Is this an Epidemic in NYC or is it Considered to be the ‘Norm’?

The Bedbug population in the U.S. has increased, or should I say it ‘jumped’ by 500% in only the last few years? At least, that’s what Congress had reported in their “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009.”

But let’s be honest people, it’s not like the New York Metro area couldn’t help hearing the news about the ongoing bed bug epidemic which we are now facing. Just this week, there has been report after report on several local news channels, newspapers and business journals regarding this bed bug wrath many of New Yorkers are currently facing.

New York City had recently announced that they will be setting up this new ‘bed bugtask force’ and will be naming it, ‘The Bed Bug Czar’in order to permanently resolve New York City’s bed bug epidemic crisis. It is reported that one in every 15 New Yorkers has been personally affected by bed bugs. It is important to know that this problem is not just limited to the NY Metro area. The suburbs of Westchester, Rockland and Fairfield County are all also experiencing a huge growth in bed bug infestations.

The bargain mattresses have turned up in NYC which have been advertised as new mattresses. As a result, several cases of bed bug infestation have 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 which had started in the mid-90s and has been increasing in strength, culminating in major public recognition in the United States with the 2009 National Bed Bug Summit in Washington, D.C.

Bed bugs, often considered to be a sign of filth and disease, are springing up in the cleanest of places. They were once thought to be a relatively rare household problem, but now the pests have been found in an alarming number of places across the nation. High-end fashion stores are temporarily shutting their doors, and homeowners have been forced to spend thousands of dollars on extermination.
In the summer of 2010, stores in New York City such as Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister and in 2011 stores like Reebok and Nike-town also all had to evacuate and exterminate their buildings after 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. A study titled “Biochemical and Molecular Analysis of Deltamethrin Resistance in the Common Bed Bug” in the Journal of Medical Etymology has shown that New Yorkbed bugs are growing immune to some commonly used pesticides such as deltamethrin. In fact, the study claims that New York bed bugs are 264 percent more pesticide resistant than bed bug strains found in Florida.

Bed bugs-Infecting Mattress

Brooklyn isn’t that big, it consists of 71 miles and claims 2,500,000 inhabitants, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the country. This dense population also encourages the spread of bed bugs.

Kings County reported more incidents of bed bugs than any other borough last year, with Manhattan coming in second place. Brooklyn reported nearly 4,000 complaints to the 311 service, representing a horrifying increase of more than 40% over the previous years reports. As if that weren’t bad 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 because 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 to more affordable levels. Bed bug resistance to existing pesticides will only get worse. No one will give up travel to stop bed bugs. The world is getting smaller by the minute. People may change some things about their lifestyle,such as buying used furniture or selectively choosing hotels, but the potential of bed bug infestations will abound. The level of cooperation required by the bed bug stricken requires an intensity that few can follow or achieve. There is a “perfect storm” for the bed bug epidemic, with no end in sight. All you can do is become informed, alert and pro-actively inspect, inspect and inspect.

Some quick Notes:
Bed bugs have made a resurgence in the New York area and many people are understandably concerned! With Beyond Pest Control, you’ve come to the right place. We’re the Bed Bug Control 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 on warm-blooded animals, usually humans. They are brown in color and quickly change to 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 are hungry and given the opportunity.

3. They find a host by detecting the carbon dioxide and warmth 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 injects an anesthetic along with anti-clotting saliva and the other tube is used to draw 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 500 during their lifetime. Eggs hatch in 7-20 days depending on temperature.

7. Adult bed bugs can survive 6-12 months without a blood meal 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. Some estimates are a far as 100 feet back and forth from their harborage sites. However, bed bugs usually stay much closer to their hosts.

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

11. They do not stay or attach themselves to a host to get a blood 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 any public place people gather and spend some time.

What can you do to help prevent bringing these pests in to your home?
Awareness is the first defense! When returning home from a trip, whether domestic or foreign, examine your luggage, purses and carry-on items for bed bugs. Be sure to examine any gifts 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’t stress this enough we are on call twenty-four hours a day seven days a week to kill those bugs, we aren’t kidding whether you call us at 9 am or midnight we will 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 honestly guarantee that there will be someone to answer that call. We make it our business 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 https://www.nypestpro.com/blog.html/.

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.