Archive for the ‘Bed Bugs On The Rampage’ Category

Bed bugs – these tiny little creatures are making their way from hotel beds to homes and businesses in our area. You can find these slimy creatures anywhere.

Bed bugs can be spotted under picture frames, on furniture, under your baseboard, and even in your clothes. Exterminators say they’re not only found in dirty places.

“People will say my home is clean – but it has nothing to do with filth. They just pass from place to place when you travel,” says Billy Jackson, an exterminator at Bug Busters in Chattanooga.

We spent the day with Jackson who showed us common areas where the bugs hide out. He showed us pictures of what your skin may look like if you’re bitten by one.

Jackson says folks should be extremely careful when staying in public places like hotels.

“They jump on board your luggage and your clothing and stuff … and when we bring them home, first thing we all do is throw our luggage on our bed and start unpacking. Next thing you know, you got bed bugs in your bed at home,” says Jackson.

The Hamilton County Health Department does inspections at most public places twice a year.

They recently threatened to take away the permit at the Crown Inn in East Ridge after there were bed bugs reported. Without a permit, the hotel would have to close.

“We’ll tell the operator they have 10 days to rid the room or rooms of those pests and we’ll be back for a follow up to make sure they’re gone,” says Bonnie Deakins from the Hamilton County Health Department.

“I started seeing little red spots in my skin, in my elbow, my shoulder, my lower back,” says Mauricio Tarazona.

Mauricio Tarazona says he was bitten by bed bugs about a week ago, while living at the Intown Suites on Gunbarrel Road.

Meanwhile, exterminator Jackson says the bed bugs will get you when you least expect it.

“When you’re in that deep sleep is when they’ll come out and start feeding on you,” says Jackson.

Exterminators say if you have bed bugs, you should wash and dry your clothes and sheets in very hot water. For a complete list of how to prevent them and how to get rid of them, log on to http://www.howto-getridofbedbugs.com/

There is an online resource you can use, to check on reports of bedbugs around the country.

The website http://bedbugregistry.com/ gives users a chance to report bed bugs at hotels.

Founded in 2006, the web site has collected about 20,000 reports of bed bugs, including several reports in Chattanooga.

But, the last reported case from Chattanooga on the site, is from the summer of last year. And a reminder– this is not an official site. It’s up to you to figure out the posts are true.

Article source: http://www.newschannel9.com/news/bed-1008806-bugs-says.html

FARMINGTON— A bed bug was found this week in the Valley View Community School, though school officials say it does not appear there is any need for alarm.

Superintendent Frank Mellaci said Friday the bug discovered in the last couple days appear to be connected to only one student, on whom the bug was found.

Mellaci said he did not know whether the student was actually bitten by the bug.

“We think this was an isolated case,” he said.

No other bugs have been seen in the school itself, Mellaci said, but the district is taking the incident seriously and has taken a number of steps to ensure the bugs do not spread.

The school collected the bug found on the student and has sent it to the University of New Hampshire where it will be tested to ensure it is actually a bed bug. The district has also contacted the Local Government Center and the state health department to get their take on health and safety procedures regarding bed bugs and how the school should deal with the situation going forward.

The school sent home a letter to parents Thursday telling them about the incident and providing information on what they can do if they believe their child may be affected by the bugs.

“We felt that the best thing to do was to make it something of an educational nature and informative,” Mellaci said. “We’re giving (parents) the historical background and telling them about the protocols and procedures to take.”

Bed bugs are usually active at night and feed on human blood. While they can spread quickly, their bites are not known to spread disease, but instead cause swelling and itching, like a mosquito bite.

The letter sent home to parents of Valley View students told parents to watch for clusters of bites, usually in a line, on exposed areas of the body and asked parents to contact their doctor if they are concerned their child may be affected.

The source of bed bugs often cannot be determined, the letter states, but school officials said they will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the problem has not spread.

Mellaci said Friday the district’s buildings and grounds crew will be inspecting the school and contacting pest management companies to identify bed bugs and get rid of the bugs if more are found.

While some parents were concerned the bugs could be brought home by their students, Mellaci said he does not believe the issue is widespread.

“I doubt they’re anywhere else, but we have to play on the safe side,” he said, praising the Valley View staff for their quick response to the problem.

Parents or guardians with questions about bed bugs and steps the school is currently taking can contact Valley View Principal Cynthia Sparks or school nurse Lynn Olden at 755-4757.

If bugs are found in a home, contact the local health department.

Article source: http://www.fosters.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120204/GJNEWS_01/702049941

How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs

As you are visiting this site it is likely that you fall into one of several categories.

Possibly you may have bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) already and want to get rid of them. Maybe you suspect you may have bed bugs and want information, maybe you may be worried about getting a bed bug infestation and want to know how to prevent this, or possibly you are just curious about bed bugs.

Whatever the case this site has the answer for you.

What are bed bugs?

There are a lot of fallacies and misconceptions about bed bugs, one of the biggest urban myths is that every bed has them.

This is simply not true!

Every bed has dust mites which feed on human skin, these are not bed bugs!

Bed bugs are visible to the naked eye and are surprisingly large, especially after a meal of blood! Adult bed bugs are about the size and shape of an apple pip and can move quite quickly when disturbed.

Where did bed bugs come from?

They evolved from bugs which feed on bats (Cimex pipistrella etc) and probably evolved around the times when human beings started living in caves.

Bats would only live in the caves for half the year round whereas human beings would inhabit the caves all year round, thus providing a better opportunity for a regular meal.

However, because the bugs historically had to endure long periods without feeding, modern day bed bugs can survive

for extended periods without a meal, up to a year or more in fact.

For many years they were practically extinct in many areas, the invention of highly effective insecticides such as DDT and the removal of much of the slum dwellings where they were prevalent saw pest controllers dealing with very few infestations during the middle and later part of the twentieth century. However, during the last few years they are back and with a vengeance.

To say they have reached plague proportions is not stretching the matter too far.

Unlike flies and many other insects they have an ‘incomplete metamorphosis’ which means that they do not go through a larval or ‘maggot’ stage in their development, but the young hatch from eggs as a complete but smaller version of an adult and then grow by shedding their skins.

These skins are often found in beds.

What do bed bugs feed on?

Blood, simply that! They prefer humans but they will bite your cat, dog or other pets as well.

They are nocturnal and typically will emerge in the early hours of the morning when their target is in a deep sleep. They sense their target by detecting the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath and when close in on their meal they switch to infrared detection of body heat.

They inject their prey with a fluid which is both anaesthetic and anti-coagulant which stops you feeling the bite and keeps the blood flowing. They need to feed about once every seven to ten days.

For these reasons bed bug bites tend to be concentrated on the upper torso, bites on the ankles and lower legs suggest fleas.

Where do bed bugs live?

Another urban myth is that they are confined to beds and that burning the beds will solve the problem. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Bed bugs live anywhere within around fifteen to twenty feet of where a person normally sleeps, which in most cases means the entire bedroom. This is why eradicating bed bugs is so difficult as they are not only in the beds but everywhere in the room, in the beds, under the carpets, in furniture, picture frames and even inside electrical sockets and switches.

I have bed bugs, does this mean I’m a dirty person?

Not at all! Some surprisingly upmarket hotels are fighting a losing battle with these pests and some very famous people have suffered.

Bed bugs do not live in dirt and squalor, their diet is YOU and they are the ultimate in having no prejudices, white or black, rich or poor, young or old they will bite you!

How did I get bed bugs?

Well, very difficult to say as they are so very easy to get these days. Maybe you stayed in a hotel or guest house that had them. Maybe you sat next to the wrong person on a bus, tube or train, transport related cases are booming these days. If you live in an apartment or terraced row, any building in fact with attached neighbours, then maybe they just walked in under the door!

Bed bugs spread like wildfire in any form of communal building, apartments, terraced rows, condos etc.

I’m worried I may have bed bugs, how do I tell?

Checkout our page How To Prevent Bed Bugs

How do I get rid of bedbugs, I know I have them?

Visit our page Before The Treatment

** please read the Legal Disclaimer before taking any actions

 

How to get rid of bed bugs how to prevent bed bugs

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city’s public housing director on Friday pledged to change the way the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority operates, and hire a licensed pest control expert to kill all bedbugs in Stonequist Apartments.

Coming off more than a month of mounting criticism from tenants and city officials, Housing Authority Director Ed Spychalski said he would hire a professional exterminator to implement “an accelerated, comprehensive” management plan for bedbugs in the 176-unit federal housing tower. He also said he would make adjustments to the agency’s business practices.

The bedbug announcement delighted Teresa Grocki, the first of several residents who made emotional pleas for help in removing the insects from Stonequist, a nine-story tower located just outside the city’s downtown area.

“We are on the way to having an ongoing program, which, hopefully, will help us stave off the bugs and go back to as normal a life as possible,” said Grocki, who received Spychalski’s letter Friday morning under her door. She achieved her goal — funding for bedbug treatment, Grocki added.

Spychalski comments came in letters to Mayor Scott Johnson and all Stonequist tenants. They were released Friday by a public relations firm that the authority’s Board of Directors hired.

Spychalski’s call for “corrective action throughout the entire building” marked a departure because authority officials had insisted the bedbugs were confined to less than 20 rooms. Since the summer, he and the authority’s Board of Directors had relied on informational videos, steamers, mattress covers, and most recently, non-toxic powder, to control the tiny, fast-migrating insects.

The housing authority will select a pest control specialist on Monday, and inform tenants of upcoming inspection and treatment times, Dennis Brunelle, chairman of the authority’s board, said in a statement. The new approach calls for pest inspections of all apartments to start as early as late next week, insect identifications, the application of two or more control methods and follow up evaluations, Spychalski said.

City residents, public housing tenants and Accounts Commissioner John Franck have blasted Spychalski in recent weeks for his handling of bedbugs, but also the director’s $152,000-a-year salary, employment of family members, extravagant travel budget and pugnacious management style. With his job on the line and oversight demanded, Spychalski acknowledged to Johnson that changes were required.

“We realize that we have other administrative and operations issues to deal with in the coming months,” Spychalski wrote. “In some instances, we have relied on past practices that are no longer effective, and so we will be evaluating our business practices with the board and making appropriate adjustments.” Spychalski promised to send City Council members regular reports on outstanding issues of concern and plans.

dyusko@timesunion.com • 518-454-5353 • @DAYusko

Article source: http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Housing-director-to-target-bedbugs-2999352.php

How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs

As you are visiting this site it is likely that you fall into one of several categories.

Possibly you may have bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) already and want to get rid of them. Maybe you suspect you may have bed bugs and want information, maybe you may be worried about getting a bed bug infestation and want to know how to prevent this, or possibly you are just curious about bed bugs.

Whatever the case this site has the answer for you.

What are bed bugs?

There are a lot of fallacies and misconceptions about bed bugs, one of the biggest urban myths is that every bed has them.

This is simply not true!

Every bed has dust mites which feed on human skin, these are not bed bugs!

Bed bugs are visible to the naked eye and are surprisingly large, especially after a meal of blood! Adult bed bugs are about the size and shape of an apple pip and can move quite quickly when disturbed.

Where did bed bugs come from?

They evolved from bugs which feed on bats (Cimex pipistrella etc) and probably evolved around the times when human beings started living in caves.

Bats would only live in the caves for half the year round whereas human beings would inhabit the caves all year round, thus providing a better opportunity for a regular meal.

However, because the bugs historically had to endure long periods without feeding, modern day bed bugs can survive

for extended periods without a meal, up to a year or more in fact.

For many years they were practically extinct in many areas, the invention of highly effective insecticides such as DDT and the removal of much of the slum dwellings where they were prevalent saw pest controllers dealing with very few infestations during the middle and later part of the twentieth century. However, during the last few years they are back and with a vengeance.

To say they have reached plague proportions is not stretching the matter too far.

Unlike flies and many other insects they have an ‘incomplete metamorphosis’ which means that they do not go through a larval or ‘maggot’ stage in their development, but the young hatch from eggs as a complete but smaller version of an adult and then grow by shedding their skins.

These skins are often found in beds.

What do bed bugs feed on?

Blood, simply that! They prefer humans but they will bite your cat, dog or other pets as well.

They are nocturnal and typically will emerge in the early hours of the morning when their target is in a deep sleep. They sense their target by detecting the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath and when close in on their meal they switch to infrared detection of body heat.

They inject their prey with a fluid which is both anaesthetic and anti-coagulant which stops you feeling the bite and keeps the blood flowing. They need to feed about once every seven to ten days.

For these reasons bed bug bites tend to be concentrated on the upper torso, bites on the ankles and lower legs suggest fleas.

Where do bed bugs live?

Another urban myth is that they are confined to beds and that burning the beds will solve the problem. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

Bed bugs live anywhere within around fifteen to twenty feet of where a person normally sleeps, which in most cases means the entire bedroom. This is why eradicating bed bugs is so difficult as they are not only in the beds but everywhere in the room, in the beds, under the carpets, in furniture, picture frames and even inside electrical sockets and switches.

I have bed bugs, does this mean I’m a dirty person?

Not at all! Some surprisingly upmarket hotels are fighting a losing battle with these pests and some very famous people have suffered.

Bed bugs do not live in dirt and squalor, their diet is YOU and they are the ultimate in having no prejudices, white or black, rich or poor, young or old they will bite you!

How did I get bed bugs?

Well, very difficult to say as they are so very easy to get these days. Maybe you stayed in a hotel or guest house that had them. Maybe you sat next to the wrong person on a bus, tube or train, transport related cases are booming these days. If you live in an apartment or terraced row, any building in fact with attached neighbours, then maybe they just walked in under the door!

Bed bugs spread like wildfire in any form of communal building, apartments, terraced rows, condos etc.

I’m worried I may have bed bugs, how do I tell?

Checkout our page How To Prevent Bed Bugs

How do I get rid of bedbugs, I know I have them?

Visit our page Before The Treatment

** please read the Legal Disclaimer before taking any actions

 

How to get rid of bed bugs how to prevent bed bugs