"Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/New-Bed-Bugs-Task-Force-in-Philly-293718691.html

New Task Force Developed to Combat Bed Bugs in Philly
By Kelly Bayliss
Published at 4:00 PM EST on Feb 23, 2015

In an effort to control its bed bug infestation problem, the city created a task force compiled of realtors, the Street and Health Departments, landlords and others.

The Bed Bug Task Force was created after a bed bug hearing last December that addressed the concerns of residents dealing with an infestation and the high cost of ensuring their homes are rid of the pesky bugs -- some of the city's residents can't afford repeat treatments.

"Depending on the levels of infestation, bed bugs may be in more than one room of the house, in the woodwork, receptacles or even behind pictures hangings on the walls," said Michelle Niedermeier, corrdinator for the Pennsylvania IPM Program.

Apartment associations, realtors, supportive housing, exterminators, landlords and residents along with the Philly Street and Health Departments came together for the Bed Bug Task Force's first meeting recently and decided to break into various committees to address indiviual issues such as education and outreach, according to a news release.

"We also discussed developing neighborhood teams to monitor and treat bed bug infestations and share knowledge," said Neidermeier.

The task force and its sub-committees are just the first step in helping Philly residents say "goodnight" to bed bugs.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://nypost.com/2015/04/15/man-burned-after-setting-rental-car-afire-trying-to-kill-bedbugs/

Man burned after setting rental car afire trying to kill bedbugs
By Associated Press
April 15, 2015 | 9:23am

EASTPORT, N.Y. — Police say a Long Island man set his rental car ablaze while trying to kill bedbugs inside the vehicle.

Scott Kemery suffered first- and second-degree burns in the incident Tuesday outside an Eastport supermarket.

Police say the Bridgehampton resident poured alcohol over the insects, then sat in the car and lit a cigarette, setting off the blaze.

He fled the vehicle on his own.

Detective Sgt. Edward Fitzgerald told Newsday that someone told Kemery that if he saturated the bedbugs with alcohol it would kill them.

Police say two other cars were heavily damaged from the intense heat of the fire.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...urt-No-Longer-Infested-Bedbugs-322021891.html

Jersey City Municipal Court No Longer Infested With Bedbugs
Published 6 hours ago

Officials say the Jersey City Municipal Court is no longer infested with bedbugs following the facility's second outbreak in five years.

Chief Municipal Judge Carlo Abad tells The Jersey Journal the bedbugs discovered at the Summit Avenue courthouse last week were exterminated and there is no reason for the public to be alarmed.

Abad says the entire courthouse, along with the Jersey City Police Department's Bureau of Criminal Identification located on-site, was treated Saturday by Western Pest Services.

A city spokesman confirmed the presence of the pests Friday. Bedbugs bite and cause minor skin irritation or rashes.

Abad says the safety and well-being of the public is the first priority of the court.

The courthouse was similarly infested in 2010 but the building remained open as extermination took place.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Bed-Bug-Pittsburgh-911-Call-Center-322287841.html

Single Bed Bug at 911 Center Costs Pennsylvania County $12,000
Updated at 1:02 PM EDT on Wednesday, Aug 19, 2015

How much does it cost to get rid of a single bed bug? At an emergency dispatch center in Pittsburgh, about $12,000 so far.

A dispatcher found one bed bug Friday at Allegheny County's 911 dispatch center and the county shelled out $12,000 to Terminix to set 140 traps during the weekend but caught no additional bugs, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

The county relocated dispatchers to three backup locations Tuesday so crews could treat the building and clean workstations. That cleaning costs $33,000 but was budgeted and originally scheduled for later this year.

"We decided to err on the side of caution because our employee safety is just as important as public safety," said Amie Downs, a county spokeswoman.

Dini Miller, a professor specializing in urban entomology at Virginia Tech, said public officials tend to "go nuts" when they find bed bugs, and he called the county's response a waste of money.

"That kind of decision-making is just stupid, period. It's hysteria," Miller said.

More cleaning could be in the works after a worker with the county's Department of Human Services claimed she was bitten in the building over the weekend.

The county hasn't confirmed the culprit was a bed bug but is working with the property manager to make sure the entire building gets the same treatment as the 911 center.

 

[*marbusfeld]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://gothamist.com/2012/07/16/can_black_ants_save_us_from_bed_bug.php


Blacks Ants vs Bed Bugs
Could ants help eradicate the tiny nightmare that is*the bed bug? In*this old article*the author writes that a freight train crew found a solution—"The same crew say they have a remedy for bed bugs, which infest their caboose after hobos have paid it a visit. They get a jar of black ants, which they turn loose in the sleeping quarters. The ants seek out and destroy bed bugs industriously."

It has also*been noted*more recently that house centipedes will "enthusiastically eat bed bugs," as do fire ants, which quickly consume the critters.

Let's look in to this, whoever is in charge of this stuff! And also how to get rid of the bed bug eating warriors once they've done their job.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/20...-bugs-on-septa-bus-goes-viral-prompts-action/

Photo Of Possible Bed Bugs On SEPTA Bus Goes Viral, Prompts Action
September 6, 2015 7:34 PM
By Alexandria Hoff

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A disturbing picture has been shared thousands of times all over social media after a SEPTA rider claimed he saw bed bugs crawling on the bus he was on.

The photo of the bugs was taken around 8 p.m. Friday on a Route 6 bus. It was shared over 10,000 times.

“I looked between the cracks of the seats and I was like ‘oh my gosh, that’s a bed bug’,” says rider Robert Roberts Jr., who took the photo.

Photo taken of possible bed bugs on the SEPTA bus.


He was sitting at the back of the bus and says he immediately told the driver about the discovery, then shouted to the other passengers.

“I said ‘this bus has bed bugs.’ Everybody got off the bus and they ran,” says Roberts Jr.

Many of those passengers ran to post on social media, which is when SEPTA was brought into the loop.

“As soon as we saw the Tweets and the Instragram information about it,” says SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams, “we contacted the person who took those photos and said ‘where did you see this’?”

The photo was taken around the Olney/Oregon area. Route maps specify the bus in question could have been one of three.

“We took those off the street and we’re going to fumigate them immediately,” Williams says.

She adds that buses are cleaned every day, and “every two weeks we do a full house cleaning. We go through, we actually wipe down the inside of the bus and then every month we fumigate our buses.”

Roberts Jr. feels the fumigation schedule should be revved up to two or three times a month, especially on the heels of a new school year and the arrival of Pope Francis.

SEPTA says they couldn’t confirm if those were bed bugs in that picture, but are treating the situation as if they were. They also say they are changing the seat material in their buses so they don’t have to deal with issues like this.

There’s no word if any other routes have been impacted.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/09/17/workers-find-bedbugs-in-philadelphia-city-hall/

Bed Bugs Found In 311 Call Center In City Hall
September 17, 2015 2:51 PM
By Pat Loeb

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia’s 3-1-1 call center is closed after employees found a bed bug in the office, but the staff will be responding to citizens through email and social media.

Nutter administration spokesman Mark McDonald says an employee found a bed bug on the carpet in the call center’s City Hall office and public property officials felt the prudent thing was to shut it down and fumigate.

“We dealt with this as soon as we found out about it. It’s a pretty standard procedure, but there is an element of ick.”

McDonald says the offices will re-open in the morning and until then, the staff is working remotely.

“The call center has a fairly significant outreach through social media. That will continue outside the offices as well as getting emails and responding so those activities will continue.”

And if your question is about bed bugs, you’ll no doubt find a new level of expertise.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...ome-Over-Bed-Bugs-in-City-Hall-328070291.html

Philly Workers Sent Home After Bedbug Found in City Hall
By Vince Lattanzio
Updated 2 hours ago

The discovery of one bedbug in an office inside Philadelphia City Hall prompted officials to send workers home so exterminators could fumigate — a precaution that cost the city a pretty penny.

The despised pest was found inside the city's 311 call center located on the first floor of the historic municipal building. The call center handles nonemergency questions and requests from citizens and visitors.

Call center employees were asked to leave and an exterminator was called in to investigate what was initially described as an apparent bedbug infestation.

Mark McDonald, spokesman for Mayor Michael Nutter, said a dead bug was found Thursday morning and presented to a representative from the Office of Public Property and the exterminator. A search could not locate any additional insects, he told NBC10.

The exterminator still fumigated the office as a precaution, according to McDonald.

There are no reports of the insects in other parts of city hall.

The call center will continue to handle 311 requests over social media and email, McDonald said. Officials plan to reopen the office Friday morning at 8 a.m.

Worries over the spread of bedbugs can cost municipalities big bucks.

The City of Pittsburgh shelled out $12,000 last month to have 140 traps set out in its 911 dispatch center after a single bedbug was found. The extermination traps didn't capture any other pests. City officials said they'd rather pay the money and err on the side of caution than deal with an infestation.

McDonald said Philadelphia's extermination bill will be about $2,500.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...orce-to-Hold-Meeting-in-Philly-331227142.html

City Bed Bug Task Force to Hold Meeting in Philly
By Morgan Zalot
Published at 9:27 AM EDT on Oct 8, 2015

The newly established Philadelphia "Bed Bug Task Force" announced this week that all city residents are invited to a public meeting Oct. 21 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

The Bed Bug Task Force's quarterly meeting will feature guests including a City of Lancaster health officer, a New York City Department of Public Health assistant commissioner and a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture representative. At the meeting, attendees will be informed about bed-bug-related policies, protocols in municipalities outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania state laws regulating pesticides for bed bugs and other information.

City Councilman Mark "Glory Hole" Squilla is among the sponsors of the task force. The meeting is being held from 10 a.m. to noon in the Convention Center's room 115.

The Philadelphia Bed Bug Task Force was established in February as part of Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences' Integrated Pest Management program, according to the university. The task force is aimed at curbing the rise of bed bug infestations in the city and surrounding area.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2015/10/23/bed-bugs-prompt-exterminations-at-deptford-high-school/

Bed Bugs Prompt Exterminations At Deptford High School
October 23, 2015 10:49 PM

DEPTFORD, NJ (CBS) — Officials at Deptford High School in New Jersey say exterminators are inspecting and treating for bed bugs after the tiny insects were found in the building. Principal Marvin Allen posted an Emergency Pesticide Use notice Friday on the school’s website.

Allen says they can’t determine where exactly they came from and finding the bugs doesn’t mean the school is infested.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website, it’s unlikely for infestations to develop in offices or classrooms, but the bugs can certainly find their way into your home if they cling on to your clothing or other belongings.

The pests feed on blood and can cause itchy bites to their human hosts. The EPA says while the bugs are considered a public health pest, they are not known to transmit any diseases.

Here’s an excerpt from Principal Allen’s notice posted online:

“The source of bed bugs often cannot be determined, as they may be found in many places, including hotels, airplanes, buses, hospitals, department stores and movie theaters. Finding a bed bug does not mean that our school building is infested. Bed bugs are often unknowingly brought into the school by building occupants and as a result we may have future sightings.

Even though it is unlikely for bed bugs to reproduce and spread in schools, the maintenance staff will continue to work to identify pests, provide thorough inspections of schools and have licensed pest control specialists treat rooms as appropriate.

If you have experienced them in your home, we strongly recommend seeking professional assistance from a qualified pest control company.”

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Wilmington-Library-Bedbugs-345737102.html

Bedbugs Turn Up in Handful of Library Books Returned to Delaware Library
Published 4 hours ago

Wilmington librarians say they have seen a few bedbugs inside books that were returned to the library.

The News Journal of Wilmington reported the librarians at downtown Wilmington's main branch on E 10th Street first noticed the bugs six to eight months ago. Larry Manuel, the director of the city's library system, said the bugs went away after the returns counter was treated, but they have returned in the past week.

Manuel said a book is placed in a bag and inspected if it's flagged with bedbugs. If it contains bugs, it is disposed of.

He said the library has thrown away three or four books thus far.

Annie Norman, director of the Delaware Division of Libraries, said the division is planning to conduct training on how to deal with bedbugs with libraries.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news...ures-at-Philadelphia-Libraries-360522471.html

Bedbugs Force Closures of Philadelphia Libraries
By Sara Smith and Aundrea Cline-Thomas
Published at 9:50 PM EST on Dec 3, 2015

A lot more than books are making their way into Philadelphia's Free Public Library Branches.

A bedbug problem forced some libraries to close while exterminators were called.

The Northeast Regional Branch of the Philadelphia Free Public Library on Cottman Avenue was closed Wednesday and the Holmesburg Library was closed Thursday due to the bedbug problem.

Bedbugs were found in books and other materials. Library officials wouldn't disclose all of the locations the pests have popped up, but say there have been at least ten incidents in the last six months.

The libraries have been keeping the problem quiet for fear patrons will be afraid to visit. In fact, the sign on the door of the Holmesburg branch Thursday said the closure was due to an emergency.

"Patrons have not been notified because we handled the issue quickly.... That's not part of our protocol," Lynn Williamson, Chief of the Neighborhood Library Services Division told NBC10's Aundrea Cline-Thomas.

Protocol does not require employees to inspect all materials being returned. Those that have bed bugs or are suspected of having them are places in a heat box and cooked at 122 degrees for at least an hour to decontaminate the books and prevent the bugs from multiplying.

"I would say it's not a big problem because libraries are not places that house infestations of bedbugs. People don't sleep in libraries," Williamson said.

Back in September Philadelphia's 311 center closed for a day after one dead bedbug was found.

In October, the city's newly established "bedbug task force" met for the first time.

City contractors are also being used to exterminate the libraries. The Holmesburg branch was scheduled to re-open Friday.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://nypost.com/2016/01/03/tourists-say-they-were-attacked-by-bedbugs-at-manhattan-hotel/

Tourists post disgusting video of bed bug infestation at NYC hotel
By Leonica Valentine
January 3, 2016 | 4:48am

Two people visiting from California say they were eaten alive by a swarm of bedbugs in their room at the Astor on the Park Hotel on the Upper West Side.

Elgin Ozlen was staying there with his girlfriend when they were attacked in their bed, he said, and posted a video on YouTube showing the evil insects meandering menacingly on their mattress.

“We were expecting a vacation to remember the rest of our lives,’’ he told ABC News.

“We will remember it the rest of our lives, but it won’t be a pleasant memory.’’

A hotel employee the Post spoke Saturday to refused to give his name, but said he was in charge and had been “instructed’’ not to say anything about the claims of the guest.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/health/Bed-Bugs-Philadelphia-Terminex-364264051.html

Don't Let Bedbugs Bite: Philly's No. 2 for Nasty Pest
By Dan Stamm
Published at 1:38 PM EST on Jan 5, 2016

Philadelphia finds itself near the top of a dubious list of the top places to find a bloodsucking household pest.

The City of Brotherly Love came in at second on Terminex’s list of “Top 15 Cities Where Bed Bugs Bite.” At least Philly has ceded the top spot to Detroit, Michigan.

"Most of the cities in our top 15 are big tourist and business destinations, making travelers even more at risk for encounters with bedbugs -- whether it's on the plane, at their hotel, in a movie theater or riding in a taxi,” said Paul Curtis, manager, technical services at Terminix. The name 'bedbug' is deceptive, as these pests can thrive just about anywhere."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the bugs -- that can grow to the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny -- can live hidden in mattresses for “several months without a blood meal.” Bedbugs don’t pose a public health hazard, however, said the CDC.

Philadelphia Health Department said it doesn’t monitor bedbugs since the tiny pests don’t transmit diseases such as mosquitoes or rodents.

The reddish-brown insects, however, can leave marks on the skin of people who have them in their homes.

"We've seen a steady increase in bedbugs since the 1990s, which has been influenced by increased international travel and infestations left untreated,” said Curtis.

Terminex, a major pest control company, compiled data from more than 300 branches around the country from Jan. 1 to Dec. 17, 2015 to come up with its results.

The Cleveland-Akron area, Los Angeles and Dayton, Ohio, rounded out the Top 5.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...beset-bedbugs-sets-apartment-ablaze/78567356/

Man beset by bedbugs sets apartment ablaze
USA Today Network
Daniel Bethencourt, Detroit Free Press 6 p.m. EST January 9, 2016

DETROIT — A man was so overwhelmed by the bedbugs in his Detroit apartment that he sprayed himself with alcohol and then tried to light one of them on fire, badly burning himself in the ensuing flames.

By the time the accidental fire was extinguished, about four units had been destroyed by flames, and two dozen more received water damage.

The fire started at around 4:30 a.m. Sunday at the St. Antoine Gardens apartment complex in Midtown Detroit. That's when the man thought bedbugs had returned to his apartment and sprayed alcohol on his couch and body in an attempt to destroy them, said Dan Austin, a mayor’s office spokesman.

But then, while sitting on the alcohol-doused couch, the man lit a cigarette and also tried to set one of the bedbugs on fire, Austin said. That caused the couch to catch fire, along with the man’s body.

Within minutes, Phyllis Waller heard shouts from her room just down the hall, on the building's eighth floor. When she looked through her peephole, the smoke was so thick that she couldn’t see the door across the hall. She said she escaped by crawling to the stairwell.

The man who started the fire escaped as well, but his burns were severe. When resident Johanahn Larsosa saw him in the lobby, the skin on his arms seemed to be falling off. While they waited for help to arrive, the man got to his knees and asked Larsosa to pray with him.

“He was melting,” Larsosa said. “I was scared. He was screaming.”

The man was taken to a hospital, where he is still recovering, Austin said.

Bedbugs are endemic to St. Antoine Apartments, residents said Friday. Fifth-floor resident Rolando Millender said he knows of seven people on his floor alone who have filed complaints about bedbugs.

A management official on-site declined to comment, and other officials with the company could not be reached.

The man, who has not been identified, is not the first to spark a major fire in Detroit while fighting bedbugs. Sherry Young said she had been battling bedbugs for close to a year on the city’s west side when she put rubbing alcohol all over herself and the floor, even as her oven and stovetop were on as well.

The fire caused the 48-unit complex roof to cave in, and most of the building was destroyed either by fire or water damage. Five people were taken to a hospital, including Young, who had minor injuries..

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/01/17/new-survey-shows-bed-bugs-on-the-rise-in-philly/

New Survey Shows Bed Bugs On The Rise In Philly
January 17, 2016 4:00 AM By Lynne Adkins

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia has a problem with bedbugs.

In fact, a new survey has the city ranking quite high when it comes to critter infestations.

Philadelphia is number six on the list of 50 most infested cities, and it’s the first time we’ve been on the list since 2011.

Charles Peoples — manager of the Philadelphia Branch of Orkin — says workers are busy going house to house:

“We’re roughly doing two services a day that’s full bedbug treatment, every day we’re receiving either phone calls or also doing inspections at homes and other locations, bedbugs have yes become a daily part of our business.”

Peoples says at home or in a hotel, look in the bed and under the mattress for the bugs:

“Looking to make sure there’s no evidence or signs of bedbugs which would be the actual bedbugs themselves, any fecal matter, any stains or things like that, that’s what you’d be looking for.

He says professionals can get rid of them, quite often with high heat treatments.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://nypost.com/2016/08/22/grooms-horrified-mom-says-luxe-wedding-hotel-is-full-of-bed-bugs/

Groom’s horrified mom says luxe wedding hotel is full of bed bugs
By Rebecca Rosenberg
August 22, 2016 | 1:30am

Wedding guests at a fancy Murray Hill hotel were bitten by bedbugs — but the venue refuses to comp the four infested rooms, according to the groom’s irate mom and complaints filed with the city.

Dr. Laurie Gordon claims management at The Kitano hotel will not acknowledge any infiltration by the bloodthirsty critters.

“I was annoyed, I was kind of grossed out. It was like, ‘Ewww!’ ” she said. “I know every hotel can get them. I wasn’t faulting the Kitano, I’m faulting the manager’s response to us.”

Gordon reported the unwelcome guests in complaints filed with the department of Housing Preservation & Development, according to city records.

Katherine Hines and Chris McKennan walk down the aisle
Photo: Courtesy of Laurie Gordon


Chris McKennan and Katherine Hines, both 27, were married on Aug. 6 at the New York Botanical Garden in The Bronx. Their guests stayed at The Kitano on Park Avenue.

Gordon, an internist at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut, woke up in her $700-a-night suite with four red, inflamed bites on her lower back.

She called the front desk, and housekeeping inspected the room — but insisted there were no bed bugs, according to Gordon. They offered to move her to another room.

“I can’t change rooms, I’m leaving in five minutes to the wedding,” she told the manager.

At the wedding, Gordon learned that her nephew and sister-in-law also awoke with bites, as did a cousin of the bride’s mother.

Gordon alerted the bride’s father, Bill Hines, a kidney specialist at Stamford Hospital, about the bites. The pair sent photos of the red marks to a doctor pal specializing in infectious diseases, who confirmed the bumps were, indeed, bedbug bites, Gordon said.

The next day, Gordon hosted a wedding brunch at the hotel. The hotel’s general manager, Zack Zahran, approached them and insisted the rooms had no bed bugs.

“He said, ‘The two of you need to see a doctor,’” Gordon recalled. “We said, ‘We are doctors!’”

They asked for the affected rooms be comped, but Zahran refused, they said, instead sharing a pest report declaring the rooms to be bedbug-free.

Phone calls to the hotel were not returned.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://nypost.com/2016/10/02/bed-bug-infested-hotel-made-me-homeless-educator/

Bedbug infested hotel made me homeless: educator
By Dean Balsamini
October 2, 2016 | 11:44am

The Grand Hyatt hotel in Manhattan
Photo: Getty Images


Bedbugs from a Midtown hotel drove a Harvard doctoral student to homelessness, a new lawsuit charges.

Brilliant educator Madonna Ramp was so infested by the creepy crawlers that “she has been forced to sleep in vehicles, coffee shops, outdoors and on floors,” according to court papers.

The Texan’s life was turned upside down after a three-day stay at the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel on 42nd Street, she claims.

Ramp, 35, was in town to pick up a teaching award and stayed at the hotel in October 2013, said Ramp’s attorney, Effimia Soter.

“She saw bedbugs in her room and ended up bringing them back home inadvertently to her home in Austin and she continued getting bitten,” Soter said.

The solution almost was as bad as the problem. Ramp called an exterminator to treat her home and her 2000 Honda Civic but had a severe allergic reaction to the chemicals.

Ramp later had to throw away belongings, get rid of her car and move out of her home, the suit claims.

Soter said Ramp complained to Grand Hyatt employees about the “red, itchy welts on her arms and legs . . . [but] they didn’t end up helping her in the end.”

“She was living out of her car and living out of hotels that had ‘clean rooms’ that didn’t use a lot of chemicals,” the lawyer continued. “It really displaced her tremendously.”

The suit against the Hyatt Corp., filed Friday in Manhattan Supreme Court, alleges hotel management was negligent. Ramp seeks unspecified damages.

“Grand Hyatt New York maintains regular inspections, and we pride ourselves on keeping colleagues equipped with the knowledge, training, and tools needed to identify and address any issues.” said the hotel’s general manager John Schafer.

Ramp now suffers from “mast cell activation syndrome,” which affects her ability to tolerate certain irritants, the suit charges.

Ramp, who earned a master’s degree from Teachers College of Columbia University before attending Harvard, was a social-emotional learning specialist in Austin.

 

[The Bobster]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/weird/Dryer-Sheets-Bed-Bugs-Trenton-399455981.html

Trenton Welfare Office Deploys Dryer Sheets to Curb Bed Bugs
Published at 8:23 AM EDT on Nov 1, 2016

Officials say dryer sheets have been placed in the bathrooms of Trenton's city welfare office in efforts to prevent bedbugs from spreading through the building.

The Trentonian reports a sign placed next to a box of dryer sheets in a bathroom states the sheets, which are typically used to remove static, should be used to wipe down clothing in the event of a bedbug exposure.

Social Services Director Barbara Buckley says they're hoping the bedbugs will cling to the dryer sheets.

Buckley says people who are exposed to the bugs will be sent to an occupational health doctor. She says the office is under a regular extermination schedule.

Buckley says bedbugs, fleas and ticks are a constant issue at the office because they have different visitors every day.

 

[Rasp]

Re: "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

Rare bed bug re-emerges in Florida after 60 years

After disappearing for 60 years, the tropical bed bug has turned up in Florida — right here in Brevard County.

And these nasty little creatures can spread faster than the ordinary variety bed bug, causing all the same havoc and threat of widespread infestation throughout Florida and the South.

“This could mean that this species would develop more quickly, possibly cause an infestation problem sooner, and also could spread more rapidly,” Brittany Campbell, a UF doctoral student in entomology, said in a media release.

Campbell and her colleagues at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences confirmed the tropical bed bug's reemergence, which they recently documented in the journal Florida Entomologist.

No one had confirmed the tropical variety of bed bug in Florida since the 1930s and 1940s. But in 2015, a family in Merritt Island, near the Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary, reported the tiny unwanted creatures had infested their home.

The UF scientists confirmed the bugs were the tropical species, but so far, Brevard's is the only confirmed case in Florida.

"I personally believe that in Florida, we have all of the right conditions that could potentially help spread tropical bed bugs, which is the case in other southern states,” Campbell said. “As long as you have people traveling and moving bed bugs around, there is a real potential for this species to spread and establish in homes and other dwellings.”

Campbell coauthored the recent journal article about the tropical bed bug discovery in Brevard.

It's unknown how the bed bugs got here, but Campbell suspects it could have been via Port Canaveral.

"A lot of pests that do get into Florida, a lot of them do pop up in ports," she said. "We don't really know where these bed bugs were introduced from."

The UF researchers urge the public to send them samples of suspected bed bugs for identification, to try and nip the bug's spread in the bud.

The common bed bug lives throughout the United States and the globe, typically in more temperate climates. Before the 1990s, it kept at low levels for 50 years, via widespread use of DDT and other pesticides, the UF researchers say.

The bed bugs eventually bit back, building resistance to pesticides and resurging in the late 1990s.

A similar rebound may be at play with the tropical bed bug, the UF researchers say.

Tropical bed bugs biologically mirror common bed bugs, Campbell said. They feed on human blood, so they can cause similar health problems during severe infestations: fear, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and itchy, blistery reactions on some people.

The UF researchers ask the public to send bed bug samples to their laboratory to identify the species.

“If they do have a bed bug infestation, because they are so difficult to control, I ask that people consult a pest-control company for a professional service," Campbell said. "There isn't as much research available on tropical bed bugs as common bed bugs, but hypothetically they should be able to be controlled the same way as the common bed bug species because their biology/behavior are similar.”

Nationwide, health and environmental officials warn of increasingly pesticide-resistant bed bugs and a "pandemic" creature comeback.

DDT nearly wiped out bedbugs after World War II, when people soaked mattresses in the pesticide. The bugs first were reported to show resistance in the 1950s. Then the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned DDT in 1972 because of concerns about cancer and birth defects.

Over the next two decades, Malathion almost took care of the bed bugs that survived DDT. But the wily creatures grew resistant.

In more recent years, they've grown more resistant to commonly used pesticides.