1/20/2012 Bedbugs Invade NYC Housing Court

City housing officials got so antsy over a bedbug invasion that they shipped off 5,000 boxes of files for fumigation, forcing Housing Court cases to be postponed.

The bloodsuckers turned up at the Department of Housing Preservation and development around Nov. 15, leading to the evacuation of the entire third floor, which contains the tax-incentives divisions and parts of the housing-litigation and IT divisions.

Officials said that even though the critters were spotted only in isolated areas, a top-to-bottom cleaning was ordered, meaning everything on the floor had to be temporarily relocated.

Boxes of documents were sent to a facility in Rockland County for treatment, which created operational headaches. Some paper files weren’t backed up on computers, and so they couldn’t be accessed temporarily.

12/4/2011 NYC Department Of Housing Preservation & Development, The “Bedbug Agency”, Has Headquarters Invaded By Bedbugs

Maybe these bedbugs are seeking revenge.

The pesky bloodsuckers are invading the Department of Housing Preservation and Development — the city agency charged with keeping them in check.

They were spotted on the third and fourth floors of the HPD building on Gold Street last week, and seem to be making their way to Commissioner Mathew Wambua’s fifth-floor office, a source told The Post.

“It’s disgusting,” said the source. “People are finding them on their desks and in their files. It’s an epidemic.”

The critters have descended on the building despite the acquisition of the city agency’s latest weapon last month — two bedbug-sniffing beagles named Mickey and Nemo.

HPD employees were told that dogs would be on high alert during an inspection planned for the weekend, the source said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Citywide Administrative Services confirmed “sightings” of the critters in the building, but only on one floor. A follow-up inspection was to have taken place yesterday, but with bedbug-sniffing dogs from a private exterminator.

Nemo and Mickey are allowed to do only residential inspections, the spokeswoman said.

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11/17/2011 NYC Calls In The Bedbug Dogs: Mickey And Nemo Are 2 Beagles Being Used Department Of Housing Preservation & Development

The city has unleashed its newest tools in the battle against bedbugs: Mickey and Nemo, beagles trained to sniff out the scourge.

The dogs and their handlers will be deployed to apartments for inspections when requests are made through the city’s nonemergency 311 line. The Department of Housing Preservation & Development could send out each dog and handler to perform about a dozen inspections a day, though city officials cautioned that the two teams won’t be able to meet citywide demand.

On Monday, their first day on the job, the dog and handler teams made nine visits that resulted in three landlords being hit with violation notices.

“Within minutes of bringing the dog into the apartment, the dog sat down and signaled that there were bedbugs,” said Vito Mustaciuolo, deputy commissioner of Housing Preservation & Development. “That’s incredible.”

The cost of purchasing the dogs, training, kennel charges and veterinary care is $69,000 for the first year, most of which was covered by the City Council.

Nemo and Mickey will spend their nights in an Upper East Side kennel, where they will receive frequent grooming. Visits to the veterinarian are covered under a pet insurance plan and the two even have their own uniforms and Housing Preservation & Development badges.

The bedbug-detecting beagles are part of a coordinated, multi-agency effort that began in the summer of 2010 in response to an epidemic of bedbug infestations—from bedrooms to offices to movie theaters.

The city convened a special advisory group, created a website specific to bedbug prevention and education, provided training to Housing Preservation & Development officers and tightened regulations for landlords.

“We’ve all seen the commercials of the beagles you could hire to come to your house to get bedbugs out of your home,” said City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. “By bringing Mickey and Nemo on board, we’re sending a message that all New Yorkers, regardless of their income, will get the best bedbug attention money can buy.”

New York follows city agencies in Seattle and Milwaukee in purchasing bedbug-detecting dogs.

Because of wide-spread concern surrounding the proliferation of bedbug-sniffing dogs and their effectiveness, the National Pest Management Association and several certification agencies have stepped up efforts to develop industry protocols on dog and handler training.

“Unfortunately, there is very little research that’s been done on bedbugs and even less on bedbug scent detection canine teams, though we do know that these teams, when properly trained and certified, can be very effective,” said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association.

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11/13/2011 Brooklyn Public School Has Bedbugs For 33rd Time: PS361 In Flatbush Notifies Parents

A Flatbush public school’s latest rash of bedbugs is the 31st time the school has dealt with the pesky insects in a year, the Daily News has learned.

Officials at Public School 361 sent a letter home to parents on Oct. 31, telling them that once again, the unwanted crawlers had been found in a classroom – the 31st incident since last October.

“It’s terrible,” said Darlene Rice, 45, whose son Jared is in the first grade at the Newkirk Ave. school. “We’ve been hearing about it for over a year. They should be exterminating the whole building.”

The letter warned parents that bites from the blood-sucking bugs are “initially painless” but could become swollen and itch.

“Even though it is unlikely for bedbugs to spread in schools, the Department of Education will conduct an inspection and, if indicated, treatment of the area where the bug was found,” read the note addressed to parents.

Rice said she just dealt with a rash of bedbugs at her apartment across the street from the school and was nervous about another unwelcome visit.

“I’m scared. I just spent so much money washing my clothes,” said Rice.

The city’s anti-bedbug policy instructs school officials to send the bugs to a lab in Long Island City for testing. If the lab results are positive for bedbugs, then the city is supposed to dispatch exterminators to treat the trouble spots.

“The school has been inspected eight times and there have never been signs of infestation,” said city Education Department spokeswoman Marge Feinberg. “Every time we find a single bedbug, we are required to report it. Schools are not hospitable environments for bedbugs and are brought in from the outside, usually in a bag or on clothing.”

Parents said they were not taking any chances.

“I’m getting my apartment exterminated – I am not playing,” said Shavonne Wingate, 24, whose daughter, Michelle, is in the first grade.

Adriane Hobbs, 41 whose son Jalen Perez is in the first grade, said she can’t stand roaches – let alone bedbugs.

“I think it’s nasty – I don’t like bugs,” Hobbs said.

“If there’s one, then they’re all over the building,” said Hobbs.

Paris World, 31, from Crown Heights, said she makes her first grade daughter Jadaya take her clothes off at the front door before she walks into their apartment.

“Bedbugs are not roaches,” said World. “If you see one you know there’s a whole bunch somewhere else.”

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11/4/2011 NYPD: Phony Bedbug Exterminator Robbing Queens Homes

The search is on for a man burglarizing houses in Queens — with the homeowners inside.

CBS 2’s Hazel Sanchez spoke to a couple of the victims about how he gets in the door by promising a much-needed service.

On Wednesday night a mother of three was too afraid to reveal her identity. She’s terrified the man who posed as an exterminator and burglarized her home right underneath her nose will return.

“He’s real. He really acts real,” the woman said when asked how persuasive his masquerade is.

The woman said she was alone with her 1-year-old daughter, when the phony exterminator showed up at her apartment on 41st Street in Astoria, Queens.

“He said he was actually [looking] for the bedbugs. I said ‘bedbugs?’ Usually my exterminator comes for, like, roaches. So I said, ‘Okay … be safe,’” the woman said.

Investigators said the suspect then went to another apartment in the same building and victimized a 71-year-old woman with the same scam.

Police said the fake exterminator was wearing a blue uniform, what appeared to be a valid ID badge and was carrying a white spray tank, spraying what he claimed was an insecticide.

Police said the suspect was so believable he was able to convince the superintendent of another building to allow him into the super’s apartment to spray. But he took nothing.

Police said the suspect did take jewelry, including a wedding band, from an elderly couple in the super’s Astoria building. Sanchez spoke to another victim who was also afraid to show her face.

“Now, I’m scared to open the door for you,” she said.

Tenants are petitioning to their landlords to install security cameras to prevent other residents from being duped.

Continue Reading More/Watching Video: NYPD Phony Bedbug Exterminator Robbing Queens Homes

9/8/2011 Did NYC Dept Of Education Cover Up Bedbugs? Inspection Last December Showed Evidence In PS 70 Astoria: Parents Were Not Notified

Parents and elected officials are furious at Astoria’s P.S. 70 for failing to notify them of a bedbug infestation that has been ignored since last winter.

An inspection was performed at the school in December, in which several bedbugs were found in one of the school’s closets with signs of breeding. No notification was given to the parents, students or teachers. Even Principal Donna Gellar was left in the dark; she was unaware an investigation took place to begin with.

Elected officials are concerned for the safety of the students upon returning to the school, as the new academic year has officially begun this week.

“The Education Department’s failure to notify parents and school officials about the bedbug infestation in a P.S. 70 classroom is outrageous,” Assemblymember Aravella Simotas said. “This type of negligence puts students and teachers at risk, and prevents families from taking necessary steps to protect their children.”

Students who come in contact with bedbugs from outside sources usually cause school infestations. That was the case with most of last year’s bedbug reports, which more than doubled: a whopping 3,590 to the previous year’s 1,019. At P.S. 70, the bugs were found within the school and were allowed to continue reproducing, earning the school the title of the worst bedbug infestation in the five boroughs.

“In the past, when bedbugs were discovered in a New York City public school, the parents of the affected child would be notified along with the parents of the affected student’s classmates,” state Senator Michael Gianaris said. “This policy seems to have been overlooked at P.S. 70.”

 This story leads many to wonder how many other schools have been discovered to have bedbugs but were never notified.

According to the Department of Education pest control unit, there was no law requiring them to notify the school at the time. However, Gianaris passed a Bedbug Notification Law in August of 2010 in “an effort to stop bedbug infestations from becoming an epidemic by requiring all families in an infested school to be notified of any bedbug cases”. The senator is requesting an explanation from the Department of Education on their failure to comply with said regulations.

“Parents of New York City school children deserve notification from school officials upon detection of bedbugs in their child’s school,” he said. “Children must be able to learn in an environment that is not hindered by bedbug infestations.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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