10/31/10 Bedbug Scare Leads To BedBug Scams

10/31/10 BedBug Outbreak Puts NYC Tourists On Alert

FORGET the threats of terrorist attacks or cyber warfare – what is really terrorising New Yorkers is a tiny creature just a fraction of an inch long that is extremely itchy.

Cimex Lectularius, otherwise known as the bedbug, has struck some of the city’s most famous institutions, including the Empire State Building, the United Nations, the Waldorf Astoria and Bloomingdale’s.

The worst infestation of the blood-sucking parasite for decades has hit so many places that Michael Bloomberg, the mayor, has set up a bedbug advisory board, because he fears they could damage the city’s tourism industry. He also plans to appoint a “bedbug czar”. There is even an iPhone app, bedbug alert, which warns of infestations.

With the United States seized by bedbug hysteria, Joel Stein, a columnist for Time magazine, described how his wife forced him to take off his clothes and shower on entering the house after travelling.

“We were once a nation deathly afraid of statistically improbable but powerful things: witches, communism, Mexicans taking our jobs,” he wrote. “Now we are freaked out about bedbugs.”

The parasites have no respect for authority. Last weekend trained dogs were sent into the UN headquarters to sniff out bedbugs that had embedded themselves in a set of antique chairs in a conference room. They were quickly replaced with bug-proof plastic and steel chairs before any diplomatic incidents.

The Waldorf Astoria is being sued by a Florida woman who claimed her daughter was bitten while staying there. The hotel insists it found no evidence of bedbugs in her room.

Last month the Niketown store had to close for fumigation, as did Victoria’s Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch. Bloomingdale’s was also hit, although officials were quick to make it clear that they had found just one parasite in its 59th Street premises and this was quickly disposed of.

Empire State Building officials found a bedbug in the basement and the Lincoln Center for performing arts announced that it had discovered traces of the vermin the day after its annual autumn gala, attended by the stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Natalie Portman.

Some entrepreneurs are trying to cash in on the hysteria by staging Bedbugs!!!, a musical. The songs include Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite! and He Pierced Me.

The iPhone bedbug alert shows maps for 10 cities with red dots to represent places where the pests have been found. Reports are constantly updated and users submit their own sightings. The app also has a “bedbug tutorial” explaining what to look for or how to tell if you have been bitten.

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10/31/10 Don’t Let BedBugs Bite At Home Or A Hotel

The less a frequent traveler thinks about hotel rooms, probably the better, but let’s indulge for a moment.

All the comings and goings mean hotel rooms are prime candidates to host the tiny creature that has been getting plenty of press lately: the bedbug. All it takes is a traveler with bedbugs at home to bring the tick-size creatures in, most likely in the luggage.”I don’t point the finger at the hotel industry, but it’s a problem they need to address,” said Jeffrey White, research entomologist for resource site BedBug Central, based in Lawrenceville, N.J. “The responsibility is on people who have infestations at home and are bringing them into hotels.”

The bad news is most hotels have grappled with the bugs at some point, White said. He has found bedbugs in hotels two times in the last 18 months.

The good news is that he’s not too concerned. “The percentage of rooms with an issue is very low,” he said. “I just don’t want to stay in a room that’s overly infested.”

How does the road warrior guard against an infestation and, even more important, avoid taking them home? White said he begins by placing his bag strategically in the room. That means not dumping it on the bed first thing. Some experts suggest using the luggage rack; others say leave your luggage in the car, if possible. White leaves his bag on his hotel room floor, away from furniture.

“The biggest concern is the suitcase itself – that’s how they hitchhike,” White said.

Next, White looks on and behind the headboard for evidence of – “disgusting as it is,” he admits – bedbug fecal matter, which looks like small black spots. Then he gets on a knee to look for bugs on the bottom of the box spring. They particularly like the seam on the staples on the box spring’s underside, he said.

Should you make it that far without evidence of the insects, you’re probably fine. But BedBug Central also has a specific recommended routine for returning home: Because the bugs can’t survive above 120 degrees, wash your clothes in hot water and run on a hot dryer cycle when you get home before reintroducing them to the rest of your wardrobe.

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10/30/10 BedBug Invasion Not Leaving Minnesota Or Wisconsin Anytime Soon

DULUTH-Ten years or so ago, bed bugs weren’t a problem, but now, Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the leading states for this blood-sucking bug.  And, the worst part, they’re here to stay.

Experts say bed bugs are at their prime across the country and in the Northland, multiplying in places where a lot of people live, such as apartments.

“I woke up in the morning, a couple mornings in a row because I had bites all over my legs,” said Callie Good, a senior at UMD.

An exterminator was on the scene Friday at the Tri-Tower apartments in Duluth. Building officials said they couldn’t confirm if the problem was bed bugs because their director was out of town.

But, residents there said they’ve been warned about potential bed bug problems.

It’s a common concern that’s now growing even into your home.

Todd Leyse, a national bed bug speaker and president of Adam’s Pest Control, which covers the Northland.  He said you’ll usually find bed bugs when it’s too late.

“Bite marks on a person, blood spots on sheets, mattresses.  Third thing would be cask skins or live bugs themselves,” said Leyse.

The best advice to kill these buggers, call a professional.

“This is not the sort of pest for do-it-yourself-ers are going to see success with.”

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10/30/10 Bedbugs Strike Cal Poly

San Luis Obispo, CA — Cal Poly has joined the ranks of New York, Philadelphia and Detroit: bedbugs have invaded. There have been recent reports of insects entering Cal Poly dorms and causing red, splotchy spots on some students’ bodies.

Bed bugs tend to inhabit dark crevices and seek out furniture, beds, clothes, suitcases and backpacks; they typically feed every week to week and a half on sleeping prey. Bed bugs are not known to transmit any blood-borne diseases. The Tribune suggests preventive measures are to keep your room clean and wash bedding regularly.

Cal Poly officials say they have been taking measures to eradicate the quarter-inch bugs.

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10/30/10 Bedbugs Invading Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. — Bedbugs have made their way to Portland, according to Multnomah County health officials.Officials said it’s becoming an increasing problem with more and more people reporting an infestation in their homes.The pests are spreading through travelers’ suitcases or purses, and even from person to person, especially in small spaces that are packed with a lot of people.That’s why TriMet officials said they’re doing all they can to keep public transportation pest-free. Their crews clean buses every night, a spokeswoman said, and the transit agency would take direction from the health department if a cleaner spots a bedbug.TriMet is not seeing a problem with bedbugs, the spokeswoman said.While officials with the county health department say bug numbers are nowhere near an epidemic, it’s still important to be aware.The good news, they said, is that the bugs don’t spread diseases. The bad news? They multiply quickly, their bites can leave an extremely itchy welt and the blood suckers love to hide in mattresses.

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Bedbugs Move Into The Northwest

10/30/10 NYC Bedbugs Scaring Off Tourists

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s bedbugs have climbed out of bed and marched into landmarks like the Empire State Building, Bloomingdale’s and Lincoln Center, causing fresh anxiety among tourists who are canceling Big Apple vacations planned for the height of the holiday season.

Some travelers who had arranged trips to New York say they are creeped out about staying in hotels and visiting attractions as new reports of bedbugs seem to pop up every few days. And officials in Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration are concerned about the effect on the city’s image and $30 billion tourism industry.

The discoveries of pests at high-profile places are often not full-blown infestations, or even in public areas. Bloomingdale’s reported finding exactly one bug in the famous department store, the Empire State Building had them in the basement and Lincoln Center’s were in a dressing room.

But those reports, along with bedbug discoveries in movie theaters, hotels and clothing chain stores, are causing skittish travelers to call off trips planned months ago.

Industry professionals — who have privately told city officials that they are nervous about bedbugs hurting New York’s reputation — say publicly that they are not aware of any bedbug-related cancellations. But several would-be tourists tracked down by The Associated Press say they are aborting their trips here because they fear the bloodsucking pests.

“It sounds like you can get them anywhere, any time of day and not know it until you get home,” said Patty Majerik, from Baltimore.

She said she may not travel to Manhattan next month with her children, ages 7 and 10, like they do every year around the holidays to shop, catch a Broadway show and see the Radio City Christmas show.

“I’ve got four people traveling on a train, in cabs, going to stores and theaters, and they could be in any of these places? I hate to say it, but I doubt we’re going to come this time,” Majerik said.

Suzanne Baldwin said she is forfeiting money spent on reservations for a November trip to New York City from her home in Florida. She had already grown accustomed to checking hotel rooms for bedbugs — and has done so in New York before — but she is now overwhelmed at the idea that the bugs have spread beyond hotels.

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10/30/10 Forget Bedbugs, Miami Beach Has Hookworms

Chicago and New York are currently freaking out about silly little bedbugs. They’ve even hit the United Nations building. Miami Beach has far scarier infestation problems: hookworms! The parasitic pest borrow through people’s skins before eventually finding their way into the small intestine and stomach. They’ve already infected 15 people. Health officials believe that cat poop is the culprit.

Officials have found an apparently alarming amount of cat feces up and down the area of 50th and 65th Streets along the beach. Feces is a common breeding ground for the parasites.

Miami-Dade County Health Officials are not sure if the hookworms have yet invaded the sands of Miami Beach.

Once infected, the parasites may be hard to detect but are treatable. The best advice is to try to avoid them in the first place, which means basically staying away from cat poop and wearing shoes even along a stroll on the sand.

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10/29/10 Expert Dr Michael Potter On How To Beat Bedbugs

Reports of bedbug infestations have some of the nation’s college students “creeped out” and wondering which campus will ‘host’ the next outbreak.

Dr. Michael Potter, entomologist at the University of Kentucky and expert on pest control, says the threat of bedbugs in the United States is real and returning, after 50 years peace from the pests.

Bedbugs have built up immunity against less effective eco-friendly insecticides today and are not easy to get rid of. Chemicals containing DDT have caused health concerns and are no longer used. Preparing homes and rooms for cleaning is difficult. Instead of chemicals, heat is used to kill the pests. Fortunately, bedbugs typically infest a few rooms, not whole buildings.

Dr. Potter regards the return of bedbugs as an unwelcome nuisance rather than a surprise. High numbers of people in metropolitan areas increase the likelihood of bedbug infestation. Never before has there been such high movement of people from place to place or have people collected so much “stuff and clutter” as they have today, he said.

Is any place more cluttered than college dorm rooms?

Should Marian University students be concerned about bedbug outbreaks on campus? Bedbugs have turned up on other campuses, as well as in theaters, stores, and offices.

Yet Dr. Potter claims that in general, “People should be unconcerned about encountering bedbugs in those places.”

While annoying, bedbugs need not throw people into hysterics or unnecessary worry.
Students should know that bedbugs move by hitch-hiking on luggage or furniture. To survive, they crawl into cracks and dark places, such as the folds of sheets or the seams of mattresses.

According to Potter, at night these insects “the color of an apple seed and only slightly smaller,” emerge from their hiding spots to sup on their necessary dose of human blood, although they can live up to three months without feeding.

Bedbugs can survive in furniture other than beds, but they tend to stay there. Potter points out, “Why crawl further than you have to for your next meal?”

Dubbed the ‘perfect parasite,’ these “very efficient critters” bite you while you sleep, in the dark, and scurry away when finished. They do not remain on their hosts, and bites are painless. However, today’s America is not comforted by the thought of crawly creatures lurking under their covers.

Potter states, “We live pretty much vermin-free, especially in the developed world.” We feel entitled to clean living and are disgusted by the thought of insect invaders.

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10/29/10 Bedbugs Move Into The Northwest

PORTLAND — They have ravaged New York, caused serious problems in Los Angeles, and now some believe bed bugs have started biting their way through the Pacific Northwest.

They can be almost invisible to the naked eye. Bed bugs are tiny insects that feast solely on human blood, more than doubling their weight with each feeding.

Rabia Yeaman said these tiny creatures have up-ended her life. “I didn’t know they were real. I thought it was just a little children’s rhyme like everybody else,” recalled Yeaman of her first impressions of bed bugs.

But then she learned first-hand they were real. “I started to have what looked like bites and I really understand why,” said Yeaman. Two years ago Yeaman discovered the bugs in her home. She had heard of bed bugs in motels, but never imagined she’d have to deal with them.

“I got them from a neighbor who got them traveling and was too afraid to tell,” said Yeaman. It took six months of chemical treatments to kill the infestation. She held on to two of the dead bugs to educate others about what they look like and warn that they are here.

Mark Schmidt, with Sprague Pest Solutions, said the Portland area has seen a recent spike in bed bug infestations. “Portland has a significant issue in my opinion. It’s changed dramatically in the last two years,” said Schmidt.

“Part of that, we think, is an influx from the Olympics and the amount of travel that came into the Northwest,” Schmidt added.

He also said it’s not just a problem in multi-tenant housing or even single-family homes. “The next step for this problem will be things like move theaters, maybe medical offices, places like the DMV,” he said.

Schmidt even says work places are at risk. “They spread into the cubicles and set up shop.”

Sprague often uses dogs to sniff out bed bugs because the insects often like to hide in tight places around zippers and seams. People can whether they have bedbugs by overturning their beds or dust ruffles and looking for damage or droppings on the mattress.

Multnomah County health officer Gary Oxman said because bed bugs are a not reportable condition the county has no accurate way of monitoring them. But he did not yet consider them a problem.

“The bugs don’t carry disease. We don’t consider it to be a major health threat at this point,” said Oxman.  He encouraged people to educate themselves about bedbugs. It just takes a couple to start an infestation.

After her experience with bed bugs, Yeaman set up a website detailing her six-month long ordeal.

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