6/30/2011 BedBug Invasion At Prudential Douglas Elliman’s New York City Headquarters: Evacuation Of Office Occurred When Discovered

Prudential Douglas Elliman’s headquarters at 575 Madison Avenue were evacuated yesterday after bedbugs were spotted on the building’s fourth floor, The Real Deal has learned.

The bedbugs were initially spotted yesterday morning in the office of a senior broker at the firm, according to sources who asked not to be identified, and Elliman, the largest residential broker in New York, later asked workers to leave the offices and treated the affected three floors of the property.

“They said it was pretty bad,” said an industry executive familiar with the firm. “It seems to be in one wing of the fourth floor, which is the executive floor.”

It is not immediately known why the bedbugs suddenly appeared, but sources said that Elliman’s offices at 575 Madison, near 56th Street, recently went through a renovation, which could account for the bedbug sightings.

Elliman officials initially issued a “no comment,” but an official who asked not to be identified later said that “one small office of one agent” was affected by the bedbugs.

Barry Beck, COO of Assured Environments, issued an emailed statement through Elliman’s spokesperson, confirming that the offices were treated for bedbugs.

“We discovered a bedbug on the fourth floor of [575 Madison],” he said. “To be proactive, we treated the entire fourth floor, as well as the third and fifth last night. Our service team reported no infestation was found during our remediation process on any floors.”

He added that are “no active insect conditions” in the building and the three floors were being monitored. Evan Rosenblum, marketing director at the exterminator, later said that there was a call for service at the building in 2010, but did not have specifics on who the client was.

The 385,000 square-foot property boasts of some pretty high-end tenants, including the law firm of Katten Muchin Rosenman and the flagship of Italian footwear retailer Geox USA.

A receptionist at the landlord, Steinberg & Pokoik Management, could not immediately comment, but was looking for officials who would be able to speak on the matter.

Bedbugs have become an increasing problem in New York City, with the city convening a bedbug advisory panel in April 2010, as the pests were reported at hundreds of hotels, apartment buildings and other properties.

New York was ranked as having more bedbugs than any other city in the country last year, and while the pests are usually found at night in residential apartments and homes, they have been sighted in commercial buildings, including the Empire State Building.

The Real Estate Board of New York held a seminar on bedbug infestation just last month, as the landlords are ramping up to fight bedbug problems during the summer selling season.

George Shea, a public relations executive and partner at Manhattan-based Bed Bug Super Dogs, said that his firm has inspected more than 400,000 square feet of commercial office space for bedbugs in the last week to 10 days, and the critters can adopt to daylight hours once they enter an office building.

“It is quite common for people to see a bedbug crawling over the papers on their desk,” Shea said.

Officials at the New York City Department of Health said they do not usually get involved in commercial building issues, but they were looking into the matter to see if they had any comment.

Continue Reading More: Bedbug Invasion At Prudential Douglas Ellimans NYC Headquarters

6/14/2011 Insurer AON Launches BedBug Insurance Policy: First Of Its Kind For Hotels, Landlords & Companies

6/9/2011 BedBugs Strike Reebok Sports Club Second Time: Upper West Side Gym Has Another Infestation

These bed bugs are attracted to blood – and apparently fame too.

The parasitic insects invaded Manhattan’s posh Reebok Sports Club/NY where celebrities such as Chris Rock, Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid and Taye Diggs work out.

The insects were discovered at the Upper West Side guym – where Jerry Seinfeld first met his wife Jessica – last Thursday in the men’s locker room.

2/18/2011 New England Bedbug Outbreak Leads To One Day Summit: Attendees Gather To Learn New Techniques To Battle Bedbugs

Scores of property managers, pest exterminators, and others are gathering today at a Dedham hotel to learn new inspection techniques and treatments for bedbug infestations.

Throughout the day, about 200 attendees will learn new methods for finding and treating bedbugs, the biology behind the pests, and results of new studies on the bugs.

“Unfortunately, the problems are growing in New England and throughout the country,” said Missy Henriksen, the National Pest Management Association’s vice president for public affairs.

11/22/10 NYC To Purchase BedBug Sniffing Dogs: City Is Looking For 2 Male Trained Dogs To Sniff Out Bedbugs And Their Eggs

Now hiring: two city inspectors capable of smelling bedbugs. Must walk on four legs.

New York City is moving forward with a plan to purchase bedbug-sniffing dogs for the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. According to a request for information issued Monday, the city is looking for two male dogs trained to sniff out live bedbugs and their eggs.

Most of the funding for the dogs will come from the departments existing enforcement budget, according to an HPD spokesman. The dogs will be deployed citywide and “used to compliment and enhance our existing code enforcement activities,” the spokesman explained.

The city is looking to train up to six dog handlers as part of the initiative. The dogs will be certified by either the National Entomology Scent Detection Association or a similar group.

As The Journal reported in August, there are two major companies that dominate the market for bedbug-sniffing dogs in the U.S., and each one is affiliated with a different certification organization. A trained bedbug-sniffing dog costs about $10,000. Most of the dogs come from rescue shelters.

Pepe Peruyero, the owner of J&K Canine Academy in High Springs, Fla., has about 65 dogs working in the New York metropolitan area. His dog-training company is now affiliated with New York outfit called Bed Bug Super Dogs. Bill Whitstine owns Florida Canine Academy in Safety Harbor, Peruyero’s major rival. Each company is tied to a different certification regime.

Training and certification of bedbug-sniffing dogs has become a hot-button issue within the industry. The National Pest Management Association hopes to release official training protocols for bedbug-sniffing dogs next year.

Jim Skinner, president of NESDCA, said that he has not been contacted by the city. He emphasized that proper training and a strong relationship between handler and dog are essential for successful bedbug detection. If the city is only looking for trained dogs without qualified handlers, Skinner warned that government officials are “going down the wrong road.”

“It’s not about purchasing a canine, it’s about the training that you continue to do on a regular basis. It’s not just, ‘Hey, I got a dog that sniffs out bedbugs’ and you just give them to anybody,” Skinner said. “It’s how that person works with the canine and the relationship they have as a team.”

Continue Reading More: NYC To Purchase BedBug Sniffing Dogs

11/21/10 Bedbugs Take A Bite Out Of Paris: French Exterminators Say Phones Ringing Off The Hook With Complaints

Bedbugs – the pesky blood-sucking insects wreaking havoc with New York’s global image since 2009 – have arrived in the French capital.

After having infested New York City landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Carnegie Hall and even UN headquarters, bedbugs are becoming increasingly common in the City of Light, French fumigators say.

Known in French as “punaises de lit,” bedbugs were thought to have more or less disappeared in the 1950s. But they seem to have taken advantage of the ban on certain insecticides, such as DDT, and the international travel boom to make their reappearance.

The tenacious critters, brown and barely 5mm long, often hitch rides in suitcases and then take up residence in mattresses, box-springs, bed linen and clothing. They tend to attack at night, leaving itchy, uniform bites.

One fumigator told France Info radio that his phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from bedbug victims “in tiny, unhygenic apartments but also from amazing lofts in beautiful neighbourhoods”. Monsieur Marcel pointed out that “bedbugs affect everybody. I’d say that Paris, and even France, is under invasion.”

Maybe not yet, but Smash (Municipal Service of Health and Hygiene) has already responded to 600 bed bug calls this year. The City Council has downplayed trhe bedbug threat. But a technician who answered the phone at one local council told France Info they were “doing nothing but” dealing with the little pests.

Continue Reading More: Bedbugs Take A Bite Out Of Paris

11/21/10 Bedbugs On New York City Subways: MTA Fumigating Ninth Street Station In Brooklyn After Recent Siting In Subway Booth

11/17/10 NYC: New Mattress Disposal Rules Aimed At Curbing Bedbugs: Dept Of Sanitation Will Now Require Mattresses On Streets To Be Sealed In Plastic Bags

The city is looking to kick bed bugs to the curb.

Starting December 3, the Department of Sanitation will require city residents to fully seal any mattresses or box springs in plastic bags before leaving them out for curbside pickup.

Failure to do so can result in a $100 fine.

Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty says this will help safeguard workers and stop the spread of bed bugs throughout the city.

The sanitation department will delay enforcing the rule for 30 days until January 3, when full enforcement will begin.

For more information, call 311 or visit nyc.gov/sanitation.

Continue Reading More: NYC: New Mattress Disposal Rules Aimed At Curbing Bedbugs

11/15/10 Why Are Bedbugs On The Way Back?

THAT’S THE WHY: “Night night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite” – it’s a rhyme to entertain kids as you tuck them in, but in recent years the joke is wearing thin, because the insects are apparently experiencing a revival.

It’s not as if bedbugs are anything new – they are mentioned in writings of ancient Greece – but the use of pesticides in the 1950s meant that for a while in certain parts of the world at least, humans could sleep at night with less likelihood of Cimex lectularius burrowing into their skin for a feed of blood.

But in recent years the critters – which don’t generally carry disease but leave itchy welts on the skin – have been on the rise.

The 2010 Comprehensive Global Bed Bug Study , carried out by the US National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, found that 95 per cent of pest control companies in the US had dealt with a bedbug infestation in the last year, up from 25 per cent in 2000.

Pest companies report themselves hopping after bedbugs in other parts of the world too, including Europe, the Middle East/Africa and South America.

So why are these insects staging a bigger comeback than Take That? “Experts are not certain of the cause for the bedbug resurgence,” wrote John Manuel in Environmental Health Perspectives last month.

“The increased movement of people domestically and internationally is thought to be one factor. Another is the resistance bedbugs have developed to pesticides.”

The study also suggested a lack of societal awareness and people not taking precautions – such as inspecting the bed for bugs – as contributing factors.

Don’t know about you, but I’m starting to itch just thinking about it.

Continue Reading More: Why Are Bedbugs On The Way Back?

11/8/10 New York City Declares Full War On Bedbugs: Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer Calls For The Eradication Of Bedbugs