bill 520, would add new requirements for tenants to report bedbug infestations to landlords, and potentially impose much more financial responsibility on tenants for exterminating those infestations.

Bedbugs are tiny parasites whose bites can cause itchy rashes. They thrive in furniture, linens and clothing, and are particularly problematic in multi-unit residences, where infestations can spread from one unit to adjacent ones.

(The specifics of their feeding habits on sleeping humans were described in graphic detail by one witness, prompting subcommittee Chairman Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, to admonish him that some people had not yet eaten lunch.)

Infestations have become more common across the country in recent years, and several landlords and landlord groups testified this afternoon that lawsuits over bedbug remediation have become more common and costly.

Landlords describe current law as far too onerous on the owners of rental property, and said the remediation responsibilities and lawsuits now result threaten their ability to provide housing at a reasonable price.

“We are not attempting to put all burden and responsibility on the tenant,” said Iowa Landlord Association Vice President Rex McClaflin. “Rather, we want them to accept responsibility in addition to our own so that we can successfully deal with this appropriately and economically.”

“This is a very serious burden to the state of Iowa because … this has the potential of bankrupting landlords,” McClaflin added. “So it has to have some kind of resolution that’s fair and economical.”

The state Attorney General’s Office, however, views the bill as throwing the burden of bed-bug remediation far too heavily on the tenants.

Bill Brauch, the director of the office’s Consumer Protection Division, said he had “never seen legislation so unbalanced on one side against the other.”

Measures in the bill require tenants to inform landlords of bed-bug infestations within seven days of moving in or within 48 hours of noticing the presence of the insects, and put the tenant on the hook for the entire cost of exterminating the pests – including for other units in an apartment building – if they fail to comply within those time frames.

The takes away incentives for landlords to address the problem at all, and is particularly threatening for elderly, handicapped or less sophisticated tenants who may not understand their requirements for addressing an infestation, Brauch argued.

“We need the landlords to work with the tenants to try to find a way to prevent this,” he said. “But to shift this burden, legally and cost-wise, to the tenants is just wrong. It’s just wrong.”

The meeting adjourned after about an hour with no action taken by the three-lawmaker subcommittee. Rogers said the subcommittee members would discuss the issue further, and suggested another hearing could be held before a vote is taken on sending the bill to the House’s full Judiciary Committee.

Tags: bed bugs, Bill Brauch, Iowa Attorney General's Office, iowa house, Walt Rogers

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More bedbugs discovered at North Mianus

Posted on February 1, 2012 by admin Click Here For Article

Exterminators called to North Mianus School after a bedbug was discovered there Wednesday found a few more of the insects Friday.

District spokeswoman Kim Eves said workers from Parkway Exterminating, based in Valhalla, N.Y., worked over the weekend to search and treat the area. The bugs were first found in a staff bathroom Wednesday, and three other live bugs were found in a classroom, in and around carpet squares stored near a wall that separates the staff bathroom and the classroom.

The exterminators discarded the carpet squares and also opened up a section of the wall between the two rooms to steam clean and vacuum it, Eves said.

The high heat from steam cleaning kills bedbugs and is often used to treat large areas, such as schools.

Eves said the exterminators also brought in bedbug monitors, which use carbon dioxide to attract the insects, which feed on human blood.

Parents were notified of the developments Monday via letters sent through the district's ParentLink system.

According to the letter, no further evidence of bedbugs was discovered after the building and bedbug monitors were checked on Sunday.

"The exterminator believes that the problem has been resolved," wrote North Mianus Principal Angela Schmidt. "However, as a precaution, we will continue to use the bedbug monitor every night this week to determine if there is any possible concern."

Coincidentally, the insects were first found at North Mianus the same day that the district held a forum to address the discovery of bedbugs at Hamilton Avenue School late last year.

At the forum, Dr. Gale Ridge from the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and chair of the Connecticut Coalition Against Bed Bugs, gave advice to families who are concerned about their children bringing bedbugs home from school. She said parents can have their children remove their clothes and put them in the drier for 20 minutes, since the high heat kills the bugs. Parents can also inspect books and backpacks for the insects, which are flat, brown and about the size of an apple seed.

John Goeller, who has three children attending North Mianus, said he wasn't too worried about the discovery.

"I understand you get that many children together, you're always going to have something like that happen," Goeller said. "I appreciate what the town is doing about it, and certainly our school."

Nearly eradicated in the developed world after the 1950s, bedbugs have rapidly made a comeback over the past decade. International travel is believed to be the main culprit behind the resurgence, though Ridge said at the forum she believes international trade was likely to blame.

A video of Wednesday's presentation can be viewed at http://www.greenwichschools.org/gpstv.

Staff Writer Lisa Chamoff can be reached at lisa.chamoff@scni.com or 203-625-4439.

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More bedbugs discovered at North Mianus