Daily Archives: August 13, 2017

World, Bed Bug Registry Map Thursday 5th of September 2024 20:40 PM
Max. Incidents:	Hotel Residence Location
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Latest Bed Bug Incidents and Infestations Incident Radius: 30000 Miles Edgewater Apartments 8525 106a Ave, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5H0K1 (2024-07-24) New Cambridge Lofts 10024 Jasper Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5J 1R9 (2024-06-21) #12 14504 108th Ave Nw, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T5N1G8 (2024-04-22) Fern Lodge 460 E Fern Ave, San Bernardino, Redlands, California, United States, 92373 (2023-11-20) 143 Eighth Street, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada, MV83C9 (2023-11-20) Underwood Senior Living 4850 Underwood Ave, Douglas, omaha, Nebraska, United States, 68132 (2023-11-02) 550 Westwood Drive South West, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, t3c3t9 (2023-10-29) 125 550 westwood drive southwest, calgary, Alberta, Canada, t3c3t9 (2023-10-29) BOB 550 WESTWOOD, WESTWOOD, CALGARY, Alberta, Canada, T3C3T9 (2023-10-29) 15 Three Mil eLane, Salmon, Montana, United States, 83467 (2023-09-25) We cannot vouch for the truthfulness of any report on this site. If you feel a location has been reported in error, or want to dispute a report, please contact us.

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Bed bugs make unwelcome return to Southern California – The San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Posted on August 13, 2017 by pcenet Click Here For Article

Each night a couple years ago, Louis Salgado fell asleep knowing he would wake up a few hours later itching all over his body.

The West Covina apartment he and his late wife shared for two decades was infested with bed bugs for the better part of 2015.

I couldnt sleep, Salgado, 64, said recently as he recalled the most uncomfortable experience of his life. It got to the point that Id be up in the middle of the night with a flashlight and Id be seeing them crawl all over the carpet and Id try to kill them, try to stomp on them tried whatever I had available.

Turns out bed bugs, those not-so-cuddly insects our parents mentioned when they tucked us in at night and that we didnt give a second thought to, are very real these days.

And, yes, they bite.

Indeed, experts say the reddish-brown bed bug that is about the size of a grain of rice has made an extraordinary comeback after a roller coaster of a century.

In the early decades of the 1900s, the bug was widespread across the U.S. But the advent of DDT during World War II changed that, killing off huge numbers in the 1940s and 50s.

We thought it was gone forever, said Dini Miller, professor of entomology at Virginia Tech University. When you think about it now, that was kind of stupid.

After lying low for decades, the dreaded insect that was mentioned in medieval European literature is enjoying a renaissance of sorts. Since 2000 its numbers have multiplied.

Its just exploded, Miller said.

Today theyre everywhere.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, theyre in apartments, houses, shelters, college dormitories, cruise ships, buses and trains. They typically live within an 8-foot crawl of where people sleep.

And if you thought your car was a refuge from the blood-sucking pests, guess again. Miller said bed bugs are fond of automobiles for good reason.

The food comes and sits down on a regular basis, she said. And everybody gets something to eat.

The crazy thing is, you dont know when your blood is being slurped through the bed bugs version of a straw an elongated beak for a meal. The CDC says the bug injects an anesthetic and anticoagulant that renders its bite painless.

Itchy, bite marks do appear in a few days. They are similar to marks from a mosquito or flea bite, a slightly swollen and red area, the CDC said.

Scratching sometimes causes infection. But many people have no reaction at all.

In any event, bed bugs arent considered dangerous.

They do not transmit any diseases, said Dong-Hwan Choe, an urban entomologist and assistant professor of entomology at UC Riverside.

Choe is working to develop a device that can detect bed bugs for hotel chains and other businesses.

It has to be simple. It has to be cheap, Choe said. It has to be small so that it can be placed without being noticed by the people staying in the hotel.

Disease bearing or not, the thought of being dined on is enough to make ones skin crawl.

Choe said the bugs feed mostly at nighttime, which creeps people out.

And dont think you can fool them if you work a graveyard shift and sleep during the day.

In a 2015 article titled, Your Guide to Bed Bugs, University of Kentucky entomologist Michael Potter said the pest will adjust its schedule to yours.

Sleeping with the lights on is also not likely to deter hungry bed bugs, Potter wrote.

Potter said a feeding takes three to 10 minutes. Then the bug crawls back into its hiding place to digest the meal. Its flat body enables it to hide in tiny crevices in mattresses, box springs and bed frames.

When it comes to the creep-out factor, there is at least one thing in our favor: unlike other insects, bed bugs cant fly, Choe said.

But theyre speedy. The CDC says the bugs can crawl more than 100 feet in a night.

The nations big bad bed bug blow-up can be traced to a number of factors, experts say.

For one, DDT is long gone. The EPA banned it in 1972.

Even so, the bugs were building up resistance to DDT, Miller said. And, gradually, they are building up a defense against insecticides being used today.

She said some have developed thick, protective skins.

Others produce enzymes that break down toxic ingredients and render insecticides harmless.

We like to call those the hard-drinking bugs, she said.

Still other bed bugs have mutated.

They meet, fall in love and make other genetically immune babies, Miller said.

Perhaps we have ourselves to blame, too.

With the bugs out of sight and out of mind for decades, we have been slow to rally against them.

Plus, we travel a lot these days to faraway places, experts say. And the bugs are good at hitchhiking a ride home on our luggage.

Los Angeles is the nations sixth worst metro area for bed bugs, according to Atlanta-based Orkin. In the firms 2017 ranking, L.A. followed Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Chicago, New York and Columbus, Ohio.

For the Orkin survey, the L.A. area was defined as Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

Miller noted Terminix puts out an annual ranking, too. In its most recent report, Detroit was No. 1 on the list. L.A. was No. 4.

You have to take all of this with a grain of salt, Miller said. But, its one of the few indicators that we have.

During the fiscal year ending June 30, Los Angeles County received nearly 1,500 bed-bug complaints about 19.5 percent fewer than the previous year according to data from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which does not track Long Beach, Pasadena or Vernon because those cities have their own health departments.

Sixty-two of those complaints originated from communities within the San Gabriel Valley, the data showed.

Between July 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017, the Pasadena Environmental Health Division received 25 bed-bug complaints, according to city data. It received 26 complaints during the same period the previous year.

Not including Pasadena, residents in El Monte filed the most bed-bug complaints 15 with the county during the year ending June 30, according to the county data.

Choe, the expert from UC Riverside, said densely populated cities such as El Monte are more prone to infestations than sparsely populated ones.

They tend to have more frequent problems with bed bugs because they have more units and more people living close together, Choe said.

Some apartment units are treated repeatedly.

That may seem over the top. But its in line with the industry experience.

Salgado, who moved to La Puente earlier this year, said his West Covina apartment was only treated once and once was enough.

They spray your mattress, we had to throw couches away, everything was infested, he said. It was a big ordeal.

According to a national survey, two to three treatments is typical when insecticide is sprayed.

Survey results were detailed in Bed Bugs Across America, a 2015 report by University of Kentucky entomology professors Potter and Kenneth Haynes, and Jim Fredericks, vice president of technical services for the National Pest Management Association.

More expensive heat treatments are more likely to knock out an infestation in one visit, the report stated.

Because heat treatment can take most of the day, said Glen Ramsey, Orkin technical services manager, conventional treatment is more common.

Heat treatment takes longer than conventional treatment, as the affected areas need to be warmed up to 125 degrees, held for one hour and then cooled back down, Ramsey said.

The report said treatment costs averaged $1,225 for single-family homes and $3,128 for multifamily buildings in 2015, though some apartment managers spent as much as $50,000.

That places Plymouth West at the high end of the range. Davis said LOMCO spent $400,000 for treatments there from 2013 to 2016.

Before an exterminator ever steps foot in the door, extensive preparations are made.

Residents strip beds of sheets and blankets, empty dressers and closets, and wash and bag clothes.

The key is to put them through the dryer for an hour at high temperature, Long Beach resident Gary Shelton said.

Shelton had to leave his apartment for several hours. He returned the same day. Other renters spent a night in a motel.

Underscoring the difficulty involved in eradicating bed bugs, Sheltons unit was sprayed three times. Even then exterminators didnt get everything.

They said they couldnt get the bed bugs out of the bed frame, Shelton said.

So he threw it out and bought a new one.

Life is getting back to normal now. Its been anything but since that fateful day in late November.

A friend was over and noticed a live bug in the middle of the bed spread, Shelton said.

He was stunned. I wasnt getting bites that I was aware of, he said. But he promptly called the apartment manager.

After seeing one, he started seeing a lot more bugs.

Once you see them, youll see them in your mind, Shelton said. Youll see them everywhere.

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BEDBUG (NOT SO FUN) FACTS

Size: 1 mm to 7 mm, roughly the size of Lincolns head on a penny

Color: Reddish brown, similar in coloration to an apple seed

Food: Human blood

Home: Within 8 feet of sleeping quarters. Known to live in apartments, houses, hotels, shelters, cruise ships, buses, trains and dormitories

Travel: Cant fly or jump, but can crawl fast up to 100 feet per day

Bite: Similar to mosquito, flea bites; does not carry disease

Evidence of presence: Bedbugs in folds of mattresses and sheets, rusty-colored blood spots; a sweet, musty odor

Treatment: insecticide, heat; significant preparation required of home occupants in advance; professional treatment recommended

No-nos: Do not spray bed sheets, blankets or clothes; do not apply bleach or alcohol. Applications of rubbing alcohol have sparked fires.

Sources: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Your Guide to Bed Bugs, by Michael Potter; news reports

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Bed bugs make unwelcome return to Southern California - The San Gabriel Valley Tribune

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Bed bugs a painful, sleepless nightmare – The Star Online

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Pest Controller Click Here For Article

IT had been a sleepless, living nightmare.

For mStar editor Zainal Azhar Mohamed, it was a year-long battle with bed bugs that ended with him surrendering and moving his family out of the rented home.

He believes the ordeal began after his travels in Vietnam last year.

I think there were bed bugs at the hotel. I got itchy bites while I was there, he recalls.

He went to three doctors. They told him that it could be mosquito bites or an allergic reaction. They gave him medication that stopped the itchiness. Yet, he kept getting bitten.

It was only around May last year when my part-time Indonesian maid noticed that there was a musty smell a tell-tale sign of the presence of bed bugs, he says.

Zainal Azhar checked his bed and noticed black marks on his mattress, a sign of bed bug fecal matter.

He recalls feeling helpless after having tried everything and failed.

All the sprays and pesticides were ineffective. I mixed Clorox with hot water and sprayed it all over my house, I used natural remedies such as soursop leaves and soursop fruits, but it all did not work.

I would also mop, clean and vacuum every day. I tried everything, he says.

His children suffered, too. My babies kept crying at night from the bites.

Even I could not sleep. And when I did fall asleep, I would have nightmares about them, he says.

Zainal Azhar says the infestation was so severe that he could see the bed bugs in the crevices of the wall sockets in the room. He called a pest control company, which quoted him RM1,200 for one room but could not guarantee that they will be exterminated.

I was told that they can guarantee results for mosquito, ant and rat infestations but not for bed bugs, he says.

After months of sleepless nights, Zainal Azhar made the decision to move out.

I threw away all the beds and bought new ones. I sent all my clothes and carpets to the laundromat to get washed in hot water, he says.

Zainal Azhars younger brother Zainal Abidin is another victim.

When I moved into my rented room, I realised that I started getting really itchy bites, Zainal Abidin says.

It dawned on Zainal Abidin that he might have the same infestation as his brother.

Sure enough, when I had a closer look, I found bed bugs on the mattress and in the grout between the tiled floor.

Zainal Abidin and his housemates swung to action. They filled the grout with concrete, got rid of all the mattresses, and washed all the carpets and curtains.

Thankfully, it seems to have worked.

Star Media Group digital content manager Lim Cheng Hoe says his agony began when he started sleeping on a futon on the floor to help ease his backache.

He started getting itchy welts and spotted bugs that looked like watermelon seeds.

I would go to bed about midnight and two hours later, wake up itchy, he says. Then it was search and destroy. I had to pick them off one by one otherwise I wouldnt get any sleep.

It got to a point where he dreaded going to bed.

Over-the-counter pest killers wont get rid of bed bugs. I Googled home remedies; but they tell you that salt, baking soda and whatnot doesnt work, he says.

He even tried using a steam iron to kill the bugs, plotting a scalding death for them. But the nozzle wasnt really suitable for the job. Using bed bug sprays was another exercise in futility.

They still feasted on me, night after night, he says.

He ended up sterilising the bed by emptying a few bottles of bed bug sprays on the bed frame and mattress.

Luckily, for the past three months, Lim says he has been off the menu for the bed bugs.

For copywriter Chan Ren Cheian, some of the bites became infected.

Some of it became so swollen and full of pus. It was so bad that it was throbbing with pain. The doctor had to prick it to dig all the pus out, said Chan.

At the peak of the infestation in 2015, Chan says he had around 30 bites all over his body.

The itch really drives you crazy.

Chan says that the thought of getting bitten by the bed bugs made him paranoid.

I could not sleep for months. I would wake up in the middle of the night to inspect my body for new bites, he says.

Chan sprayed his room with insect spray and threw his mattress away. The problem went away for a few months but it recently came back; luckily, it was not as bad as before.

Another victim, L. Sasha, says she came to know of the problem after sleeping on an old bed in a rented room.

I had trouble sleeping. I felt things moving on my bed but I didnt feel any bites, she says.

When she inspected her bed, she says she saw about 20 bed bugs at one corner, It was so gross!

She disposed of the mattress but the problem did not end there despite her vacumming every day and buying bed bug pesticide.

Sasha says she could not stop thinking about it and became obsessed with checking her room for the pesky bugs.

Whenever I felt something move on my bed, I would get up to check. I would wake up and check my bed every two hours, I would not sleep, she says.

I even vacuumed my room in the middle of the night. It was just horrible.

Sasha said that she would also observe the floor. Whenever I see a black speck, I would panic. Sometimes, it would just be a speck of dirt, she says, adding that this took a toll on her mentally.

I found that even though I did not get any bites, they were still feeding from me. Because when I kill them, there would be blood. It was creepy, she said.

After months of suffering, Sasha finally decided to move out. She washed all her clothes in hot water and hung them in the sun.

I do not want the bed bugs to follow me to my new place.

Washington, DC Hotels With Bed Bugs – Yellow Pages

Posted on August 13, 2017 by admin Click Here For Article

Helpful ReviewsHarrington Gift ShopOli R.rated

I loved staying at this old hotel! It's over 100 years old, such history and character!! If you stay here, don't miss meandering down the hall to the left of the reservations desk where significant historic events are recorded on the wall detailing from the time the hotel opened through to the present. There's also nifty little display case in this hall with a few artifacts dating from back in the heyday when the hotel first opened. My room on the 9th floor facing 11th street was quiet, except for the occasional sirens when emergency vehicles passed in the street below. The room was clean, the bed and pillows were comfortable, there was a coffee pot and instant coffee, and a handy little refrigerator. Free Wifi worked just fine, very reasonable speed. Best of all are the staff! The folks at the front desk were always very welcoming and helpful, from finding out where to go to catch a bus heading toward the museums, to... well pretty much answering any question I had. The cleaning staff were also very personable and cheerful, loved chatting with them! If you're looking for a hotsy totsy premium hotel, this won't meet your expectations, but for me it was just right; a great price and a great location close to the Smithsonian museums and the mall, and not far from a couple of nifty brewhouses. There's a metro stop within a couple of blocks and buses stop at the corner. I stayed 4 nights and you can safely bet that I'll be staying here again anytime I venture back to D.C.!

I stayed at this hotel for 2 nights and it was very nice. The location is great, one block from the metro, a few blocks from the capitol and a bunch of other sight seeing buildings (too many to name here) and its also a 20 min walk to the Navy yard. The neighborhood surrounding the hotel is really pretty and quaint. There are lots of restaurants and coffee shops around the area. The hotel itself looks exactly like the pictures online. It had a sleek and modern environment with a wine hour from 5-6pm on week days. They had one red and white selection. Every guest gets one free glass during this wine hour. The Continental breakfast was great! We stayed in the main building and had to walk to the east building next door to enjoy it but it's not far, worth the walk. There is a wide selection of foods. If you don't want to go to the east building, there are also options in the west building: bread, granola bars, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and fresh fruit. This hotel is pet friendly (bones for them at the entrance) and the staff was very helpful to everyone and very informative. The staff were literally helping people left and right, they were outstanding. Jesse helped us out a lot while we were there and it went completely out of this way to give us a better experience in DC. We would definitely stay here again.

We stayed at the Hotel Harrington for 5 nights. The location is excellent.between the White House and the Capital and close to the Mall. Our room never had a small window facing out to the streetRoom was small but ok as we were out of the room all day anyways. Bathroom was a bit antiquated but ok the shower fluctuated a bit from hot to cold so be on guard. The restaurant downstairs was basic but quite good for breakfast and lunch. I had the ham omelette and it was very good, and came with fried potatoes which were also good. Service was very good (excellent one day, average the next). We also had a couple beer and dinner in Harrys bar and it was ok (we had chili and wings both were ok). Lots of school groups stay at the hotel so can be busy in lobby and at breakfast. Breakfast has a buffet, but we just ordered off the menu and as noted above very good). Overall all average hotel, but great location, and also the best price we could find in that area near the Mall.

I can't describe it is an above-average hotel and yet I really recommend it and will stay again. It may seem contradictory, but let me explain. Everything is just slightly worn and dated, woodwork is over-overpainted, a little paint on some shower tiles was peeled off, and a lot of tour-bus travelers seem to stay here, so there is some hall rowdiness. Sound sketchy? It's absolutely not. Facilities were perfectly adequate and clean, and location is great - in between the White House, Metro Center, the FBI building, and Pennsylvania Avenue. Nearby parking in a commercial garage is at a rate that is better than the garage's standard rate and with an until-4pm grace period. The front-desk staff were helpful, wifi is included, and my room rate was $139 -- a very good rate for Washington. It isn't luxurious or gleaming, and there's no fancy or expansive lobby, but again, if it suits your needs and expectations, I recommend it highly.

Hotel Harrington will be a memorable experience for a long time to come. It is exactly as advertised, "100 years old," this year. Everywhere you look you see history. From the mailbox to the room venting, electrical conduit, and plates that must be covering the initial gas lighting in the rooms...the place left me wondering exactly where we were in our everyday lives back in 1914. This hotel is the last family owned and operated hotel in DC. It is close to everything! Walk or take any of a variety of transportation. Leave your car parked and enjoy the city instead of dealing with the traffic. (Parking is free!) The room we enjoyed was quiet and the beds offered a good night's sleep. There are several restaurants close by, including two in the hotel, offering a nice variety of eateries. Best of all, the price of the rooms is quite reasonable. The next time we're in DC we will definitely go back to the Harrington.

On a budget?, business trip, need quick access to all your events and destinations in Washington D.C. then the Harrington offers everything you need. As a travel photographer I need to get in and out to my assignments with no hassles and wasted time. Staff is very helpful and know how to get me where I need to be. Basic ,clean rooms at reasonable rates .This last stay at the Harrington was my fourth and will stay again. Nothing fancy, leave the sterile cookie-cutter hotels to the international chain hotels. The Harrington is real and ready to serve your needs while in D.C. Convenient parking close by.Harrington is located in the heart of Washington, D.C.'s world famous tourist district. Guests can easily walk to all the sights and museums making Hotel Harrington the perfect home base for exploring everything D.C. has to offer. To expand your range, the Metro, is located just two blocks away.

This was our first trip to the area and we could not be more pleased with the choice of Georgetown Inn. It is an elegant hotel in a fantastic location, right in the middle of the Georgetown neighborhood and within walking distance of the University. All employees, from the front desk personnel to the manager to the valet, were excellent and professional. Our room was lovely and the beds amazingly comfortable. The bathroom was a little small but I think there are larger rooms/suites which will have larger bathrooms if needed. I even noticed that the beautiful glass light fixtures lining the hallways are crystal clear - impressive if you know how hard it is to clean cut glass. If you look in the city guide in the room, the hotel has a fascinating history. It was really a wonderful stay and we fell in love with this hotel. Would definitely stay here again and can recommend without reservation.

Stayed in two rooms for a family of 9 during April. Typical of many older style hotels (100 years) now surrounded by a modern city. Perfect location, basic rooms in original building.The Harrington was ideal for exploring Washington - everything was within walking distance, and the very few tourist things that weren't, were easily accessed by bus or metro - both located just a block away.The rooms were basic by modern hotel standards, but beds and pillows were comfortable and clean. Easy walk to restaurants, shops, Smithsonian, etc. Included a basic restaurant off the hotel lobby, but many other more interesting dining options also just a short walk away.If the hotel itself is your destination, probably best to stay clear. But if exploring Washington DC is your goal, and the hotel just somewhere to sleep, the Harrington was excellent value in an excellent location.

My husband and I had tickets to a performance at Warner Theater so we decided to stay at Hotel Harrington - a 3 minute walk. We were greeted by a very friendly staff and the room was very acceptable, bathroom was clean and bed comfortable. This is an old hotel but it does have character. After we checked in and relaxed before the performance, we received a call that the performance was canceled. Bummer! So, we decided to go home because the weather was rainy and icy and we really couldn't do any exploring. We anticipated that we would not be getting a refund from the hotel because they do have their 24 hour refund policy. But, when we went to the front desk and told them our circumstances, no hesitation at all to not charge us. That is customer service. The next time we need a place to stay in Washington, we will be staying at Hotel Harrington.

There is no better location and this Historic Hotel has an outstanding staff and reasonable prices. We arrived for a week stay in DC and they could not have been more accommodating. We had an 11th floor room nice view, very clean it is over 100 years old and does not really look it age the historic time line really is interesting if you think about the history the hotel has been through. Keep in mind this is an old building and has a central a/c so we did call the desk to have the vents adjusted so the room was cooler,they were there instantly, and when I asked for another blanket it was there right away (yes I know, better cold than hot) Everyone was so helpful & accommodating we had a great time an would stay there again. It was very comfortable

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Washington, DC Hotels With Bed Bugs - Yellow Pages

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Aurora man says new mattress was delivered with bed bugs – The Denver Channel

Posted on August 13, 2017 by admin Click Here For Article

AURORA, Colo. -- It was supposed to bring a good nights sleep to the Godin family. But when their new mattress was delivered, they say it brought nothing but nightmares while they were still awake.

You can see the scars I have from the bites, Ken Godinsaid.

He bought a new, nearly $4,000 king-sized mattress from the nearby Mattress Firm. A month later, he started waking up with bites.

Bed bugs, he said.

But how could they come from a brand new mattress? He blames the delivery method.

The truck was full of used mattresses on one side with the new stacked on the other side, he told Denver7s Jason Gruenauer.

My theory is that the truck had bed bugs in it from someone elses mattress, jumped either an egg or a bed bug got on my new mattress and came in the house, he said.

Denver7 spoke to an exterminator that works exclusively on bed bugs. He said the size of the infestation lines up with the timing of the mattress delivery, and that it is very possible that they transferred from one mattress to another inside a delivery truck.

So Ken moved his family out, hired an exterminator, and a month later was finally clear of the pests. But not from the bill.

From extermination to moving out of our house to damage Im well over $10,000, Ken said.

Denver7 reached out to Mattress Firm for a response. Below is their full statement:

Our customer service team initially spoke with Mr. Godin on July 19 regarding the issue of bed bugs. He noted that he contracted an exterminator to have his home heat treated for bed bugs, and stated that the exterminator confirmed the bed bugs were the result of the mattress. Despite multiple attempts to obtain the documentation from the exterminator - from both the service provider and Mr. Godin - it was not provided. We contacted Mr. Godin to let him know that we would not be able to cover the cost of his pest control services without documentation from the exterminator confirming that Mattress Firm was at fault. However, because, we work very hard to ensure that our customers are pleased with our service, we offered to provide Mr. Godin a full refund for his mattress, which he declined. We are happy to work with Mr. Godin to find an amicable resolution.

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Aurora man says new mattress was delivered with bed bugs - The Denver Channel

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Bedbugs invade Burbank library and the city is using bug-sniffing dogs to find the pests – Los Angeles Times

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Pest Controller Click Here For Article

Patrons may be checking out more than just a book the next time they visit the Buena Vista Branch Library in Burbank.

Elizabeth Goldman, the citys library services director, told council members that bedbugs have been found in the citys newest library on North Buena Vista Street.

There were a few sites around the library primarily in the main reading area, known as the Castle in the childrens library, and in staff offices where the little insects were found, Goldman said in a phone interview Wednesday.

She said that workers from the Burbank Public Works Department have been at the library since May trying to eradicate the tiny bugs from the library, but they continue to come back.

Theyve tried various techniques, various kinds of sprays and deep cleans, but theyre just really hard to get rid of because they could be hiding in books, the carpet or in the [seat] cushions, Goldman said. That branch is extremely busy, so theres always warm, welcoming hosts for the bugs sitting in all the chairs.

Finding bedbugs in a library is not an uncommon problem. Goldman said she has been talking with officials from the Los Angeles city and county libraries who also have had to deal with bedbugs at their branches.

Goldman, who has been the head of the Burbank Public Library system since 2016, said she does not know exactly how the bedbugs arrived at the Buena Vista branch, but they were first found last fall after a library employee reported getting several bug bites after sitting in a chair in the staff area.

That piece of furniture was treated, then later discarded and replaced. At that point, Goldman and her staff thought their run-in with bedbugs was over.

All was well for about six months, but then, in May, a patron who was sitting in one of our comfy brown chairs had a very strong reaction to some bug bites, Goldman said.

Though the Public Works Department has been trying to get rid of the bugs, Goldman said the insects are still hanging around.

It has gotten to the point where she has had to hire a bedbug-sniffing dog service to find out where the insects are hiding. Goldman said library officials will continue to use the canines to search the library until the bugs are gone.

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