7/28/2011 Bedbugs Multiply To More Places At University of Kentucky: W.T. Young Library Now Infested

Possibly as part of what experts in the entomology community are describing as a regional epidemic, bed bugs were discovered on campus for the second time in a week Friday in the W. T. Young Library.

“I was in the library using the computers on the second floor around 3 p.m. or so, when a library employee began asking patrons to finish their business on some of the computers,” UK graduate and Lexington resident Brad Vien said.

Vien said no explanation was given as to why the library employee asked them to leave, but he said some workers began to rope off areas with yellow caution tape.
“I didn’t think much of it until a little later when I saw an exterminator with OPC Pest Control inspecting all of the furniture around the computers,” he said.

UK spokeswoman Kathy Johnson confirmed, in an email to the Kernel Tuesday, that bed bugs had been found in the library.

She said that three bed bugs — “two dead and one live” were found in a “single computer kiosk.”

“One dead bug was sent to the Student Center for identification on Friday while OPC was treating there,” Johnson said. “An OPC official went over to the library right away to determine the situation.” 

Vien returned to the library on Saturday to find the public section of computers on the second floor still blocked off.

Johnson said the OPC official found no other bed bugs in the immediate area and labeled the bugs found there as “drop-off” bugs, meaning they had probably been brought there from another location on a person’s backpack or clothing, as opposed to from a colony or infestation within the library.

This week, OPC will be treating the area in the library were the three bed bugs were found, which is located on the first floor along the wall next to the Rose Street entrance. OPC also will focus on study spots and other areas where people congregate.

Since it is a public terminal, library staff have closed the public terminals on the second floor as well, where Vien was completing work on Friday, Johnson said. The areas will reopen after appropriate treatment and further inspection shows no live bugs are present.

“We’re not planning on using a heat treatment in the library because we just had a sighting instead of the need to do a heat treatment,” OPC President Donnie Blake said. A heat treatment was used on Friday to eradicate the bed bugs found in the Student Center.

“Anytime you have a public building you have the opportunity for introduction,” Blake said. “The key is if you get an introduction or sighting, you immediately do an investigation.”
Blake said bed bugs have been a common occurrence in recent years. Prior to 2003, Blake only remembers treating one bed bug case. Now, he says he and his crew are dealing with hundreds of new cases.

“Unfortunately bed bugs have become a certain product of the social realm today, and this is a common occurrence in public buildings,” Blake said. “It’s a matter of how you handle it and … I’ve never seen a group of folks that are so diligent in trying to make sure everything is taken care of than the folks down at UK.”

Some students in the library on Wednesday expressed concern about the bed bug sighting there.

“I don’t live on campus so it’s not mandatory for me to come to the library,” business management transfer Ricky Hall said. “The idea they’re around is very concerning.”
Others didn’t seem too concerned.

“I didn’t know about it when I came in today,” said Alessandra Wayne, a family science senior. “It makes me feel weird, but I have to get my work done.”

Blake said that while people are nervous about the breakout of bed bugs on campus, UK shouldn’t be viewed as a university with a hygiene issue.

“There are no preventative tools for bed bugs,” he said, adding that the success rate for getting rid of them is in the upper 90th percentile. “It has nothing to do with housekeeping … it’s all about awareness.”

Blake said bed bug cases have nothing to do with how clean a person or facility is because the bugs are attracted to humans, which they feed off of for their “blood meals.”

He has been working closely with one of the top bed bug experts in the country, Michael Potter, an entomology professor at UK, to eradicate the pests. Blake said he hopes he and Potter can create awareness in the community about this issue that has grown massively in the past seven years.

Johnson said a follow-up inspection in the Student Center Friday found no live bugs or larvae in treated areas. OPC is currently inspecting the rest of the Student Center, she said.

A heat treatment was used in the Student Center, which raises the temperature of the area to 135 degrees. According to OPC employee Justin Sells, this kill the bugs, and people can return to the area when it cools down, after about two hours. Blake said, however, that a lot of the times, the area will remain closed for further inspection.

UK’s Physical Plant Division custodial staff members are being trained to recognize bed bugs and evidence of their presence, Johnson said. Staff members are also being trained in procedures for reporting bed bug sightings.

The areas in the Student Center and Young Library will be reopened “after treatment and further inspection shows no live bugs are present,” Johnson said.

Bed bugs have not been found anywhere else on campus at this time.

Johnson said after last week’s incidents and realizing every location on campus could be at risk, UK has recognized a need to extend its contract with OPC. What was initially a contract through housing will now be extended to include all of campus. UK and OPC are currently in negotiations.

Tips for avoiding bed bugs:
—When buying used clothing at a yard sale or other places, launder clothing before wearing or bringing it home.
—Be very, very careful about used furniture. You should know the source. Inspect it for bed bugs and dark spots, which can be leftover feces, and indicate their presence.
—When traveling, make sure you inspect your mattress and box springs. Never throw your suitcase on the bed upon arrival at a hotel or motel. Always place it on the suitcase carrier.
—Notify landlords or appropriate officials immediately when a bed bug is found.

Continue Reading More: Bedbugs Multiply To More Places At University Of Kentucky

7/26/2011 BedBugs Continue To Infest The Northeast:  Barre Vermont Hotel & New Haven Connecticut Apartment Amongst Places

Bedbugs Plague New Haven Apartment

A New Haven apartment building is dealing with some unwelcome guests; bed bugs.

Residents at 114 Bristol Street have been complaining about the pests for some time. While not every apartment has bed bugs, it seems everyone in the building knows about them.

“They’re itchy and some were biting,” said resident Kezzie Staton who so far has only heard about the bugs.

According to residents, exterminators have been inside the building over the past week although they are not sure if the exterminators have been able to kill the bed bugs.

Neighbors say that they hope the problem is taken care of soon before the problem spreads to everyone.

“Management sent them over to do something about it but the point is are they doing a good job? We don’t know,” said one resident who goes by the name Robinson.

The management company would not comment on the situation.

Continue Reading More: BedBugs Plagues New Haven Apartment

Bedbugs Found In Barre Vermont Hotel

A Barre hotel is the latest victim to what officials are calling a world-wide epidemic, and bed bugs are to blame.

Bobby Weeks who found bed bugs in the hotel room said,  “We got flashlights out we found 23 of them in her bed, in her kids bed, on the floor, on the bureau.”

Weeks says his girlfriend’s room at the Budget Inn is infested with bugs. He’s now reaching out to local authorities.

Barre’s City Manager Steven Mackenzie explained, “Once we got the report it was to make an inspection, and make a determination.  In this case there were bed bugs confirmed.”

The city has ordered the Inn shut down three rooms on the second floor until they are properly treated by pest control.

Experts say travelers are a main carrier of the bed bugs, but say outbreaks are not limited to hotels and motels. In fact they say they see more calls these days from home owners.

State Entimologist Jon Turmel said, “There is that stigma, oh there are bed bugs that is dirty, that is just not true.”

Turmel says these bugs are not picky when it comes to temperature, season or location. He says they do not carry disease, or pose health concerns, but they are creepy, and annoying.

“I have gotten more calls and samples in the last two years than I have in the past 35 years, ” He explained.

Turmel suspects the reason for the ongoing bed bug problem is due to a reduction in chemical sprays used to get rid of all pests.

“We would go in to places once a week or once a month and treat all of the baseboards, and the heating units. Spray them for cockroaches. We do not do that anymore.”

Turmel says current treatments, like bed bug baits, or extreme temperatures, are more environmentally friendly, but are used once the bugs have already moved in, not as a preventative measure.

The Budget Inn says an exterminator has treated the room twice, and believes the current tenants brought the bugs with them.

Experts say at least four exterminators in the state have the temperature control equipment to kill the bugs, and two companies with bed bug sniffing dogs to help you identify if you have a problem.

Continue Reading More & Watching Video: BedBugs Found In Barre Vermont Hotel

7/25/2011 Bedbugs Hit University Of Kentucky: Student Center Will Be Treated With Heat

The University of Kentucky has found bedbugs in part of the UK Student Center.

Student center director John Herbst said a UK public health graduate student said Monday that he had found “a couple of bedbugs” in a second-floor lounge that contains upholstered chairs and loveseats.

Herbst said he saw one bedbug in the area “and what appeared to be the possibility of eggs.”

The area was closed, as was a nearby lounge. No bedbugs had been spotted in the nearby lounge, and UK officials said it was closed only as a precaution.

The affected area will be treated Friday by the university’s contractor, OPC Pest Control.

Donnie Blake, president of the pest control firm, said a heat treatment will be used on the affected area. The treatment involves machines that heat the area to 135 degrees, which kills the bedbugs and their eggs.

Bedbugs have an appearance similar to that of ticks, Blake said, and generally like to stay in cracks and crevices during the day. They are transmitted when humans with bedbugs on their clothing or bodies or in their belongings leave them behind. They are not considered a sign of poor hygiene or economic status, Blake said. He did say they are becoming more prevalent in this area.

Their bite resembles that of a mosquito, he said.

Before 2003, he said, his company had done one bedbug treatment; this year, Blake said, it will perform 5,000 bedbug treatments and inspections.

One way to avoid bedbugs is to be careful about where you place carried belongings such as suitcases, Blake said; always use the hotel room luggage rack, rather than the bed, and remove clothes from suitcases only as you need them.

He also recommended that people buying used clothing or furniture inspect, and when possible, wash the material to guard against bedbugs.

Herbst said he was sure the infested lounge would be bedbug-free when the contractor completed his heat treatment.

“We have the utmost confidence in these fellows as professionals,” he said.

The student center is lightly populated during the summer. Although classes for the fall semester begin Aug. 24, large numbers of students will begin arriving on campus for registration and other programs beginning in early August.

In late June, officials at the Lexington Public Library discovered two bedbugs at the downtown library. The library brought in a bedbug-sniffing dog, removed affected furniture and put in place a new cleaning regimen.

Continue Reading More: Bedbugs Hit University Of Kentucky

7/22/2011 Bedbugs Triple In NYC Schools In One Year: Officials Prepare For That Number To Rise

Bedbugs were found in public schools three times as often last school year compared to the year before – and officials are preparing for even more of the pests when classes resume in the fall.

Some 3,590 reports of bedbugs at city schools were confirmed by Department of Education officials in the 2010-2011 year – up from just 1,019 a year earlier.

In most cases just one or two of bedbugs were found, but the consequences for students can be severe even when small numbers of the pests are discovered.

“Fumigation for the bugs destroyed four of our classrooms completely,” said Lucille Mauro, a gym teacher and union chapter leader at Public School 197 in Midwood, Brooklyn, where one or two bedbugs were discovered nine separate times last year.

Damage from chemicals used to exterminate the pests ruined classroom libraries and other teaching materials that the school is still struggling to replace.

“It’s been disruptive for the kids,” said Mauro, who is also the teacher’s union chapter leader at PS 197.

To prevent the return of the pests next year, teachers and students at the school are storing bookbags and jackets in plastic bags and containers.

Education officials said they’re working to better control the problem of bedbugs in schools across the city.

State laws compel public schools to notify parents when bedbugs are found, even if just a single pest is discovered.

DOE spokeswoman Margie Feinberg said that most incidents at city schools involved only one bedbug brought in by someone coming into the building.

“Schools are not hospitable environments for bedbugs,” said Feinberg.

But some experts think it’s likely that more of the bugs will turn up in city classrooms next year.

“More people have the bugs in their homes, so more will probably show up in schools,” said Richard Cooper, an entomologist who served on the city’s Bedbug Advisory Board.

Continue Reading More: Bedbugs Triple In NYC Schools In One Year

7/21/2011 Bedbug Treatment: A Breakdown Of Effective Killing Methods Including Pesticides, Heat, Freezing & Vacuuming

Treatment Options

Though insecticides may be the treatment of choice for killing bed bugs, other options do exist, according to Henriksen.

“There are several different methods that are effective in killing bed bugs. Heat is one of them. Others include steaming, freezing, vacuuming, and use of properly applied pesticides. You are getting a lot of information on the temperature at which bed bugs can be effectively killed because a lot of research is still being done in that area. The most current data that we have shows that all stages of bed bugs…will be killed at 122 degrees Fahrenheit.”

Factors considered when evaluating treatment methods include the extent of the infestation, the type of location that will be treated, and any budget parameters.

Treatment costs can fluctuate dramatically by protocol and region, says White.

Dr. Stephen Kells, associate professor and Extension and Research Entomologist at the University of Minnesota, who is conducting research on bed bugs, says humans have lived with bed bugs since the days of cave-dwelling.

Through research, he has found that freezing works well for smaller household items, like books. In order for the treatment to work the temperature has to be near or at freezing for approximately 6 to 10 days.

Steaming is another option, though not by utilizing a carpet steam cleaner. Instead, a steam generator must be used and the temperature must be between 160-180 degrees Fahrenheit in order to control bedbugs.

When treating with pesticides, Dr. Kells recommends multiple product types including dust, short action, and residual. “The reason is each has a specific area of use. Residual is used outside of rooms, dust to fill voids in the wall, and short action for beds and mattresses,” the professor says.

Treatment Considerations

The NPMA has released best management practices for bed bugs in an effort to address appropriate treatment protocol. “They offer guidance to our industry in terms of the parameters under which good and effective bed bug work can be done”, says Henriksen.

For instance, Henriksen says it’s not a good idea to throw away a mattress known to have a bed bug infestation.

“We don’t recommend anyone throw away their mattresses. In some cases that may need to be done. But if it is done it should be done only in consultation with the pest management professional. If someone goes and throws away their mattress, if done improperly, it can actually spread a bed bug infestation. Those bugs will walk off that mattress or crawl off that mattress as you are dragging it through your home.”

Henriksen says many things can be saved and effectively treated.

Dr. Kells recommends asking questions of any pest management company retained for bed bug treatment. If a pesticide will be used, questions should include:

• Is it registered with the EPA?

• Is the pesticide labeled for bedbugs or for treating their habitat?

• Is it labeled for indoor or outdoor use, landscaping, farms, or barns?

In addition, he’s seen issues arise when tenants try to remedy problems themselves. Using the wrong product or application method leads to increased costs in the cleanup of a contaminated apartment. Dr. Kells recommends landlords or their insurers oversee the treatment protocol.

In the case of the Ohio residential fire, Dr. Kells believes the manufacturer’s own directions might not have been followed. He said the pest management professional used garage-style direct-fired heaters with a propane cylinder and placed them inside the home. “The actual unit made by the manufacturer for properly heating up a house during bed bug treatment requires that if a propane burner is used, it is positioned outside of the house,” Dr. Kells said.

Continue Reading More: Bedbug Treatment A Breakdown Of Effective Killing Methods

7/20/2011 As Bedbugs Increase So Do Insurance Policies: More Insurance Companies Starting To Offer Coverage

Bedbugs are crawling the sheets in hotels, apartment buildings and college dormitories in surging numbers, which has spawned a new enterprise for insurance companies.

The tiny, reddish bugs, ranging to about 7 millimeters, or the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny, hide in dark places like vampires during the day and suck human blood at night. Unlike those other blood-thirsty parasites, head lice, bedbugs are extremely hard to wipe out once they infest, and the cost can be very high.

Infestations of any kind — bugs, rats or cockroaches —typically are excluded from commercial property insurance policies. The cost of eradicating pests was a maintenance expense, meaning it was not covered by insurance, up until recently.

Insurers, like most of us, didn’t want to get near the bugs.

But increasing pressure from lawmakers to require coverage, along with high demand from hoteliers and property owners to protect themselves from financial loss during an infestation, has created a new market.

Last month, bedbug insurance coverage was offered for the first time by two national brokerage firms, Aon Risk Solutions of Chicago and New York-based Willis North America; and also NSM Insurance Group of Conshohocken, Pa., an insurer.

“You’ve got legislators in the state of New York Assembly who are trying to make this mandatory that insurance companies do this,” said John Lafakis, senior vice president at Willis North America and program manager for the bed bug recovery insurance. “So we figured, ‘You know what, we’re going to beat everyone to the punch.’”

The brokerage firms are leaping into an area that has exploded after years when bedbugs were rarely reported, seemingly a forgotten annoyance from another era.

“Ten years ago it was considered a minor pest issue,” said Greg Gatti, a director at Aon Risk Solutions.

Bedbugs have grabbed headlines as more and more people report the telltale red welts after staying in hotels and living in apartment buildings.

Hotels could spend an average $600 to $800 per room to eradicate bedbugs, according to experts in Connecticut. That says nothing of lost income if an infestation becomes public knowledge — on websites such as bedbugregistry.com, or in the media.

Nutmeg State Plagued

The state office that fields questions from people asking about bedbugs, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, had only two inquiries in 1996. Reports started coming in more regularly in 2003 in all major cities across the state, said Gale E. Ridge, an entomologist who specializes in bedbugs at the experiment station.

Ridge is also chairman of the Connecticut Coalition Against Bed Bugs, which brings together bug researchers, pest control services and other interested parties. She recorded more than 900 reports from people who suspected they had bedbugs in the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2010, and the numbers are double or triple that for the year that ended June 2011.

The insects are now in every corner of the state. “We have a very active population here,” Ridge said.

Bedbugs aren’t known to spread disease, but they can be an annoyance because of itchy welts from their bites and the loss of sleep they cause, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Connecticut trend mirrors what is happening across the U.S. First, bedbug reports were coming out of larger urban areas. Now, they are more widespread, affecting every town in the state, Ridge said.

Occasionally, a person will mistake Eastern bat bugs (Cimex adjunctus) with bedbugs (Cimex lectularius), which are similar in the way they look and behave. Bat bugs typically signal that bats are living in the eaves or attic.

What’s the difference?

Bedbugs are small, flat parasites, retreating by day to hiding places in bed frames, floorboard cracks and other dark corners.

“Actually, they’ll hide anywhere. I’ve found them in electrical outlets and … in TV remotes,” Ridge said. “They don’t like to be on you, your person. You are the food source, and they want to get off of you as soon as they can and get back to their refuge.”

The bedbug population is spreading, due in part to the fact that chemicals once used to kill them, such as DDT, are illegal because of the human harm and environmental damage associated with the chemical. DDT, for example, is a probable human carcinogen that damages the liver and reproductive system. It pushed bald eagles and peregrine falcons near to extinction decades ago before it was outlawed in the U.S. in 1972.

Modern-day bugs have mutated to become resistant to neurotoxins, helping the population to grow, though a pest control company can resolve an infestation if the colony of bugs is detected early.

Bedbugs also are spreading because more people are traveling internationally, unwittingly bringing back the nasty stowaways, Ridge said. Sometimes, people notice bites within a few hours, but, for others, it can take two weeks for the bites to show up, particularly the first time a person is bitten. That delay can exacerbate the spread.

Colonies of bedbugs are able to survive in condominium complexes and other multi-family housing arrangements because they travel from one home to another unless the entire building is treated.

Covering Bugs In The Covers

New lines of bedbug insurance announced last month by Willis and Aon, sold as separate lines of coverage, already have taken off, according to insurance brokers. Annual premiums for policies sold so far this range from $3,000 for a 100-room hotel in Oklahoma City to $150,000 for eight state colleges with 36,000 beds in New Jersey, said Lafakis, the Willis North America broker.

“People have been clamoring for this coverage for God knows how long,” Lafakis said. “It really didn’t exist.”

Whether the coverage sells well to hotel owners will depend on how it’s priced, but there is certainly a demand for bedbug insurance, said Joe McInerney, president of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Bedbugs are a recent concern that hadn’t been a problem for hotels in decades, and with every new arrival at a hotel comes the possibility of unwanted guests.

“We don’t grow them in the basement and send them up for a midnight snack,” McInerney said. “Somebody brings them in.”

A greater chance of getting bedbugs and all the costs of casting them out may make insurance more attractive, he said.

The Willis coverage, for example, includes decontamination services, rehabilitating expenses, lost profit due to business interruption, crisis management — including a 24-hour/7-day-a-week hotline, coordination with regulatory authorities, risk control and prevention.

Willis North America is a broker for policies by Professional Liability Insurance Services Inc., of Largo Vista, Texas, and is joining with Orkin LLC of Atlanta for pest control services. Willis employs about 100 in Connecticut.

Aon Risk Solutions, which employs 641 people in Connecticut, is an insurance broker for Excess General Partners policies, and both are teaming with Memphis-based Terminix for pest control.

“We had immediate reaction, not only from our current and prospective real estate customers, but also from our hotel and hospitality customers and have had a lot of interest from our higher-ed practice, which includes the universities and colleges, and to date, we have 15 indications out to major corporations around the country,” said Gatti, the director at Aon Risk Solutions

Bedbugs have made hoteliers very anxious.

“Everybody freaks out,” Lafakis said of a hotelier discovering a bedbug infestation. “You’ve really got a problem. The landlords, and the property owners and the hoteliers, they’ve got to run a business, and now they’re freaking out that they don’t know how many rooms are infested, ‘What have we got to do, is this going to make the front page of the New York Times?’”

He added, “There’s hysteria, but it’s justified. People’s lives are turned upside down by this.”
Continue Reading More: As Bedbugs Increase So Do Insurance Policies

7/17/2011 Why BedBugs Won’t Be Stopped

Seems like everywhere you go someone in the media is talking about bedbugs. Most recently, a study compiled by Terminix, a pest control service company, ranked the top most infested cities in 2011. Among those in the study include: Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and, edging out all of the competition at number one, New York.

So, why are these little bloodsucking critters not going away? It would seem that with all the news stories, we as a public would know the precautions needed in place so that we don’t find ourselves battling a case of the bedbugs. Well, we would be mistaken.

Our bedbug problem has been around in large numbers since 2000. It has grown and effected more homes, offices, theatres, planes and retail establishments in 2010 than any previous year.

There are so many answers as to what we should do. Knowing that the information you receive from a pest control professional can vary due to experience and education, here are some things to keep in mind when calling a “professional.”

1. Are they licensed and insured?
2. Do they take the time to answer your questions and give you great customer service?
3. How are their online reviews? (Remember you can’t make everyone happy all the time.)
4. Do they have a guarantee on their work?
5. Can they supply you with the labels to the chemicals they are using upon arrival to treat your home or office? (In New York, it’s law, and you should research what they are putting into the atmosphere within your home.)

We can also take several pre-emptive measures to help place a barrier around our homes, offices and automobiles so that, if and when, we come in contact with bedbugs, they won’t hitchhike over to our place:

• Purchase mattress encasements. (They even have crib encasements now)
• Open packages from retailers (both on and off line) outside or in a garage.
• Be wise when you stay in a hotel. Watch my video on hotels and bedbugs here.
• Don’t bring used furniture into your home.
• Buy a bedbug spray that specifically says bedbugs on the can or bottle.

Number five on our pre-emptive measures checklist is one of the most important steps you can take to help keep the bedbugs out. Creating a barrier around your home, office and automobile is a triple threat cocktail to kill whatever comes into these areas.

Bedbug sprays come in all sizes and shapes. I recommend Pronto Plus® bedbug spray, as it’s effective in providing the coverage and barrier on the items you choose to apply it to and won’t leave you coughing for hours. Always research and find the solution that is right for your current situation and remember to read the labels of any product you spray or use in your home.

So now I ask you, why are bedbugs still growing in numbers all across America? We all have a responsibly to protect our families, friends and even our coworkers. Take the time to educate yourself about how these little critters work, especially if you are living in or visiting New York.

Continue Reading More: Why Bedbugs Won’t Be Stopped

7/16/2011 BedBug Webinar To Discuss BedBug Insurance: Sign-Up Now For July 21st Event

Join us Thursday, July 21 at noon EDT (9 a.m. PDT, 11 a.m. CDT) for a live web chat to discuss bed bug insurance. Bed bugs are spreading in increasing numbers, infesting apartments, hotels and homes. The problem has gotten so bad that insurance companies recently started offering special coverage for hotels and property managers.

Chat with the experts to find out more about bedbugs. Hartford Courant reporter Matthew Sturdevant will moderate an online chat featuring Gale E. Ridge, Ph.D., an entomologist who specializes in bedbugs at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven and chairwoman of the Connecticut Coalition Against Bed Bugs, and Missy Henriksen,Vice President of External Affairs, National Pest Management Association.

Click Here To Sign Up For: BedBug Webinar To Discuss BedBug Insurance

7/15/2011 NYC Denies Woman’s Claims Of Bedbugs At Homeless Shelter: Claims Shelter In Mott Haven Has Razor Toothed Bedbugs

A Bronx mother is claiming her family got a creepy crawly surprise last week at a borough homeless shelter – bedbugs.

But the Department of Homeless Services declared the shelter is bedbug-free and is accusing Sharon Stoves, 27, of lying to manipulate the system.

Stoves and her three daughters spent about a year at a shelter near Yankee Stadium before moving last Friday to Jackson Avenue Family Residence, a shelter on E. 138th St. in Mott Haven.

Other residents insist the building is clean and well-run.

Stoves claims she woke up early Saturday to an attack by razor-toothed bedbugs, and even has a plastic cup of the critters that she claims she collected before fleeing the unit.

“There were bedbugs on me,” she said. “I grabbed the kids and there was a bedbug on my daughter’s ear.”

They spent the rest of the night with the girls’ father.

Stoves demanded a transfer from DHS. The agency sent an exterminator to inspect her unit, and found no trace of bedbugs and Stoves was told to return, said Heather Janik, a DHS spokeswoman.

“Bedbugs are a serious problem throughout the city and we are addressing this as such,” Janik said. “The unit was aggressively treated by an expert contractor and no bedbugs were found.”

Stoves claims she and her daughters were bitten, but DHS found no signs of bedbug bites.

Jackson residents Armando Troche, 29, and Mary Santiago, 57, said Tuesday their units are bedbug-free.

According to Janik, “Ms. Stoves’ false claims and demands to be relocated are rooted in avoiding shelter compliance and moving herself and her children towards self-sufficiency.”

The average cost of housing a family in the shelter system is $3,000 per month.

On Saturday, Stoves – who is unemployed – refused to return to Jackson.

“They wanted to send me back to the same shelter with the bedbugs,” she said. “I was grossed out and disgusted.”

On Monday, Stoves again demanded a transfer and DHS moved the family to a shelter on Sherman Ave. near E. 167th St.

Bedbug panic gripped the city last year, following sightings at hotels and SoHo clothing stores.

The shelter system is no different, said Patrick Markee, spokesman at Coalition for the Homeless, a watchdog group that has documented bedbug infestations in several city shelters.

But DHS has taken steps to prevent the city’s bedbug problem from affecting the shelter system, said Janik.

City Department of Housing Preservation and Development records show that a bedbug complaint was filed at Jackson on June 24.

Continue Reading More: NYC Denies Woman’s Claims Of Bedbugs At Homeless Shelter

7/14/2011 Bedbugs Found In Philadelphia Police Station: Second Northeast City Police Force To Be Infested This Week

Police officers across the city are being warned of a frustratingly stubborn enemy that has infiltrated their workplace: bedbugs.

An infestation was discovered last week in the building in Mayfair that houses the Second and 15th Police Districts and the Northeast Detective Division.

The bedbugs came to light after inmates in several holding cells were bitten, said Roosevelt Poplar, vice president of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 5.

An exterminator treated the infested areas twice, and the department’s administration is closely monitoring the situation, said Lt. Raymond Evers of the Public Affairs Unit.

Joan Schlotterbeck, the city’s public property commissioner, said that one inmate had brought the bugs to the building and that an exterminator believed the infestation was confined to three cells.

Those cells have wooden benches that are different from those in other units, she said. They will be removed.

The cell block has been evacuated. Cells will be power-washed, crevices will be sealed, and the walls will be repainted, Schlotterbeck said.

“At this point, we believe we’re doing everything we can,” Schlotterbeck said.

Poplar said the entire building at Harbison Avenue and Levick Street should have been treated for bedbugs. About 500 officers work out of the building, he said, and the bugs may have hitched rides with inmates who were transferred.

“These bugs, they can be carried on people,” he said. “They can be carried in a car, to another district. The holding cells have people coming in and out all day long. We’re talking about potentially thousands of people who could be affected by this.”

Officers will be asked to report any signs of infestation. Employees who wish to take extra precautions can wash and dry their clothes as soon as they get home from work, Schlotterbeck said.

Poplar said several officers had told him that they might have unknowingly carried bugs home in their clothing. “These guys are under enough stress as it is without worrying about taking bugs home to their families,” he said.

The bedbug resurgence began about 10 years ago in hotels and apartment buildings in large cities nationwide. The bloodsucking insects are known for resilience. Clothes and other belongings must be heated to extreme temperatures to kill them, and the bugs can hide in wooden furniture or baseboards for a year without food.

Though New York City has been seen as the center of the scourge, the problem is on the rise here. Terminix, the national exterminating company, this year ranked Philadelphia fifth among U.S. cities for bedbugs, with New York still in first.

Continue Reading More: Bedbugs Found In Philadelphia Police Station