Bed bug Epidemic in NYC, Or shouldwe say the Norm

The Bedbug population in the U.S. has jumped by 500% in thepast few years, reports Congress’ “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009.

New York Metro area you can’t have helped hearing theongoing news about the bed bug epidemic. Just this week there have been reportson the local news channels, newspapers and business journals about the bed bugcrisis.

New York City announced they will be setting up a bed bugtask force and naming a bed bug czar to spear head a group that will dealsolely with the bed bug issue in New York City. It is reported that one inevery 15 New Yorkers has been personally affected by bed bugs. It is importantto know that this problem is not just limited to the NY Metro area. The suburbsof Westchester, Rockland and Fairfield County are all also experiencing a hugegrowth in bed bug infestations.

The bargain mattresses have turned up in NYC which have beenadvertised as new mattresses. As a result, several cases of bed bug infestationhave been found and were proven that the mattresses condition (as second-hand)was not disclosed when it went on sale.

There is no one cause of the current bed bug epidemic thatstarted in the mid-90s and has been gaining increasing strength, culminating inmajor public recognition in the United States with the 2009 National Bed BugSummit in Washington, D.C.

Bed bugs, often considered to be a sign of filth anddisease, are springing up in the cleanest of places. They were once thought tobe a relatively rare household problem, but now the pests have been found in analarming number of places across the nation. High-end fashion stores aretemporarily shutting their doors, and homeowners have been forced to spend thousandsof dollars on extermination.

In the summer of 2010, stores in New York City such asVictoria’s Secret, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister and in 2011 stores likeReebok and Niketown also all had to evacuate and exterminate their buildingsafter reports of bed bugs.

While bed bug infestations have been on the rise nationwide,New York’s bed bugs seem to be the most widespread — and the hardest to kill. Astudy titled “Biochemical and Molecular Analysis of Deltamethrin Resistance inthe Common Bed Bug” in the Journal of Medical Etymology has shown that New Yorkbed bugs are growing immune to some commonly used pesticides such asdeltamethrin. In fact, the study claims that New York bed bugs are 264 percentmore pesticide resistant than bed bug strains found in Florida.

Bed bugs-Infecting Mattress

Brooklyn isn’t that big, it consists of 71 miles and claims2,500,000 inhabitants, making it one of the most densely populated areas in thecountry. This dense population also encourages the spread of bed bugs.

Kings County reported more incidents of bed bugs than anyother borough last year, with Manhattan coming in second place. Brooklynreported nearly 4,000 complaints to the 311 service, representing a horrifyingincrease of more than 40% over the previous years reports. As if that weren’tbad enough, Wingate in Brooklyn, reported an increase of 98% of infestation.Now that’s a lot of blood sucking going on.

Major causes of the Epidemic are:

• The elimination of DDT and other pesticides that had largely eradicated bed bugs in the western world as a major pest of concern.
• The transition to targeted roach baits for the eradication of cockroaches, thereby inadvertently eliminating some protection against bed bug populations.
• An increase in domestic travel and mobility as people migrate not just from one country to another, but from city to city, due to changing economics. We know this to be true about countries such as the United States, but we fail to fathom the profound changes in countries like China, where millions of people have migrated from rural areas with no doubt little if any documentation of bed bug infestations into cities, where they come into contact with western visitors.
• The bed reconditioning industry was found to be short-cutting the reconditioning process. Here is a case of Bed bugs in newly reconditioned mattresses.
• The lack of skills among modern pest control professionals, not familiar with bed bug infestations. This is one cause that is being addressed as calls for bed bug control become more pronounced and the level of interest in and training for bed bug control improves, such as the education and certification programs available through Bed Bug Central
• The lack of familiarity of the public with bed bugs causes the problem to be misdiagnosed and prolonged. Case in Point, this blogger asks if he is dealing with bed bugs or mites.
• The expense of bed bug control causes the public to often self-treat, which extends and prolongs infestations.
• The litigious nature of American society causes pest control companies to stay away from the bed bug control sector and requires those that do stay in the business to demand high prices often unaffordable to large segments of the public.

What is the future of the bed bug Epidemic?

The cost of bed bug litigation works against lowering pest control prices tomore affordable levels. Bed bug resistance to existing pesticides will only getworse. No one will give up travel to stop bed bugs. The world is gettingsmaller by the minute. People may change some things about their lifestyle,such as buying used furniture or selectively choosing hotels, but the potentialof bed bug infestations will abound. The level of cooperation required by thebed bug stricken requires an intensity that few can follow or achieve. There isa “perfect storm” for the bed bug epidemic, with no end in sight. Allyou can do is become informed, alert and pro-actively inspect, inspect andinspect.

Some quick Notes:
Bed bugs have made a resurgence in the New York area andmany people are understandably concerned! With Beyond Pest Control, you’ve come to theright place. We’re the Bed BugControl Experts and we’ll help you deal with these pests.

Here are some Bed Bug Facts

1. Bed bugs are blood sucking insects that feed onwarm-blooded animals, usually humans. They are brown in color and quickly changeto dark red after having a blood meal.

2.They are considered nocturnal and usually feed at night on sleeping hosts. However, bed bugs will feed during the daytime if they arehungry and given the opportunity.

3. They find a host by detecting the carbon dioxide andwarmth given off by the host.

4. They have special mouth parts to be able to pierce the skin and draw up blood. The mouth parts consist of two tubes; one tube injectsan anesthetic along with anti-clotting saliva and the other tube is used todraw up the blood into the body.

5. It is the saliva that causes the swelling and itch of the bite.

6. Female bed bugs can deposit up to 5 eggs a day and 500during their lifetime. Eggs hatch in 7-20 days depending on temperature.

7. Adult bed bugs can survive 6-12 months without a bloodmeal and require only 3-5 minutes to complete their feeding.

8. They do not transmit any diseases as far as we know.

9. They will travel long distances to get a blood meal. Someestimates are a far as 100 feet back and forth from their harborage sites. However, bed bugs usually stay much closerto their hosts.

10. These insects do not discriminate. The will infest themost extravagant hotels or the most humble of homes if they can get inside.

11. They do not stay or attach themselves to a host to get ablood meal. After feeding, they will run off the host and scurry back to their hiding places.

12. They will often congregate in harborages.

Where can you get bed bugs?
Some favorite places that you can pick up these pests are;gym lockers, busses, taxicabs, trains, planes, cruise ships,and movie theatres. Basically, you can get bed bugs from anypublic place people gather and spend some time.

What can you do to help prevent bringing these pests intoyour home?
Awareness is the first defense! When returning home from atrip, whether domestic or foreign, examine your luggage, purses and carry-on items for bed bugs. Be sure to examine anygifts you may have brought home. Wash or dry clean all clothing items.

If you ever have any bug related issues in New York City,feel free to call us either at Beyond Pest Control. Once again, and I can’tstress this enough we are on call twenty four hours a day seven days a week tokill those bugs, we aren’t kidding whether you call us at 9 am or midnight wewill be available to take your call and either get rid of the bug infestation,or answer any questions you may have concerning the bug issue. I can honestlyguarantee that there will be someone to answer that call. We make it ourbusiness to make you bug free!

If you have any questions about how to get rid of ants check out the rest of our website or go to our blog at http://nypestpro.blogspot.com.

Beyond Pest Control.

Our pest control specialists service all NYC boroughs, including Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Long Island (both Nassau & Suffolk counties), Staten Island and even both Westchester & Rockland counties.