Category Archives: Bed Bugs Minnesota

Here are eight travel-ready products will protect you and your belongings from bedbugs. Wibbitz - Smarter Travel

One of the last things anyone wants to see after entering a hotel room is a creepy, crawly bedbug or to wake up with bedbug bites.

Bedbugs are tiny insects approximately the size of an apple seed. Adult bedbugs are oval, reddish-brown and flat. Younger ones canbe difficult to see because they're so small.

And there's a reason they're called bedbugs: They like to lurk during the daytime where people sleep and feed onthemat night (bed bugs feed on both human and animal blood).The insects can be found in a host of places from mattresses to bedding to cracks in furniture to under carpeting and more.

Bedbugs can be found worldwide, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are not a reflection on the cleanliness of any accommodation (so, yes, even a five-star hotel can have bedbugs). They don't spread disease nor are they seen as dangerous, but allergic reactions to bites could require a doctor visit.

The bites look like mosquito or flea bites, with a swollen, red spot that could itch or hurt. They could present randomly as well as in a straight line. Some people might not have any adverse reaction to the bites, but others could see swelling.

One of the last things anyone wants to see after entering a hotel room is a creepy, crawly bedbug or to wake up with bedbug bites.(Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP)

Make this a priority.

The University of Minnesotarecommends looking at the edging andseamsof mattressesand box springs, as well as a bed's headboard. You should also check out the furniture near the bed, cracks in night standsas well as behind picture frames, where bedbugs can hide.

"If you think your hotel bed has bedbugs, you can either check your bed yourself, looking for small blood spots or small blood smears on the sheets and strip the bed and check under the mattress seams or ask the manager to organize for the housekeeper to do it for you," Maureen Spencer, travel blogger, told USA TODAY. "Take photos of any evidence you find and ask for a room change."

There's no federal bedbug law,but 21 states do have bedbug-related legislation, according to theEnvironmental Protection Agency, like ensuring hotels are maintaining cleanliness and that hotels must exterminate bedbugs before housing different guests.

Step one: Panic! (Just kidding.)

"The very first thing that you should do if you encounter bedbugs in your hotel room, or even if you have a suspicion that there might be bedbugs in your room, is to pack up your stuff and place it as far away from the bedbug-infested places as possible," Kristiana Kripena, digital and content marketing director for InsectCop.net, tellsUSA TODAY. You want to avoid the bugs coming with you to your own house, she says.

You should also obviously notify hotel staff, but do your best to stay calm.

"Remember this is never going to be something that hotel staff wants to hear," Becca Siegelof travel blog and Instagram @halfhalftravel tells USA TODAY."Actually, it's the last thing they want to hear because it's going to affect everyone staying in the hotel, their staff, their efforts in eradicating bedbugs and also their ratings online. Try to remain calm and empathetic."

Also remember that what you think is a bedbug might not be one at all.

"I cant tell you the number of times that a guest just sees a bug near a bed or on a bed and makes an assumption," Victoria Agredo, a hospitality industry veteran, tells USA TODAY. "An untrained eye checking a room for themselves really isnt that helpful. They may find something or they may create a panic over nothing."

If they are indeed bedbugs, make sure you ask to be moved to a different room (and not one next to the one where you stayed).

Jordan Bishop, founder of consumer watchdog and travel website Yore Oyster, recommends sealing your clothes and other belongings in plastic bagsand running them through a hot laundry cycle ASAP.

You can also use a garbage bag, and place that in a freezer overnight to get rid of bedbugs. For non-washable items, enlist a pest-management professional.

Cool: You can now stay in a giant guitar-shaped hotel that you have to see to believe

Hmm: Congress takes on 'hidden fees' at hotels and resorts. Here's what it could mean for travelers

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Gross! What you need to know and do if your hotel room has bedbugs - USA TODAY

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) After bedbugs were found in iPads issued to students, St. Paul Public Schools is asking students and parents to keep the devices clean.

WCCOS Kate Raddatz shares how many were affected and what you can do to keep your tablet bug-free.

In a letter that went home to families in the St Paul Public School District officials warned parents of dirty iPad protector cases after a spokesperson said bed bugs were discovered in five district-issued tablets.

It was kind of gross, one student said.

Shes a junior at Como Park High School but was not one of the students who had a bed bug issue with their tablet, which are used for school work throughout the year.

Everyone gets an iPad at the beginning of the year and then we return them at the end of the year, but students were supposed to clean them at the end of the year but you dont have to take your case off, the student added.

Thats why the district encouraged students to take their tablets out of their cases to thoroughly clean the case and keyboard with a window cleaner to kill any bacteria.

In a statement to WCCO a spokesperson for St Paul Public Schools said in part:

There is no indication of the presence of any additional pests in any other iPads. However, as the health and safety of our students are our highest priorities, we felt it was responsible and prudent to ask families to maintain the cleanliness of the devices.

Both high school and middle school students are allowed to bring their iPads home at the end of the day, while elementary school students do not.

A spokesperson for the district said there were 5 iPads affected out of the 17,000 they have in the district.

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Bedbugs Found In Cases Of Student-Issued iPads In St. Paul - WCCO | CBS Minnesota

ST. PAUL The discovery of bed bugs in five iPads prompted St. Paul Public Schools officials to issue a letter reminding parents and students to keep their devices clean.

We apologize for this situation and the inconvenience it has caused, said Kevin Burns, spokesman for the school district. There is no indication of the presence of any additional pests in any other iPads. However, as the health and safety of our students and staff are our highest priorities, we felt it was responsible and prudent to ask families to help maintain the cleanliness of the devices.

The iPads in question were found at Como High School, Burns said.

The letter, sent to all middle and high school families, gave the following instructions on cleaning the iPad, such as wiping the iPad down with window cleaner and disposing of the paper towels used in the process.

The iPads, used to support personalized learning in the classroom, were being distributed to students at the start of the school year.

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St. Paul schools say bedbugs have invaded some iPads - PostBulletin.com

Most people have heard about the freezing treatment to kill bed bugs. Naturally, a question foremost on their mind is: just how cold should it be to kill bed bugs? If you are planning to use such freezing treatment to get rid of bedbugs, then read on for important information.

Recent studies have shown that bedbugs are no longer susceptible to cold treatment. The freezing method is simply not as effective as it once was in killing these critters. The same research has proven that the blood sucking parasites have become immune and developed a high tolerance to cold. Also the experiment showed that bedbugs eventually succumb to extreme cold, it takes several days to see results. Bedbugs are actually known to have developed high cold-tolerance by lowering their bodily fluid-freezing points. This freeze intolerant strategy helps them survive in extreme cold conditions.

The bed bug or Cimex Lectularius had disappeared for many decades but has made a comeback recently. Bedbugs are now known to infiltrate student hostels, hotels and motels, cinema halls, public transport systems, airlines, buses and even schools, assisted living facilities and hospitals. Many news reports have stated that several famous cinema halls in major cities like New York etc have actually been shut down thanks to bedbugs. Bedbugs feed on human and animal blood. They insert sharp proboscis in the mammals skin to suck the blood and this leaves red welts and itchy bumps on the victims bodies.

People often use bedbug bombs, foggers, sprays and powders only to have the bugs back within a few days of this treatment. In the past, freezing treatment was known to have worked well but the new study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology has proven otherwise.

This aforementioned study was conducted in the University of Minnesota where researchers froze the bedbugs in varying life stages. They also tested the effect of cold on fed and unfed bedbugs. They exposed the adult, eggs, nymphs and larvae of bedbugs to extreme cold temperatures of -5 deg Celsius for varying lengths of time. They further reduced the temperature to -16 deg Celsius and they found that the adult bugs survived at this temperature as well. The eggs of the bugs survived in short term exposure to even lower temperatures of -25 degrees C. The study ultimately proved that the adult bedbugs could be killed by cold only through exposure to temperatures of -16 deg C or lower for a period of at least 80 hours.

This is the main reason why many museums and food facilities use standard practices of freezing possibly infested items to cold temperatures before displaying them.This safe method can also be used by homeowners dealing with bedbugs provided they have large freezers that can accommodate all infested items.

If you suspect any items of being infested, make sure you place them in a sturdy Ziploc/freezer bags. This will ensure that the bugs do not die off elsewhere in the freezer. Also, bagging delicate items before freezing them will ensure that they do not get damaged thanks to changes in condensation or moisture. Make sure that you place all infested items in freezers having temperatures of at least -17.8 deg C for a period of 4 days.If the freezer is at a temperature of minus 20 deg C, then you can reduce the period to 48 hours. That is how long it takes to get rid of all bed bugs.

The aforementioned study also studied the effect of such supercooling on the feeding habits of bed bugs. The study then concluded that 100% of the bugs could be killed with minimum exposure of 80 hours at -16deg Celsius.

Bedbugs do not carry any diseases but simply having an infestation is socially unacceptable. So while the cold temperature can be effective in killing them one has to make the following considerations:

Cold or freezing treatment is usually enough for treating bedbug infested fabrics but for other items it is best to use other techniques of killing bed bugs described on this website.

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just how cold should it be to kill bed bugs - BedBugsBites.net

Bed Bug Attorney Minnesota Minneapolis Saint Paul Duluth

Minnesota and its largely popular cities Minneapolis and St. Paul among them have recently been on the negative end of a spike in bed bug infestation cases. Reported incidents of bed bugs in hotels, motels, dormitories, and apartment complexes have increased, and people are unsure of what to do to be justly compensated for their ordeals. As a victim of a bed bug infestation, you are entitled to financial reparations for your troubles on behalf of the responsible parties. If you have lost wages, thrown away property, endured medical treatment, and underwent pain and suffering, you have ample evidence to issue a personal injury lawsuit related to bed bugs to the responsible party if they do not agree to a fair settlement. For more information on how to sue a hotel, motel, or landlord for bed bugs, continue reading below.

General Overview of Bed BugsBed bugs are parasitic insects that live in nests near sleeping quarters. They prefer to be close to their victims, as they feast on their blood at nighttime, numbing the area with anesthetic saliva and delaying any notice of the wound until much later. The insects like to be near their victims because they are not capable of flying or jumping large distances; their only form of movement is to crawl around and across surfaces. Bed bugs feed at night, but not too often; they may only drink blood once every 7 to 10 days, and can live for up to a year without any blood nourishment whatsoever. This fact makes them hardy creatures, and explains why they can be so difficult to identify: a bed bug can leisurely suck your blood every once in a while and not have to do so again for weeks or months, resulting in you questioning where you are sustaining these wounds and what the source could be. The bites themselves take a few days to appear, follow a diagonal pattern, and may swell or blister.

Where Bed Bugs DwellLocating bed bugs requires you to be very thorough in your investigating skills. You have to pay careful attention to anything near the bed that can be occupied and used as a nest, such as baseboards, wood molding and paneling, radiators, and even within the seams of the mattress itself. You should hunt for places that are warm and dark. Despite Minneapolis being able to reach very cold temperatures, enclosures are generally warmer than the air outside, and bed bugs like to stay in small, unlit places that have heat but dont let that fool you. Bed bugs have a very high tolerance for cold as well, being able to survive well into the negative temperatures.

Finding bed bugs is generally easy when youve discerned where they like to make their nests. There can be spots of blood on the sheets, darkly colored stains and piles on the fabrics (defecation; it is a brown or black hue because it is digested blood), white eggs, and skin husks left behind by juveniles.

Causes of Bed BugsBed bug infestations occur when the creatures are transported to a location in some way, be it through a handbag, on a used couch, or in a bundle of blankets from the thrift store. A dwelling, linen, bed, or mattress does not necessarily have to be dirty for there to bed bugs; they do not spontaneously generate in filth or grime. Unwitting transportation is the main reason many establishments become infested.

More often than not, management or those in operation simply do not clean as thoroughly as they should or hold their cleaning staff to very high standards. Failure to adhere to sanitation standards means hotels and apartments stay infested far longer than they should, and guests and tenants seldom pursue any action that would force the establishments to change. It is advised to collect proper evidence of the infestation, document any damages that have occurred, and sue the hotel or motel for compensation from bed bug injuries. If you are having problems with bed bugs, you can contact our bed bug lawyers to sue your landlord, or sue the hotel or motel where the incident occurred.

Apartment and Landlord InformationIn Minneapolis and other Minnesota cities, some landlords have become negligent in their cleaning and maintenance duties. You are able to sue a landlord for bed bugs if he did not clean an apartment prior to you moving in or he pre-furnished it with infested furniture and pursue restitution for damages.

There are numerous issues that can come about in the wake of a bed bug infestation:

Your landlord has the duty to provide you with a sanitary apartment, and if his negligence to do so leads to any damages, you may be entitled to compensation for the troubles.Of course, some people elect to simply move out (or in the case of hotels, find different lodging) rather than deal with pests. They do not take photos or videos of the affected areas, whether locations of bites or visible nests of bed bugs; in doing so, they lose any possible evidence they may have. Further, the landlord will usually use the defense that the bed bugs could have come from anywhere, even possibly brought in by you by mistake.

If any residual effects happen, they tend not to pursue legal action, as they believe they are not able to issue a claim because they no longer live or stay at that residence. However, the statute of limitations in the state of Minnesota on personal injury claims, and therefore lawsuits related to damages from bed bugs, is 2 years from the date of the grievance. Since problems coming from infestation often manifest much sooner than that, you are usually well within the allotted time frame to pursue restitution and sue your landlord for bed bugs.

How to Choose the Proper AttorneyOften, personal injury claims are argued and negotiated between insurance companies and lawyers. If you choose to not hire an attorney to handle your case, you are at a disadvantage if you are unaware of pertinent laws, statutes, similar cases, and rights in Minneapolis or other Minnesota cities. Additionally, merely hiring an attorney can be a risky move because of the numerous types of cases he presides over; he will likely not be familiar with the nuances present with claims dealing with bed bugs.

By requesting the services of a bed bug attorney in Minneapolis, you can be assured that you are getting the best expertise and knowledge possible in the area of infestation claims. Our attorneys have handled infestation claims across the state of Minnesota and have ample familiarity with the law and related cases. Our firm will fight for what you deserve.

Contacting any of our bed bug attorneys gets you a free legal consultation to discuss your case. We are more than happy to hear the details of your ordeal and bring you up to speed on what kind of compensation you could expect to receive by letting us litigate your case.

Because we believe our clients should be compensated for any issues that stemmed from a bed bug infestation, we also offer a zero fee guarantee on any case we take on. Our firm does not get paid for its services unless the case is resolved in your favor. We hold a moral that says your health, safety, and compensation is of the highest importance, and we only win when all of it is achieved.

If youre in need of a bed bug attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota, or anywhere else in the United States, contact our firm today.

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Bed Bug Lawyer Minnesota Injury Accident Lawsuit