Bedbugs force Burlington City woman out of home

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Posted: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 11:15 am | Updated: 12:40 pm, Wed Mar 14, 2012.

BURLINGTON CITY Moynelle Michael-King had lived in her Taylor Avenue home for five years when she suddenly got unexpected roommates.

Six-legged ones.

A mass of bedbugs invaded her house, which is half of a double, in July 2010. They crawled through cracks in the walls, skittered across the floor when she turned on a light, and dropped on her as she slept.

I couldnt even put my hand in a drawer, said Michael-King, an Army veteran who works as a music teacher.

Named for their proclivity for hiding around the bed, the bloodsucking parasites are brown and to 3/8 inches long. They can lurk in the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, and in the folds of curtains. They come out to feed on blood about every five to 10 days, but can survive for more than a year without feeding, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The critters have driven Michael-King out of her home.

So far, the problem has cost her $5,000 in extermination fees and lost personal items she has had to ditch. While shes thankful to be staying with friends in Robbinsville, the commute to her job in the Camden School District has only added to the toll, and shes still paying $1,400 a month for her mortgage.

Michael-King said the infestation which also includes roaches started about the same time that a revolving door of roommates took up residence next door. Strong cooking odors came from next door, construction noises rumbled, and mattresses were left leaning against the side of the house, she said.

She turned to the city for help.

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Bedbugs force Burlington City woman out of home

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