Manhattan Bed Bug Registry Infestation Maps, Residential and Hotel

Common bedbugs dont spread diseases, but they are an itchy nuisance

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If you are a light sleeper like me, you can definitely feel it when bedbugs crawl on your skin.

My brief encounter with these ravenous insects in a prestigious manoir near Paris last year left me with long lines of red wheals down my back, arms and legs, and an itch so unbearable and relentless that I had to take prescription-strength antihistamines for more than a week.

Fortunately, I knew the simple, immediate steps I had to take to keep the apple seed-sized bugs from coming home with me. Many others havent been so fortunate. As it prepares for millions of visitors to arrive for the 2024 Summer Olympics, the city of Paris is battling a significant resurgence of these blood-sucking bugs, in the words of Emmanuel Grgoire, the deputy mayor.

Not only are bedbugs now in peoples homes, they are also in hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, cinemas and public transportation systems and are rapidly spreading throughout France, says Grgoire. He is urging the countrys federal government to act immediately to rein in the crisis, starting with financial assistance so that lower-income families can afford effective treatment for their homes. Professional extermination usually requires several house calls, costing well over 900.

But the state of panic has been fuelled by social media posts and international news coverage that exaggerate a much less serious problem, says Arezki Izri at the Sorbonne Paris North University. There is no scientific evidence of any increase in infestation rates this year, despite all the media attention.

The only existing survey of bedbug infestations in France showed that 11 per cent of French homes were infested between 2017 and 2022. Izri thinks rates in 2023 are probably about the same and are roughly equivalent to rates in other major cities in Europe, Asia, North America and Australia.

People are going crazy over a media buzz, he says. I had a woman call me in a panic today threatening to jump out a window because shes terrified she brought home bedbugs from a trip. What we need is better education about these bugs.

Common bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) and tropical bedbugs (Cimex hemipterus) are two of about 90 species in the Cimex genus that consume human blood, with the other Cimex species mainly targeting bats and birds. They can harbour up to 40 kinds of bacteria, fungi, parasites and other infectious agents, but so far there is no evidence that they transmit any diseases to humans.

Still, their saliva causes mild to severe allergic reactions in up to 90 per cent of those they biteand can bring about secondary skin infections and sleep deprivation. They can also lead to psychological issues, mostly related to the stress of getting rid of the bugs and social stigma, even though studies show socioeconomic status and cleanliness have nothing to do with infestation rates.

Humans and bedbugs have been cohabitating ever since they both lived in caves 11,000 years ago and probably before. Eighty years ago, potent insecticides like pyrethroids began to be used wipe out large populations of the bugs in industrialised nations. Entire generations of people came to know bedbugs as something almost folkloric.

That was until 1990, when bedbugs started making a comeback, as mutants that survived insecticide treatments gave rise to lines of genetically resistant bugs. Despite news reports suggesting a sudden epidemic, Paris has actually been hosting a gradually growing population of bedbugs for decades.

The strong revival of tourism following the end of covid-19 lockdowns could, in theory, have increased the risk of infestations in Paris especially given that France is a hotspot for tourism and that French people tend to travel a lot, says Izri. That equates to millions of tourists swapping beds as they move luggage that could be unwittingly carrying parasitic passengers from hotel to Airbnb to overnight train couchette, then back home.

While the bugs cant fly or hop, they are adept crawlers that can easily run from one apartment to the next in the same building, and they can travel on used furniture as well as on peoples clothes and bags wherever they go.

Importantly, though, this doesnt mean France is exporting bedbugs across the planet. On the contrary, says Izri, it is possible that many of the countrys bedbugs are imported from the UK, the US or any other country with its own resident bedbug population.

To reduce risks, travellers should check mattress seams for tiny black waste stains, keep luggage closed and up high or in the bathroom and immediately hot wash and dry clothes once back home. If an infestation occurs, people should act quickly and without panicking to place clothes, pillows and blankets in -20C (-4F) freezers for two hours, and have other items professionally heated to 180C (356F). Chemical treatments should be avoided, as they contribute to insecticide resistance, pollute the environment and generally give a false impression of being effective, says Izri. If you experience an adverse reaction to bedbug bites, consult your doctor.

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Paris's bedbug problem is probably no worse than other major cities - New Scientist

As a result, experts are saying now ismore important than ever to wash your sheets andtowels thoroughly.

Recent reports have foundthatfreshly washedtowelscontain190,000 counts of bacteria increasing to17 millionafter justone dayof use, and soaring to as high as94 millionafter aweek.

Bathroom experts atShowers to You have conducted their own research which claimed to find thatover1 million UK residents only wash their bathroomtowels once a year.

While guidance shows thattowels should be washed after three uses,2,200 UK residents were surveyedand found that many were using theirtowels for much longer before giving them a freshen-up.

However, its not all bad news for the nationsbathroom hygiene, with almostone in five(38%) respondents stating they wash theirtowelsonce a month, almosta quarter(24%) washing theirtowelsonce a weekandone in 20(5%) health conscious residents washing theirtowelsevery single day.

Martin Smith, the founder ofShowers to Youcommented: The bathroom should in theory be one of the cleanest rooms in the home, however, our research shows that many people across the country could be ignoring a key step in ensuring proper bathroom hygiene.

While its encouraging to see the data shows the majority of respondents are keeping up with regularly washing their bathroomtowels, everyone should ensure they are ensuring a regular routine of washing theirtowels in line with guidance from health professionals, especially for those who only give theirtowels an annual wash.

If you are worried or think you may be infested by bedbugs, these are some key signs to look out for according to theNHS.

If you have bedbugs you will need to contact your local council or pest control service.

Wash your bedding, curtains, and clothing in hot water and dry them on the highest dryer setting. Put stuffed animals, shoes, and other items that can't be washed in the dryer and run it on high for 30 minutes or more.

Use a stiff brush to scrub mattress seams to remove bedbugs and their eggs before vacuuming.

Excerpt from:
Bathroom bedbug warning sent to all Brits following outbreak - Glasgow Times

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Having just recovered from a bed bug epidemic scare back in August of this year, we barely got a moment to have a breather before new reports started circling of a new outbreak last week. Bed bug infestations are no fun and are incredibly difficult to get rid of - even though there are ways how to get rid of bed bugs, do not despair - resulting in hives of itchy bites on affected homeowners. So this is not the kind of news anyone wants to hear.

And now the panic is further intensifying as bed bugs have apparently been spotted on the London Underground. But before we start freaking out ourselves, we went to our pest control experts to find out whether there actually is a new bed bug epidemic. And if so, why?

(Image credit: Future PLC/Carolyn Barber)

According to reports, the bed bug epidemic is coming from Paris this time, crossing the channel with travellers.

Its been reported that Paris has had a recent outbreak of bed bugs and that theyre on the way to the UK, confirms Dr. Jonathan Kirby, pest expert at NOPE!. Though bed bugs are an all-year-round pest, you do tend to find theyre most prevalent in August and September. So it could simply be that other factors are at play such as increased travelling and unseasonably warm weather this time of year.

But perhaps the situation is not as dire as the media makes it seem. At least not yet.

We have had a slight increase in call outs but wouldnt say there is an epidemic, says Sarah Beck, operations manager at The Pest Master. But she puts the increased spreading largely down to travel, even though she believes its often difficult to determine where they come from as they are master concealers. The more that people travel the more risk of them spreading around.

(Image credit: Future PLC/Keith Henderson)

But how do these biting, blood-thirsty creatures find their way into your best mattress?

Paul Blackhurst, head of technical academy at Rentokil pest control that has experienced a 65% increase in bed bug enquiries year-on-year, explains they dont just crawl in through open doors or windows. They need to be carried in.

Bed bugs exhibit an excellent hiding ability, concealing themselves in various nooks and crannies within bedrooms, including cupboards and carpets,' he notes. They can seek refuge in upholstery such as sofas, curtains, and chairs, extending their presence to unexpected places such as the seats of planes, trains, and coaches.'

'These cunning pests are adept hitchhikers, readily latching onto humans for transportation, driven by their attraction to body heat and their insatiable need for their next blood meal.'

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Wreford)

Thats why travel is such a common way to bring bed bugs into your home. In the summer months in particular, when families come back from holidays abroad, bed bugs can be transmitted far easier,' stresses Dr Jonathan.

'In fact, we found that 60% of Brits dont wash all their clothes they took away with them on vacation and 75% dont clean their luggage either so infestations can set in once a family is back from their summer break.' Lesson learned. Always wash your clothes and luggage once youre back from holiday.

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Jonathan is a developmental chemist and pest expert atNOPE!. From pest control to masonry protection, he has dedicated himself to helping protect UK housing stock through the development of new and innovative products.

Before settling into your holiday accommodation, carefully examine the bed, mattress, and surrounding areas for any signs of bed bugs, such as dark stains, faecal pellets, shed exoskeletons, or even live bugs,' advises pest control expert Paul.

And if you do find signs of bed bugs in your hotel room, it is recommended to alert management, request a refund and change hotels. As switching to another room likely wont be effective enough since bed bugs can be transmitted via housekeeping carts.

Remember, it doesnt matter if youre in a five-star hotel, a budget hostel or enjoying the comfort of your own home - these bed bugs are far from picky!

Continued here:
Is the UK facing a second bed bug epidemic this year? This is what ... - Ideal Home

Steamed Starbucks employees are spilling the beans over allegedly gross conditions at the companys Manhattan flagship.

Since Tuesday, workers at the coffee moguls upscale Reserve Roastery store in the Meatpacking District, the first Starbucks in the Big Apple to unionize, have been on strike, protesting cleanliness issues they say have become a venti public health hazard.

This includes a moldy ice machine that we are not equipped to properly remediate, still in current use, as well as the more recent situation with bed bugs being found in the Roastery this past Sunday, Laura Garza, a longtime Starbucks worker of 22 years, told Patch.

Proper protocols and communication to partners regarding bed bugs has been scarce we are left in the dark, Garza said.

Garza added in a Thursday press release that she had gotten sick from attempting to clean the mold from the ice machine without proper training, and the bed bugs were just the last straw for us. We cannot risk bringing that home.

A spokesperson for Starbucks told The Post that the allegations are without merit.

Store management was made aware of a potential pest issue. They arranged for pest control service to inspect and treat the property per protocol. they said. Monday, the provider visited the Roastery location and found no infestation or insect activity. The pest control service gave the location the all-clear to re-open on Tuesday.

The spokesperson added that last week there was a wiring issue with one ice machine and that Starbucks had the unit replaced within 48 hours.

Starbucks is also currently investigating the legitimacy of the photos depicting the mold, per a company source that asked not to be named.

But employees insist theres a serious problem.

[The air] is unsafe to breathe in, its not safe for us, Kosmopoulos added. The mold gets in our ice. We try our best to pick it out when we serve to customers. Weve had employees clean out the ice machine and get sick from it.

And they dont buy the companys line on the bed bugs, either.

They called in a specialist, the specialist found no nest, but on Monday there was another bed bug found in our managers office, striking employee Athena Kosmopoulos told Vice. Once you find one, honestly, its already there. Its a huge problem. Its a really big space you cant tell me that theyre not nesting.

The protest comes amidst ongoing union negotiations between employees and Starbucks across the nation, along with the announcement of another Reserve Roastery location opening soon at the Empire State Building.

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Bed bugs and moldy ice: NYC Starbucks workers strike over alleged ...

Q: I live in a small Manhattan co-op. Last summer, my apartment had a bedbug infestation, which I treated by calling an exterminator. The process entailed multiple visits and cost several thousand dollars. I never billed the co-op, partly out of embarrassment, even though I might have been able to. I later learned that my upstairs neighbor also had bedbugs and treated them on her own. Now a year later, the board is updating its proprietary lease so that the treatment of bedbugs is entirely the responsibility of tenants. Can it do that? Do any state laws govern a co-ops response to bug infestations?

A: New York City tenants, including co-op shareholders, are entitled to live in apartments free of bedbugs. As the landlord, your co-op board is legally obligated to exterminate bedbug infestations and prevent them from returning, although the rules dont say who has to pay for the treatment. The city gives landlords 30 days to deal with the issue. The co-op is also required to file an annual report with the city and provide residents with a written notice of the buildings bedbug history.

Theres a practical reason for this: Bedbugs like to move around, frequently spreading to neighboring apartments, which could explain why you and your neighbor had an infestation around the same time.

The co-op is in the best position to handle a building-wide infestation, said Lisa A. Smith, a real estate lawyer and partner in the Manhattan office of the law firm Smith, Gambrell & Russell. The board can call a qualified professional who can treat the affected unit and inspect neighboring ones. The neighbors are not going to do that among themselves, Ms. Smith said.

Treating the infestation is one thing. Paying for it is another: The board could foist that bill onto shareholders. Most co-ops and landlords pay for extermination costs, while tenants pay for the costs associated with preparing their apartments for extermination and containing the infestation. The real cost is the prep, Ms. Smith said. Tenants, for example, often replace mattresses and sofas, and dry clean and wash all their clothes and linens.

Look at the proposed change to the lease and see what it says. Per city and state housing rules, the board cannot abdicate its responsibility to exterminate. It can pass extermination costs along to shareholders, but you can push back; those costs are not extraordinary for a building, but they may be large enough to stop an individual shareholder from coming forward about an infestation.

For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate.

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Can My Co-op Charge Me to Get Rid of the Bedbugs in My Apartment? - The New York Times

One of the nasty and vexing creatures are the bed bugs. To the untrained eye, the bites of the bed bugs could be confused with that of the other insects. From itchy red welts to black spots, rust spits and musty odor; are some of the most common signs that tell the presence of bed bug infestation.

Unlike the blood-suckers or mosquitoes, the bed bugs inject a numbing agent before biting. Each of the bugs feeds about 10 to 15 minutes per week before they return back to their hiding place. The most common sign of a bite from the bed bugs are the splotchy welts that appear in a zigzag pattern. You have to look out for specific signs and symptoms to be assured that there are no bed bugs in your house.

Here are the 5 signs to watch out for in order to be assured there are no bed bugs present in your house.

These are the signs to watch out for to be assured your bed is not infested with bed bugs. The absence of the above-mentioned signs would confirm the absence of bed bugs in your home.

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5 Signs You Don't Have Bed Bugs - Glen Environmental

A womans tweet about bed bug bites and the pain she received while flying business class on an Air India aircraft caused quite a stir on the Internet. Saumya Shetty posted a photo of reddened bumps on her hands caused by bed insect bites to the microblogging site.

Shetty claimed that she was flying from Newark, New Jersey to Mumbai with her three children on July 18 and was denied a seat change until thirty minutes before landing the next day after appealing twice.

Shetty, who is located in Manhattan, followed up on July 20 with a tweet saying that Air India had yet to contact her about the inconvenience she had experienced. What an #airindia #businessclass would do to you? AI still has to get in touch with me in spite of my repeated attempts to get in touch with them, she added.

Talking tothe media,the 36-year-old said that she was met with a callous attitude every time she reached out on their helpline numbers.

She said, I called their helpline yesterday and asked for a refund of my tickets. I was given an email ID to write a complaint, but the mail bounced.

She was instructed to travel to a local carriers office to pursue her complaint.

According to her, The lady executive (at Nariman Point.) told me I have been mailing on the wrong email IDs. I asked whose fault was it, in that case.

The woman said Id be given a waiver, that is, Id not be charged the penalty fee for canceling tickets. When I said I wanted a refund of the tickets, she countered me by saying that I still traveled on those tickets, she added.

Originally posted here:
Bed bug bites: Air India offers waiver rather than refund to the tourist - BOL News

Manhattan Bedbug Semi Truck Treatments - 888-269-6210 - 531 Trucker Bed Bug Reviews - Rating: 5.0

Most people think of their bed at home when they hear bed bugs mentioned. What they dont realize is that bed bugs can live in your vehicle just as easily as your home. This is very concerning for people that make a living in their vehicle and especially those that use it as a home away from home, such as Semi Truck Drivers. After a long day at work, no one wants to come home to a bed with bed bugs in it. If you are having to deal with bed bugs biting you all day while working and at night while you are sleeping it can seem unbearable. Let us get rid of the bed bugs so you can get the good nights sleep and be fresh and ready for a new day on the road. We always work with you to find the best time and place to meet for treatment so your schedule is less impacted.

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Manhattan | Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Semi Trucks | Bed Bugs ...

Signs of a Bed Bug Infestation

Youll sometimes read that when you get bed bugs, youll know, but this is notalways so. Bed bug detection can be very difficult, and any infestation can easilygo undetected, particularly during the early stages when only a few bugs or eggsare present.Even a qualified bed bug inspector will be challenged when the entire infestationconsists of only one or two bed bugs or eggs that are present on a piece ofluggage that made it back to your house after a recent hotel stay or a trip to thesupermarket.Dont expect more obvious signs like bites to tip you off to the presence of bedbugs either, as they can often resemble those of other insects. A more accurateway to identify a possible infestation is to look for physical signs of bed bugs.When cleaning, changing bedding, or staying away from home, look for rusty orreddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses (caused by crushed bed bugs), darkspots (bed bug excrement), eggs and eggshells, which are tiny and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger, or look for the more tough tospot but still more obvious presence of live bed bugs.But the best advice is not to guess. If you think youve got bed bugs in the Bronx, give us a call!

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Bed Bug Exterminator Manhattan

The Week

Prosecutors in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sought a new arrest warrant Wednesday for Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with killing two people during an Aug. 25 protest against the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man now paralyzed from the waist down. The prosecutors said Rittenhouse has violated the terms of his $2 million bond by moving without informing the court or providing his new address. After a court filing sent to Rittenhouse was returned as undeliverable Jan. 28, Kenosha detectives visited Rittenhouse's listed address and discovered another man has been living there since mid-December, prosecutors explained. It is "extremely unusual for a defendant facing a charge of first-degree intentional homicide in Kenosha County to post cash bond and be released from custody pending trial," prosecutors said in their motion. "Rarely does our community see accused murderers roaming about freely." Along with Rittenhouse's arrest, they asked the court to increase his bond by $200,000, noting that since his $2 million bond had been paid from a "dubious internet fundraising campaign," Rittenhouse "has no financial stake in the bond" and no incentive to cooperate since "he is already facing the most serious possible criminal charges and life in prison." Rittenhouse's lawyer, Mark Richards, responded Wednesday night, saying his client is in an undisclosed "safe house" due to death threats and "has stayed in constant contact" with his lawyers, if not the courts. He said he had offered to provide prosecutors with the new address if they would keep it secret, and they declined. Rittenhouse, now 18, is accused of fatally shooting Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding a third man. He says he fired in self-defense. Prosecutors sought to amend the terms of his bail last month after video footage captured him drinking with a group of Proud Boys at a Wisconsin bar and flashing white-power hand signs. It is legal for 18-year-olds to drink in bars in Wisconsin if a parent is present, and Rittenhouse's mom was apparently at the bar with him. More stories from theweek.com5 scathing cartoons about the GOP's Marjorie Taylor Greene problemPro-worker Republicans go missingSherrod Brown publicly shames Rand Paul for not wearing a mask on the Senate floor

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Baltimore Comes In Second On Orkin's List Of Cities With Most Bed Bugs - Yahoo News