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

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

6/7/2011 How Hotels Can Avoid Bedbugs: Experts Give Top Tips To Avoiding Bedbug Infestation

Bed bugs can be a real “pest” for hoteliers! We ask Bed Bugs experts, Heat and Go, how to stop them becoming an endemic throughout your building.

Operations manager, Cliff Eccles, reveals all.

1. Early Detection System
   Bed bug detection is now made easier with electronic “sniffing devices!” It’s like having a canine detective in your pocket! It is used by professional pest technicians to locate those hard-to-find pockets of bed bugs – they usually hide in confined spaces. After a few hours in these spaces, the CO2 they produce builds up and an electronic bed bug detector can indicate their presence.
2. In-House Staff Training
   To provide early detection your Staff need to know how to identify a bed bug – the signs of activity, where they are most likely to hide, where to detect them and what to do in order to stop them spreading! Through staff training, you can understand the insect and detect them early, prevent them spreading and minimise expense and loss of revenue.
3. Mattress Encasements
   The first thought is often to throw away the mattress which can be expensive and time-consuming to replace. With a heat treatment, the mattress and all other furniture in the room is cleansed against bed bug eggs and adults. To stop the mattress becoming re-infested, specially developed mattress encasements are available, which are bite proof and totally sealed to stop Bed Bugs harbouring on the mattress. An encasement is recommended after every heat treatment to minimise harbourages. A range of suitable sizes are available.
4. Annual Room Inspections
   Part of your due diligence against bed bugs is ensuring visitors don’t get bitten. Therefore, you need to declare at some point that the room has been thoroughly inspected and is bed bug free. Heat and Go’s trained technicians can provide a documented room inspection, so the room can be declared bed bug free.
5. Heat Treatments
   Bed bugs need to be heat treated. We use wireless temperature probes strategically placed to provide consistent feedback to our technicians who will make adjustments as necessary until the correct temperature to kill bed bugs and their eggs has been achieved.

Continue Reading More: How Hotels Can Avoid Bedbugs

3/3/2011 Massive Bedbug Infestations Expected For 2011: Summertime Expected To Be The Worst

Here’s some news to make your skin crawl: Bedbug infestations will explode this year, particularly in the summer, experts say.

The bloodsuckers are already entrenched in the city and, like cockroaches, tend to thrive in July, August and September, said Jeffrey White, a research entomologist for Bedbugcentral.com.

“I firmly believe that this year is going to be worse than last year,” White said at a bedbug seminar Wednesday

“If we combine the seasonal trend, with the bugs getting more and more embedded in our community, that allows the bugs to make that resurgence all the more stronger.”

Nearly 7% of adults in the city – 404,000 people – reported bedbug infestations in 2009, the Health Department said.

While cities are particularly vulnerable to bedbugs, even remote areas like Alaska have reported an 800% increase, White said.

“It’s not just a New York problem,” he said.

Once you’ve got bedbugs, it can cost $1,200 to get rid of them professionally, White said.

“The big problem is not getting bit, it’s bringing them home,” said Adam Greenberg, president of BugZip, a $10-$20 plastic covering that shields luggage in hotel rooms.

Though a bedbug’s bite is thought not to spread disease, the thought of having your blood sucked while asleep can be psychologically devastating, White said.

“I’ve seen people completely emotionally crumble from dealing with it,” White said. “People just need to be educated. It’s not going away anytime soon.”

Preventing bedbug bedlam in your home

• Inspect hotel room mattresses, bedding, furniture and closet hangers for signs of infestation.
• Never put clothes in hotel drawers or on a hotel floor.
• Travel with resealable bags large enough to hold clothes.
• Use dissolvable laundry bags when travelling. The bags can go straight from your suitcase to the washing machine.
• If in doubt, don’t bring belongings in the house.
• Check your laptop. The bedbugs are attracted to the heat and body oils on the computer.
• Periodically inspect cribs, mattresses, box spring, head and foot boards and under the bed for signs of bedbugs. “After they’ve fed at night, they go and hide in the cracks and the crevices of the headboard and wait for you to come back to bed,” said Gemma Holmes, owner of the Nashville-based Holmes Pest Control.
• Check the alarm clock on your nightstand, along with electrical outlets. “It’s a warm spot,” Holmes said.

Continue Reading More: Massive Bedbug Infestations Expected For 2011

1/7/2011 Waldorf Astoria Sued For 3rd Time Over BedBugs: Maryland Woman Suing For $10MM

A Maryland woman is suing the Waldorf Astoria for $10 million because, she says, she awoke at the fancy hotel and found bedbugs all over her body.

Svetlana Tendler is the third tourist since last year to sue the famed Park Ave. hotel over a nasty encounter with the tiny bloodsuckers.

“I felt like I was eaten alive by bedbugs, which have attacked my body,” she said.

Tendler, her husband, Jacob, and their two kids stayed at the hotel in August 2007, the suit says.

One morning, she awoke to a nasty bedbug attack.

Photographs released by her lawyer, Anna Carley, show bites on Tendler’s arms and legs.

“The defendants did nothing to assist plaintiff, Svetlana Tendler, in treatment of … bed bites or fumigation of [her] luggage,” says the suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Tendler, of Owings Mill, Md., initially filed a summons against the hotel in August.

She filed a new, detailed complaint this week.

A Michigan woman who says bedbugs attacked her during a family vacation sued the hotel in November.

The hotel also was sued in October by a woman whose 6-year-old daughter said she was victimized by bedbugs during a visit last February.

Hilton Worldwide, which owns the Waldorf Astoria, declined to comment.

Continue Reading More: Waldorf Astoria Sued For 3rd Time Over BedBugs

12/7/10 BedBug Prevention For Your Home: Stay Safe This Holiday Season While Traveling & At Home From BedBugs

If you’re a junk collector or you occasionally shop at flea markets, second hand stores or even pull stuff off the curb to repaint, you need to be careful because bedbugs are on the rise. Second hand mattresses and even new products and clothing could be infested with bedbugs.

Another major problem relating to bedbugs? Travel. With the holiday travel season upon us we have to be extra vigilant to prevent picking up bedbugs or inadvertently giving them to a relative. Travel

I recently stayed at a major brand hotel in New York and after pulling the bed sheets off to check for bedbugs I had an unpleasant surprise. Although I didn’t see any live bedbugs the mattress was riddled with what appeared to be fresh red blood stains.

I asked to be moved to another room. Although I didn’t see any blood on that mattress I still had two sleepless nights in that hotel, just the thought of bedbugs had me itching for two days.

I called the headquarters of the reward program to let them know of my disgust and was told to contact the manager of that location. He told me that the mattress had been tested and the spots were chocolate stains. I asked to get a copy of the report, but have not received it as of yet.

Regardless of the cause, the mess is not good for business especially since New York is fighting a war with bedbugs. You would expect them to check each bed carefully when they prepare it for the next guest, but as evidenced by my experience that is not the case.

I was lucky this time and avoided a possible situation. But you must be diligent when traveling or bringing anything into your home because it won’t matter how great your decor is if your home is infested with bedbugs.

Here are a few tips to keep your home bedbug free:

— When traveling, keep your clothes in your suitcase and zipped. Avoid placing your clothes on the bed.

— Always check the bed for blood stains and bugs immediately after you arrive in the room. The most common area to find blood stains are in the seams of the mattress. You should also look on the wall for any signs of blood spots.

— After you return home vacuum your bags in the garage to get rid of any bugs that may have tried to hitch a ride from the airport or taxi.

— Wash all of your clothing in hot water, if possible. Avoid placing the suitcase on your bed. Store your suitcase in a large plastic bag away from your bed.

— Check all of the items you bring into your home to add to your decor or wardrobe. Vacuum everything out, even new furniture, and wash your new clothes and rugs. If you see a bedbug or signs of a bedbug contact an exterminator immediately.

— If you are expecting guests be sure to take the same precautions when they arrive at your home. At the very least vacuum their bags in the garage.

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TOP CITIES WITH BEDBUGS

A recent report compiled by Terminix ranked the top 15 cities with the most bedbugs in the United States in August of 2010.

1. New York

2. Philadelphia

3. Detroit

4. Cincinnati

5. Chicago

6. Denver

7. Columbus, Ohio

8. Dayton, Ohio

9. Washington

10. Los Angeles

11. Boston

12. Indianapolis

13. Louisville, Ky.

14. Cleveland

15. Minneapolis

Continue Reading More: BedBug Prevention For Your Home

11/1/10 How To Beat Bedbugs On Vacation

10/28/10 Bedbugville: 4 Tips To Prevent Bedbugs In NYC Hotels

With the recent surge of Bedbugs in New York City and many of its hotels, many travelers appear to be on edge.  Bedbugville would like to give you four basic tips on how to avoid and prevent bringing these unwanted creatures home with you:

• Place luggage on a desk or folding rack that is exposed to light. Bedbugs don’t like the light so they hide in dark areas.

• Examine sheets and mattresses for blood spots, white eggs, and the bugs themselves.

• Check hotels’ guest reviews, like the ones on Hotels.com, to see if recent visitors have had any problems.

• Bedbugs die in extreme heat. Upon arriving home, head straight to your laundry room. Wash all your clothes in hot water and dry them on maximum heat to kill any unwanted hitchhikers.

We hope this article 4 Tips To Prevent Bedbugs In NYC Hotels was helpful.

Other Bedbugville Stories That May Be Of Interest On This Topic

New York City Bedbug Outbreak Has Tourists Crawling Away

10/26/10 Did Charlie Sheen See BedBugs In His NYC Hotel Room?

We would like to think not…but…Police we’re called to his NYC hotel room at the Plaza Hotel early today.