Tell us what you think about bed bugs in New York—we hope you will be guided by the simple principles of civility and honesty. And we regret that we will remove reviews of pest control providers even if they appear to be sincere. Thanks for your understanding and support!
- The work of New York vs Bed Bugs has ended -- this site remains as an archive. We're making things simple and easier to maintain but we'll bring back the photographs our friends allowed us to use (perhaps you liked them too).
- Check out the innovative work of the Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force
- HPD has streamlined the registration page for its online bed bug course and is now offering community classes for non-profits and tenant groups. More details here.
- Featured interview: Steven W. Smollens on landlord / tenant litigation history in Bedbug City
Okay, I’ll go first. I sent my personal letter for our campaign to my council representative today. It was painless.
I’ll follow up with a phone call next week.
http://www.bedbugregistry.com/metro/nyc
No one is talking about how bad the bed bug epidemic is in New York. Do these people work with you in your building?
I was bite about 1 month ago and was scared to death.
I live with 2 other roommates. They honestly do not care and say they can live with them and they will not give you cancer. Horrified to pass this to anyone else. They actually told my landlord and super that they could live with the bugs, IT’s okay, after i called to complain. They said I can’t believe this is the first time you have dealt with this. It’s common in other countries. They don’t just going tearing down the beautiful castles because of bed bugs. Its not like getting mugged.
They are not allergic to the bites and either don’t get them or don’t react to them Meanwhile, I have done everything, I can to not spread and eliminate this bug. I am living in plastic and chemicals. 60 days now… They go to work and just carry on like it is nothing. THEY are spreading bugs to there friends, work place and the public.
After the second pco, I hired the K9 bb dogs to come in an check out the apt, to make sure they were gone. Because before this we had not found a bug and everyone was saying its in my head and i was still getting bit. no bug as evidence. They multiply so fast
Any how, The dogs found 3 places in my apt and them I caught one in a trap. I thought, I had brought one home from the movie or subway. The dogs hit they were in my roommates room and the living room. i know think they were living with this and don’t feel the bites. I am extremely allergic, so by the time they got to my end of the apt. I knew day one.
I had to threaten to take my roommates to Housing court to get them to help do the proper prep. One has clutter stacked to the rafters and still did not get rid of one piece of old junk. She had no time to prep. Just moved some of her stuff over to friends. One is on a work visa and wants no trouble.
Instead of letting me help them clean and inspect there stuff, because now they are just moving, breaking the lease. Not because of the bugs, but because I have been so angry with them.
They just packed it up tight and are bringing it with them to there new apt. They spend the night at their friends, ride the subway, go to fancy firm and do not have time to clean there clothes and seal in plastic and do all the things need, to not pass on to the public. They are a menace to society. I want these people reprimanded and educate the public.
Hi Sue,
I think that there is actually more information and awareness out there. More people have heard of bedbugs and understand how prevalent they have become in the city. But this does not mean that people will want to talk about it or believe it can happen to them. Bedbugs can be scary, gross and unpleasant. Who wants to think about bedbugs unless they absolutely have to? Many will not really understand until they or someone close to them is affected.
But sharing information and facts with people can only do good. Even if they don’t completely get it, they will remember what you say and it may help them down the road. You can try to spread of awareness, just do it calmly if you can and matter-of-factly. You can tell people how bedbugs have affected you. But lecturing will not work. Also key is to have low expectations; you shouldn’t be disappointed if people don’t understand or don’t want to discuss it.
As for your roommates, it can be hard for some people who are not allergic to the bites to help. I hope you can soon put this behind you.
More education is definitely necessary. We can work on that together, yes? Thanks for your comment. Don’t forget to write your council representative!
All the best…
One major problem with this bug is that there is no easy way to rid them. Experts state that 50% of the population do not react to the bites. Out of the 50% that DO react to the bites, I would guess only 50% of THOSE people are attempting to rid them, protect themselves and the spread. There are many thousands of people that are spreading these bugs unknowingly and knowingly. The numbers of reports are way off in that so much of the population not reacting alone….
Detection of this bug, even by professionals is very very difficult. People have hired PCO’s gotten inspections, come up with nothing and then about a month later when the infestation is really bad, the home owner finally finds a bug. At this point it’s too late, infestation is bad, spread through out the home, car and most likely their job as well. It’s a -very sad and unbelievable situation for todays time.
In severe infestations, even when you have an experienced PCO, ridding them 100% is very very difficult and many times when you think they are totally gone, they are not. This also continues the spread because by the time the person realizes the bugs are still there (due to no early detection) it’s too late.
In addition, after families spending all that they have on many pesticides in the home, still getting bit, ridding expensive furniture, belongings, living out of plastic for months and months….it would help the economy greatly IF a reliable pesticide were to come on the market, use it once and that’s it. No more mountains of plastic, furniture going to the dumps, less amounts of pesticides going into the environment. This epidemic is greatly hurting our environment due to resistance and pesticide treatment methods available.
Lastly and just as important. The psychological impact on people effected is truly devastating. I don’t think it’s just because there are bugs eating at you while you sleep. You it was possible to just treat and be done with it, that would be a God send. The bigger impact is from the living in an infested environment for a long period time during this months of repeated treatments, slowly ridding everything you own due to infestation and/or decluttering for these treatments. The experience is much like going through a fire or flood in the home but much much worse. You yourself is the one ridding, decluttering, walls, floors items get permanently damaged from mishandling from techs and pesticides. This problem sucks every penny out of you and none of it is covered by insurance. I would believe there are many families eventually on the street due to the economics of this. If having to make a choice, I would much rather lose my home, belongings to a fire. It happens in one day, you can collect under insurance and slowly recover your life.
With this epidemic and how much it has spread, it takes months to rid the bug, then you go to a movie, restaurant, or child comes home from school and it starts all over again. How is a family to recover financially from something that doesn’t end? Having peace and safety from this is now at an end.
Now for some rambling….How is one to treat non treatable items? Computers, toys, etc…the answer is, unless you get fumigated with vikane, you cannot. You bag these items of 18 months or rid the item. This effects how children learn, people work, everything one does in a normal environment. Shame on the US for having let this get so far and so many people suffering.
Many “signs” show that my family may have gotten these bugs once again. If this shows to be true, then we are all in big trouble because all I’ve done is shop at the mall and go to eat at some restaurants. I believe that if major steps and changes aren’t made soon, unless we live in a bubble, everyone will be living out of plastic and will have bedbugs unfortunately. The bugs are already in thousands of work places and now even reported on public transportation. In other countries it’s reported to have bed bugs out scurring during the day on trains. How to people NOT bring these things home. They just do, like it or not.
Yes awareness is critical. Unfortunately, that is just the tip of the iceburg due to politics and the all mighty dollar. I hope there’s a day when some one with the political capabilities is man enough to do the right thing and resolve this.
-Paula
—Oh and for those wondering, I’m not in NYC but live in Sussex County NJ. We are in a single family home. The spread of this is wasy out of hand, not just in NYC and major cities. Homeowners don’t have it any easier…Between loses and professional treatments it has cost many many thousands of dollars for single family homes, and then to find after six months of treating, structural fumigation, to get re-infested????? If the government did rescue their own people from a hurricane, what’s the possibility of them doing anything about this????
Hi Paula,
Thank you for your comment. I’m so sorry that you suspect you may be experiencing a reinfestation. I sincerely hope that you will emerge from this fight very soon and I hope that you are receiving the best pest control advice and assistance.
We are committed to our work in advocating for change in this very complex problem, and we are very mindful of experiences like yours.
Thanks for sharing them.
Paula said: If the government did rescue their own people from a hurricane, what’s the possibility of them doing anything about this????
Hurricane Katrina: The government was way too slow to respond to this disaster. And now, those people, almost 2 years after the fact, are living in squalor in crime-rampant trailors gated by fences. These people have no money and nowhere to go. Their communities, after 2 years, are still not rebuilt. This is the government’s response to the crisis. They are forgotten by us, the public, and the government.
I’m afraid it’s going to be a looooong time before the government does something, if anything at all. Waiting for the government to do something is a waste of time. And the harsh reality is that this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. I’ve read articles where there are increases of 600-700% of bb cases each year. And these are the ones that people know about.
Actually, we don’t think it’s a waste of time or we wouldn’t be doing this. And we’re doing “this” because other cities have shown us that it can be done.
Don’t lose hope. It may take a while but change will come.
It’s also important, in order to be effective, to be measured and positive in our approach and keep the focus on what can be done.
I hope you’ve sent your letter(s) to your representatives, PrettyGirl. Please don’t think it’s a waste of time because we need your help.
I’m sorry you got the wrong impression from what I wrote. I never said that what you are doing is a waste of time. I think what you are doing is great. I think ‘waiting for our government to do something’ is a waste of time. I hope you see the difference. I’m not being sarcastic here and never was. I was just trying to be realistic :)
And I’m sorry. But I do feel that writing our representatives is a waste of time. For me anyway. I’m just a little nobody, one person. Who is going to listen to me? This is the way I’m thinking and feeling. I’m really all for these blogs and forums on bbs…..really!
I just wanna say “thank you” for starting this blog. You are trying to do something and that is great.
No worries, PG. We’re all in the same community and have the same concerns.
But, here’s the thing, NYvsBB is not a blog or a forum really. We’re not just here to talk about bed bugs. We’re an advocacy group, and you can be a part of our efforts.
It is not a waste of time to write. The letters that we are asking people to write for this campaign for a Bed Bug Task Force are being tracked. And, yes, unless there are really a great number of letters, there will be no results. There are legislation proposals out there but they will never make it out of committee until people start to demand action. If everyone takes your view, then we will be here forever trying to make change and getting nowhere. I’m not prepared to be here forever and not get anything done.
So, why don’t you write a letter anyway, even if you don’t really think it will make a difference? It will take two minutes of your time, it will add to the number of letters that we are tracking, and it will matter. It will matter to us.
To Whom It May Concern, I can’t seem to locate anywhere on your site where you can JOIN your group. Could someone please let me know what criteria you’d be looking for for new members? I’d be interested. Thanks, Monroe
By the way PG, I’ve been told personally from someone at Gale Brewer’s office they they need more letters, that it will make a difference if we write. That’s part of why this group exists, to help mobilize New Yorkers.
You say you feel like a “little nobody, one person.” Imagine though if we all joined together, we could be a force to be reckoned with!
So many laws that are in place today are a result of grassroots organizing. Why not us?
Oh no, that’s not good. I’m so sorry!
You can just contact me for anything at all!
We’ve started a google group to make it easy for people to join us:[our google group is no longer active]
But no one is taking me up on the offer. ;)
Send me an email, monroe!
renee at newyorkvsbedbugs dot org
Can I sue for fraud if my landlord knowingly rented me an NYC apartment infested with bed bugs? While (well-regarded) management firm has taken the efforts to exterminate, they did so only AFTER I reported them and after they feigned ignorance. Three months later—and failed promises of reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs—the bugs still haven’t gone away.
Thanks for you all of your help!
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
Unfortunately, we still do not have a clear picture of all landlord/tenant issues with regard to bedbugs in NYC. I don’t know the conditions under which NYC landlords face liability for failing to disclose latent defects and whether a bedbug infestation would be considered one. The issues seem to be: a) whether the landlord has a duty to disclose and b) whether you can prove that the landlord deliberately concealed the infestation. Since the rental of already infested apartments is an increasingly common scenario, I’m sure these issues are being tested. Brokers too… although they probably operate under much clearer rules that determine when negligence occurs. I strongly suggest that you consult a lawyer with bedbug litigation experience.
You may also wish to consult tenant advocates, like http://www.metcouncil.net/
About the bedbugs though… the reason they may still be around, of course, may be that the infestation is larger than your own apartment, in which case the property management needs to coordinate inspection and treatment. Sometimes people have luck educating their landlords about how things should be done to actually get rid of the bedbugs in the building, not just move them around from apartment to apartment. It may not be something you are willing or able to take on but just want to say that it has worked for others in your situation. Something to consider.
Elizabeth, you probably already saw this but in case you haven’t, the recent NYSun article on landlord/tenant bed bug lawsuits referenced a case where the tenant is claiming fraud.
Because moving is so risky, however, I would still encourage you to find some common ground with your landlord, if that is still possible.
Chicago in the house… Just having my say, and I say I love what you’ve done with the place, Renee.
I’ll stop back soon and fill you in on what’s going on over at Chicago vs. Bed Bugs. Hey, maybe we can even have a conversation about our activism goals right here on the Have Your Say page!
:)
Thanks for your encouragement, Jessica.
Maybe we should talk shop here… that would be nice.
So, we’re using this page for now for discussion. Suggestions for alternatives, or indeed for any changes anywhere, are welcome.
A draft press release and a draft of the report are owed, by yours truly. Soon.
Thanks…
A- I sent postcards, thanks!!
If anyone else wants our lovely postcards to distribute anywhere, let me know.
Renee, if it made any sense for you to mail them to me here in Chicago so I could distribute them for you, I’d do it in a second!
How are those drafts coming along? I wonder what you’re planning for the press release… I can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with. The possibilities are endless, no? Remember, if you need any help or want to run anything by me, I’m here.
I took a little time off over the holiday, but I’m back to working on our to-do list over at Chicago vs. Bed Bugs now. My next priority is to draft a letter to send to Illinois Senator Heather Steans. My goal, at least right now, is to make her aware of our organization and our mission, and to let her know that we could really use her help. I chose to start with Senator Steans because she recently worked to amend and reenact a structural pest control bill here in Illinois (!), and because she seems quite involved in health and human services legislation. I’m only hoping to establish contact at this point, but you never know. We’ll see how it goes!
Okay, Renee and New York vs. Bed Bugs, I’m off to do some work. Happy advocating!
:)
Hi Renee and Jessica!
I have an architectural suggestion: for the time being, we may not be able to or wish to have a forum.
But we could consider ways of organizing a discussion on the blog.
One suggestion is to have — on the Have Your Say page, links to subpages on different current topics. (They could be proposed here.) So for example, in the post above, it could say, “How can we get more people involved?” and this would link to a subpage (we could make subpages not part of the regular nav. menu).
It would be like a forum, but we’d be starting the threads (though not necessarily declaring the need for a new one; anyone can do that!)
Just an idea.
And here’s a brainstorming topic: what do we need to talk about?
1. How to get more people involved.
2. ?
(Please add your own!)
:-)
Hi Jessica, that sounds really good, and I’d be interested to see that bill. And… I’m working on it! I actually think it’s not going to be bad… definitely will want feedback.
Nobugs, good ideas. I have a feeling this is not going to work but I hope it does! And someone new joined our group, which always makes me happy. I think she’ll find her way here soon.
And one thing I want to talk about is how to approach social services providers/agencies/non-profits to join this effort. Because they have to be overwhelmed and if they only talked to each other (and we somehow facilitated that) we could make some progress with the city. Insights, suggestions, etc.
I really appreciate this, thanks.
Hey Renee and Nobugs!
Renee, here’s the link to the Structural Pest Control Act Amendment (Bill HB4407; Illinois General Assembly):
The amendment reenacted the Act itself, because the Act was inadvertently repealed and therefore left at least some areas of structural pest control in the state of Illinois without state regulation for several months. At least that’s what I gather from what I read.
Nobugs, I really like the idea of organizing this discussion page into a cleaner format with subpages for different topics. If I remember correctly, you did that on Bedbugger before you added the forums, no?
I just wonder if it might be better to do that when there are more people participating here? Something tells me (and I could be wrong) that visitors might be less likely to jump into an organized discussion than they would to jump into a disorganized, say-what-you-want-where-you-want conversation? I don’t know. I’ve thought about organizing the Discuss page at Chicago vs. Bed Bugs, too, but I hesitate to do so because there are so few people discussing anything at this point. I guess I want to keep it informal until it becomes apparent that the conversations are becoming unmanageable…
I know you guys have been discussing things elsewhere for awhile, though, and hopefully your advisers will continue to participate now that you’ve moved the discussion to this page. The need for an organized format here might become necessary pretty quickly. Hey, you could always try it out and change it if you need or want to!
And Renee, my friend and mentor, OF COURSE IT’S GOING TO WORK. It’s just going to take some time, that’s all.
You will get the help and support you need eventually, I just know it.
Hugs from Chicago to both of you.
I live in jersey city and in Sept of 2008, I rented an apartment, I paid rent from the beginning of the month to hold the apt although I would be moving in on the 15th. little did I know i finally moved in on the 20th and thats when the issues began, I couldnt get the lights turned on becaue the previous tenant owed an enormous utility bill, and the landlord would not assume responsibility. Iwas forced to pay a $500.00 depoist in order to have them turned on, suffice is to say i spent nearly a month because i didnot have themoney. during said time we slept in the apt for several days and were repeatedly bitten by what we thought were mosquitos… after speaking with another tenant I come to find out that they are in fact bed bugs, i immediately contacted the other tenant and the previous tenant who lived there and was confirmed to have moved due to that issue. Suffice is to say, the landlord was aware of the issue and had a PCO in to exterminate another apartment in the buiding but not any others. we have since been battling with this issue, I withheld my rent at one point and invoked my right to use the security act as the information was never sent to me (inclusively the landlord sent me an email stating that I was a month to month tenant, then later insisted that she sent out a lease(48 days after the fact and my complaint)because i invoked my right I was asked to leave once i lived out my security, she sent me an email stating I had said i was moving out and hasnt yet sent me the copy of said email as i requested it from her after her email. Ihavwe had to throw out all my furniture and replaced it, to the tune of 4986.00, which i havent finished paying, and now in order to move or when i move i must discard and replace that too. My children are not sleeping well andits a nightmard, I have decided to sue my landlord for the cost of moving, furniture reimbursement and medical expenses. she stated she is bringing me up on fraudulent charges….any advice?
Hi Diane, I’m very sorry for your troubles.
I think you should consult a lawyer right away. Make sure to keep records, notes and documentation of everything and get competent legal advice as soon as possible.
As far as moving, I just want to gently warn you that moving bed bugs is very, very easy, even when you throw away everything as you intend to do. So, you should also consult a pest control company to advise you on how to treat your belongings. There is something called commodity fumigation where your stuff is loaded on a truck and treated by professionals. This is reportedly very effective and, perhaps, cheaper than buying everything new. But you need to research the providers. I’m sorry I don’t have a recommendation for you. Research commodity fumigation or Vikane fumigation in New Jersey, or contact the manufacturer of Vikane for a referral, Dow. Thermal treatments, if available, as well as conventional treatments in your new home obviously, are also an option.
Good luck…
I really like the “Where’s out task force?” box!
Renee,
“And one thing I want to talk about is how to approach social services providers/agencies/non-profits to join this effort. Because they have to be overwhelmed and if they only talked to each other (and we somehow facilitated that) we could make some progress with the city. Insights, suggestions, etc.
Good question.
I wonder if getting one or a few such folks on board could help us snowball into a larger group discussion? What about Ray Lopez? Have you approached him as to whether he has contacts at other community groups and/or if they feel a discussion with counterparts might be useful? Ray’s org, Little Sisters of the Assumption, may be unique in its hands-on approach, but I suspect some other groups are trying to help. And if they’re not, the interaction would probably be of even more benefit.
Jessica– yes, the forums at Bedbugger were predated by the “Tales of Woe” threads. Those were blog posts (not pages), and a new one appeared each week. However, they were only on one topic: tell us your problem, ask us questions. And the reason was that BEFORE those T.O.W. threads, people would just post problems and questions in every news post on every topic. It was insane. A total free-for-all.
I made the suggestion because I have discovered on Bedbugger that many if not most people don’t tend to read comment threads. So they will ask a question in the comment thread that the previous commenter just asked and had answered by someone. But you’re right, there may not be a critical mass just yet.
Ray will participate in our conference, when we get it off the ground.
That’s great, of course. I guess my point was that– to figure out how to approach people in social services and get them on board, it might make sense to ask people in social services.
Bed Bugs hate lavender (e.g. lavender oil, lavender pot pourri, lavender air freshener, lavender scented cleaning fluids, lavender scented detergents). Some tenants in my building have gotten bed bugs and bites. Not me. And I’m a very allergic person. I think they stay out of my place because they hate being there, since I’m a lavender maniac.
moussette,
I am sorry to say that I don’t think lavender will prevent bed bugs biting you or taking up residence in your home. I can say this from experience.
Experts say many (as many as 70% of people, though we are not certain) do not react to bed bug bites.
So they may not be in your home yet, or you may have them and not react. I’d encourage you to talk to your landlord about getting a careful professional inspection.
Cincinnati’s bed bug conference was a bust. The conference appeared to be an attempt to comoflauge the fact the the local governments have no idea what to do. Their effort to brand bed bugs as “vermin”, thus requiring property owners to shoulder the burden of the cost of treatment, further demonstrated that they are seriously lacking in any formidable policy. To compound the insult, vendors were allowed to set up to sell their bed bug control products at a cost that was embarrassing (17 oz. can of Bedlan: $25.00 + tax). The number of local residents who were present seeking relief of the infestations was comprised of lower income individuals: those who certainly were not capable of spending $25.00 for a can of Bedlam. Another brainstorm of the local government was to require local pest control companies to provide bed bug treatments at reduced costs to public employees (firemen, policemen, to be precise) for bed bug treatments. What a democrat idea! The scope and spread of the problem will not diminish until such time that the “silver bullet” is found. Until then, the levels of infestations will only increase. Perhaps the wasted “bail out” money should have been used to help lower income families treat their bed bug infestations, thereby mimimizing the risk of the spread. Persons with infestations must realize that the majority of mitigating a bed bug infestation rests squarely on their own shoulders: pest control companies may be able to provide effective treatments, but only residents can clean up clutter and launder their personal items. The bugs can be delt with, but it is an ever so tedious and time consuming process. Any questions are welcomed.
Hi Rich, thanks for your comment.
I’m sorry you feel that way about the conference and the local government’s efforts on the issue of bed bugs in Cincinnati.
We, on the other hand, think that the JBBTF strategic plan is the smartest bed bug policy document we have read. The vermin classification, I will concede, is a bit more complex a decision and certainly has a potential to be a double-edged sword. And I hope the contract for bed bug treatments for fire and police personnel was negotiated, as such things usually are.
I actually do think that we can slow and eventually stop the spread without a “silver bullet” — infestations can be eradicated more quickly and efficiently so that they do not generate more infestations. But that takes knowledge and money and will.
I’m sorry that your outlook is so pessimistic, although I confess I am also pessimistic most days. But not today.
Finally, your statement:
…as you can imagine, can be entirely reversed:
Pest control providers must realize that residents can assiduously follow instructions and cooperate with treatment for weeks on end, but bed bugs will not actually be eradicated from the premises unless technicians provide knowledgeable and detailed inspections, targeted applications, all-around smart bed bug management, and actually know what they’re doing in the first place.
See how that works? There are bad experiences on both sides.
We’re all in this together, Rich.
The only enemy is the bed bug.
Renee:
Strategic plans look wonderful on paper…just like President Bush’s “shock and awe” plan for Iraq. Regrettably, implementing what is on paper and achieving the desired results are sometimes at opposite ends of the scale.
Perhaps Cincinnati did take a turn and “negotiate” prices for bed bug services. When the problem became an issue, the City had a different posture, and deferred to forcing lower pricing.
Regarding your disagreement about the “silver bullet”, you are encouraged to become familiar with how heavy bed bug infestations are allowed to occur. I find that those who are economically able to pay for the service do so. Those who are not, do not. The ones who don’t have the service generally fall into the lower income family bracket, resulting in the spreading of the insect by “transporting” the insect to their place of employment, restaurants, movie theaters, public transportation, public housing, apartment buildings, and so on. The “silver bullet” will be a treatment that is both effective, and affordable, thereby allowing all persons with infestations the means to take care of the problem in the early stage of the infestation.
Infestations can be eradicated more quickly if all of those infested could afford the treatment. Efficiency depends upon how quickly treatments begin, and how cooperative the persons are who have the infestation. Dwellings that are not prepared for treatment, and residents who do not follow protocol, will always be a problem. You have to look at a few dogs sometimes, Renee, to figure out how the dogs’ tails wag.
I am not as pessimistic as I am frustrated. People use to live in roach infested properties until we were delivered the “silver bullets” that resolved the problem. Termites use to bring some people to tears because of the horror stories that abound from homes destroyed by infestations, until we were, again, delivered the “silver bullet”. Bed bugs will eventually have the same outcome, but I do not see that outcome anytime on the near horizon.
We are in agreement regarding your comment about trained technicians. Just like any other industry, there are those who will become profiteers when the market will allow them to do so. The one thing the City of Cincinnati had in their plans which I thought was an excellent idea was requiring PCO’s and technicians to be trained and certified in the proper treatment for bed bugs. However, it does not matter how well trained the provider of service is, if a person cannot afford the service, then the infestations will continue.
We are not in this all together, Renee. There are the haves, and there are the have-nots. Cincinnati’s population consists of many have-nots. The City’s response to the problem was only a well orchastrated response in their effort to save face in the eyes of those watching.
As it stands now, those with the $$ will be those who rid their homes of bed bugs. I personally provide support to have-nots in an effort to help slow down the problem. I offer what I can, and I do so without expectations of any sort of gratification. Condemnation of being a poor businessman has not caused me to loose any sleep, rather it has given me the ability to sleep better by knowing that I have provide some help to those less fortunate.
So, let us keep our fingers crossed that Mike Potter and Rick Cooper come up with that “silver bullet” some time soon. In the mean time, should you discover something yourself, I will trust that you will be inclined to share it with all of us. Kindest regards.
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Renee,
We are a company in Texas that was contracted by the US Military to provide a product for parasite control to be used in the MidEast. This includes the Bed Bug along with Fleas, Lice and Mites. It provides instant death to the victim using a biological formulation of cedar oil and silane fluids. No nasty chemicals. The hospitality industry is fast finding that there is no alternative to this dynamic product. Apartment dwellers can easily and inexpensively apply this solution with a fogger machine or by spray and eliminate the bed bug issue instantly. The Canadian government has approved this product as the only solution acceptable for use in around human beings. It can be sprayed directly on the bedding or furniture. As you may or may not know, the pyrethroid materials the PCO folks use is not effective on parasites and are very harmful to humans. We currently sell huge volumes of this to folks in New York City and to several of the more prudent Pest Control Operators. The reason we have more parasites now than before is not a difficult question to answer. It is simply because we are not killing them. Since the demise of the organophosphates and carbomates, Dursban and Diazinon, which were nerve gas by products of WWII, we have not been killing the arthropod. The EPA in its wisdom removed these dangerous chemicals from the market at the turn of the century. It had hoped that biological products would replace them. To date, CedarCide Industries appears to be the only company that has produced formulations that are effective. The answer to the Bed Bug dilemma is simple. Start killing them. If everyone would do so rather than trying to control them, the population would diminish rapidly. Anyone that is serious about getting rid of Bed Bugs should be using this BEST YET product. We are available to assist them if they desire.
Dave,
Would be interested in knowing if you have shared your “cedar oil and silane fluids” treatment with Dr. Potter at the University of Kentucky. There are lots of “green” alternatives being introduced in the pest control industry. I have found that some work sometimes, and others don’t work at all. Regarding your comment that we need to begin killing bed bugs…that’s been our objective all along. The “control” occurs when we have completely killed all stages (eggs, in-stars, and adults). You are correct when you state that the removal of such pesticides as organophosphates, bendiocarbs, and the like, decrease PCO’s ability to kill and infestation quickly. Sometimes, though, government can be more of a problem than a help. Lot’s of us “old timers” grew up with chloradane (a mild form of DDT). When the gov’t. decided that it contained to many carcinogens, poof!! It disappeard for use in commercial and residential accounts (although farmers were still allowed to use it). Personally, I think changing the label on the product (making label applications more strict) would have been wiser. After all, there are a lot of people who grew up in households where chlorodane was used on a regular basis, and, to the best of my knowledge, none of us have grown six fingers, an extra leg, and we are alive and kicking…some well into their 80′s, 90′s, and more. Back to the cedar oil application, I think that the actual cause of the oil being fatal to the insect is that it “coats” the exoskeleton of the insect and smothers it. After using our vacuums at a job, we always have to be concerned that we don’t leave any eggs or insects inside the hoses or other internal parts of the vacuum where the insects have been sucked up into. The bugs are very resilient, and their trip through the hose and into the filter will not kill them. If we are not careful, we will risk transporting the insects to other job sites or back to our stores. To prevent transporting them from one location to another, we apply corn starch on an area of flooring, and vacuum the corn starch up. The corn starch will coat the outside of the insect, causing it to smother and die. One of the “green” tools I like to use is diamataceous earth. The product is not a pesticide/insecticide, however when using, you need to exercise care in not to inhale the dust. D-earth, when looked at through a microscope, appears as very fine broken pieces of glass (you can see that if inhaled, it could cause some irritation to the respiratory system). When the insects crawls across an area that has been “dusted” with the d-earth, the d-earth will “scratch” the exoskeleton of the insect, causing the insect to dry-out and die. Very effective. The operative word when using d-earth is “dust”. It needs to be applied so that, after the application, the area treated looks like my end tables and coffee tables after a week of not dusting. Just a light dusting will do the job quite nicely. Too much and the insect will crawl around the “pile” rather than walk through the dust. Again, back to the cedar oil, when fogging with the cedar oil, is there any residual left? Have you been successful in getting the fog into areas such as wall voids, electronics (computers, tv’s, telephones, etc.), and areas such as behind baseboard and door/window moldings and wall paper? Are the fogging applications used on a regular basis to kill eggs that
hatch and come out after the treatment? Regarding your comment about pyrethroids not being effective on parasites, that is not totally true. In fact, the only parasite that we have problems with is, you guessed it, the bed bug. Pyrethroids, permethrins, and deltamethrins are all effective in treating for ticks and mites. The cause of some strains being resistent (not all strains of bed bugs are resistent to pyrethroids) is that the bed bugs’ ancestors lived overseas (Asia, Europe, or elsewhere). Those countries never ridded themselves of the problem like we did in the USA. After decades of being subjected to those sorts of pesticides, the next generations developed an “immunity” to them. Also, before the airline industry became financially strapped, passenger and cargo compartments were fogged with Vikane (instant death…to insects and humans if breathed) on a regular basis. The fogging helped control the bed bugs that would wonder around inside of planes for extended periods of time, untill finally hitching a ride on someone’s clothing or inside of their luggage. The last of the chloropyrofuss’ and bendiocarbs left our shelves about 5 – 6 years ago. And, we quit using chloropyrofuss’ and bendiocarbs to treat for roaches about 10 years ago (which would also kill any bed bugs that present in addition to the cockroaches we were treating for). Roaches used to be impossible to get rid of until baits, growth regulators, and non-repellants were introduced. But when we started using the baits and other products to treat for cockroaches, the secondary kill effect on the bed bugs was lost…so they begain to multiply. Today, a roach infestation, no matter how large the infestation is, can be mitigated in 90 days or less…gone. So this whole problem with bed bugs didn’t evolve overnight…it has taken about a decade of lots of different things going on to make the right environment for bed bugs to thrive in the USA. So, maybe the EPA, in all of it’s wisdom, out wised itself!! But I am certainly interrested in hearing more about the cedar oil and silane fluids applications. Please feel free to email me at aokbugstore@msn.com.
Rich, the comment left by Dave Glassel to which you are now responding was deleted last night by me. I have now restored it, for the sake of clarity in this conversation, but will be posting a comment policy, something I did not want to do, as soon as possible. I had posted a reply to Mr. Glassel which I also deleted. I am opting to keep that deletion intact, for the sake of civility.
Renee,
Your meter of deception should be rewarded. Sometimes civility in the promoting of commerce interferes with ones morality!! Congrats on the restraint.
Thanks– I need to stay positive in order to do this work, so I’m officially over this small argument. Dave is free to post a reply here to you if he wishes. We all want to learn more and sort out the things that matter. I opted to not have any rules, other than an obvious no-spam rule.
The enemy is the bed bug. And whether some of us don’t yet realize it or not, we are in this together.
Ref. to Paula’s comment regarding the treatment of computers, toys, etc.
Those sorts of items can be successfully self-treated, albeit this is a bad time of the year for some items that won’t fit inside of a dryer. This past summer, we had excellant results in shrink-wrapping desk top computers & computer periphial, televisions, and telephones, and placing them out in the direct sun…all day. The temp. was 85 – 89 deg. F., so what resulted was the inside temp. of the shrink-wrapped items reached temps. above the 120 deg. necessary to kill the bugs and eggs. The items need to be exposed to the heat for 4 – 5 hrs. or longer to be effective. Another thing that could be done is to place the items that will fit inside of a dryer, and heat them on a “hot” setting. For lap-tops, telephones, and other items that will fit inside of a dryer, you can purchase a rack (approx. $20.00) that attaches to the front, inside portion of the dryer. A lap top and telephones and other smaller items will sit on the rack. Rather than sell my customers bed bug encasements for pillows, I recommend that they buy an encasement for $6.00 at a local Wal-Mart, and when they launder their bedding (which should be done twice weekly!!), remove the encasement and launder it, too. The pillow can be placed in a dryer, again on a “hot” setting, to kill any insects and insect eggs. Hope this helps.
ZOMG! You put electronics in a dryer?!? That is daring, isn’t it? Nothing was damaged?
Rich, now that the media has focused attention on Cincinnati’s bed bug task force and, well, Cincinnati’s bed bugs, period, is there any effort to restart some of the processes that were begun, allocate monies, or are these things good and dead over there?
Renee,
Actually, electronics are excellant conveyors of heat. If you think about it, electronics get pretty hot inside when in use. As to wheter or not Cincinnati is going to reinstate their inspection process, I have not heard anything. It is unknown to me what they are having their residents do, other than I have read that the city and county are telling people who call in that there is nothing they can do to help them. The city and county’s effort to make the public aware of the growing problem was successful. What killed their other initiatives was, in my opinion, their ideas of shifting the responsibility of treatment to a landlord. Just as recently as yesterday I had occassion to visit an apartment of someone who had just moved in, and they had were complaining to the landlord about bed bugs. When I arrived at the apartment, I was shocked to see that the resident who had just moved in, was the same resident who lived at an apartment complex whose apartment I was in two months ago for the same problem. The last conversation that I had with the landlord was that they were going to tell the person to leave. I suppose the next legal issue that we will hear about is whether or not a landlord can refuse to rent to someone who has a bed bug infestation. That will be interesting!!
Well, that will be more than interesting, I agree.
But not unprecedented. Historically, there have been measures of this type. But it would be very short-sighted to try to implement them without proportionate education and assistance.
I worry about where we’re headed. And I strongly disagree with you about the landlord issue, as we’ve discussed before, but greatly appreciate the conversation.
Are you stating that you believe that a landlord should be the responsible party for paying for a bed bug treatment? If so, how do you arive at that conclusion?
My primary concern is with the eradication of bed bug infestations. In multi-unit housing, only the coordinated inspection and treatment of all affected apartments (and continued monitoring of still-unaffected adjacent apartments), at the same time, will eradicate an infestation. This, I believe, is well-established and needs no elaboration, but I’m happy to discuss it more.
Who can put into play such a coordinated attack? Let’s just concentrate on the overriding precondition: coordinated inspection and treatment. The owner of the property is the one who is uniquely positioned to make this happen.
Now, of course, what are the reasons for treatment failure and what are the challenges? How can we incentivize people to do what is required (all parties)? How can we support those who cannot afford treatment (this category includes both property owners and tenants, unfortunately)? These are the hard questions.
But there is no doubt in my mind that assigning responsibility for eradication to the tenant will result (does result! this needs only the most cursory googling of news stories to establish) in a) unreported infestations, b) infestations that are made worse by ineffective and misguided self-treatment, c) infestations that spread and cannot be controlled because even if the tenant in apartment 3A hires a competent and knowledgeable PMP to eradicate his infestation, he can do nothing about (he has no legal authority, no rights of access, no means of compelling any actions) the bed bugs in apartments 2A and 4A.
In reality, given these conditions, we know that the property owners will pass on the higher expenses to tenants and/or will eventually seek other relief. Personally, I favor a) consideration of financial assistance to landlords in order to carry out bed bug eradication treatments (either through direct subsidies, tax relief or social enterprise pest control providers), and b) a robust public education campaign so that everyone learns about bed bugs, how and why they spread and what is necessary to eradicate them.
Needless to say, there is absolutely no money for (a) and no public will for even the cheapest methods of achieving (b).
So, we’ll be here for a long time.
Just dropping a note to say I sent a letter to my city council rep this week. It was easy, and as I said on Bedbugger.com, felt like getting a load off my chest.
It’s not the first time I’ve written/called city council members, mayors, state reps or senators on the bed bug issue. But I think it’s important to do it. They need to hear why the issue is important, from people who have experienced it.
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Renee: We agree on the landlord coordinating the scheduled treatments, but disagree on making the landlord the scapegoat for paying. Without getting into a lot of “mush”, the problem with a lot of low-income residents who receive free treatments is…since it’s free, they don’t follow the treatment protocol and do what they are supposed to. We also agree on the fact that some PMP’s are not treating for the bed bugs correctly. But, once again, you can’t treat what’s not accessible. I have actually had landlords go into the property and do the work themselves because they couldn’t get their tenant to cooperate.
Bedbugger: In Ohio, our state legislature passed a law regarding “bed bug awareness”. It was funded with approximately $300,000.00 of taxpayer money. What did the taxpayer get? A couple of new government jobs created that were given to political cronies who provide no service to the taxpayer at all.
Not being negative, just frustrated!!
Rich, was that bill passed? I thought that was still in the state legislature.
How would a landlord coordinate treatments and inspections that he is not paying for? Three infested apartments (at a certain point in the evolution of a building-wide infestation) with two of them hiring independent PMPs, and the third apartment not yet aware of the infestation. Who is going to inspect the rest of the apartments on the affected floors? The floor above and below? Who will pay? Who is responsible for that apartment with the unidentified infestation?
However, it’s quite obvious that even where the landlord is clearly responsible, it doesn’t by a long shot mean that the correct steps will be taken. That is why education is necessary so that most of the people who will eventually do the right thing will know what to do sooner rather than later. Those who cannot be compelled to do what is necessary will always be a problem. I have no answer to that.
Nobugs, thanks for this note and for reminding your readers of the importance of contacting their elected representatives. Unfortunately, this is what must be done; we must talk to politicians and public servants and really anyone who will listen. If there were a different way to get a public education campaign, we’d be on it, but we have to do the hard work of persuading people one by one that this is necessary.