Don't Let Bed Bugs Bite -WDIV LOCAL 4
Bugs Making Comeback in Metro-Detroit and South East Michigan:
The saying, "Don't let the bedbugs bite," may be easier said than done, Local 4 WDIV reported. Experts said bed bugs are popping up across the country, including Michigan, and could be snuggling up in your bed. They are creepy, crawly and they bite, Local 4 reported. Mark Sheperdigian, an expert with Rose Pest Solutions in Troy, said in metro Detroit, bed bugs are found in single-family homes, upscale neighborhoods and upscale hotels. He said they are definitely on the rise."Five years ago we saw virtually none.
These days we see a fair amount," said Sheperdigian. The little, brown bugs were nearly wiped out by pesticides in the 1950s, but in recent years have made a comeback, Local 4 reported.The bugs can hitch a ride from hotels to your home, moving from luggage to a bed, Local WDIV 4 reported.
The bugs are small, but usually visible to the naked eye. They usually hide out near mattress seams, near the head of the bed and in cracks and crevices of the headboard, Local 4 reported. Tiny blood stains may also appear from the bugs on sheets or mattresses.Experts recommend checking hotel beds before you hop in.Bed bugs are not a real health threat, but their bite can cause itchy welts, which may be enough to keep you up all night, Local 4 reported.Bed bugs can also hide in furniture and are tough to eliminate on your own, the station reported. The best way to get rid of the pests is to call in a professional exterminator.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/9683982/detail.html
Bed Bugs Are Back And Biting
Your Home Could Be Infested And You May Not Even Know It
They are about the size of a tomato seed when they’re full grown. So, when you’re looking for them, the best place to start is
where you spend the most time.“In front of the TV where the children sit and play video games that's where the bed bugs hang out and wait, they may be in easy chairs waiting for you to read the paper after a long day at work or they may be in a kitchen chair waiting for you to sit down and eat dinner but they are where they know you'll be sitting quietly for a long period of time,” said Mark Sheperdigian, an entomologist with a Local Pest Exterminator.
Bed bugs feed on human blood so they will follow your body heat to get their next meal. Sheperdigian said bed bugs will even travel up stairs to get to you and will seek you out if you simply try and switch bedrooms or start sleeping on the couch. Shep says bed bugs can be easy to find if you know what you’re 
looking for. “You may see live bugs you may see motion as bugs move and you may only see the droppings an indication that they are and were here,” Sheperdigian said. Bed Bugs feed on human blood so Sheperdigian says small blood stains on sheerts are another infestation indication.
Sheperdigian said some people don’t have any reaction to bed bug bites other people will notice a rash or small red spots.When you’re searching, make sure to check crevices and small spaces. “It's quite common for bed bugs to be hiding in the dimples in the head of a screw,” Sheperdigian 
said.Sheperdigian said infestations 
usually happen when people bring them home from places like hotels.
So, before you bring your luggage in the house, look over it carefully. “We check zipper areas, we check the wheels, we check the piping and cording and we look for any evidence whether it's live bed bugs, eggs or the spots we can see,” Sheperdigian said.Also, when at a hotel, make sure to inspect the mattress, drawers, artwork and other furniture for signs of the insects. Sheperdigian said avoid putting suitcases on the bed instead, put them on a luggage rack .Sheperdigian recommends people battling an infestation should call a professional pest control company because you have to remove every bug. If there are any bugs left another infestation can reoccur. A female bed bug can lay up to five hundred eggs in her lifetime which can be as long as two years.
http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/19190775/detail.html
Bed Bug Plague Hits the city of Detroit and Suburbs
The mature bed bug is a brown-to mahogany-colored, wingless insect. Its size depends on how recently it has eaten a blood meal. An unfed bed bug is between 1/4 and 3/8 inches long. The upper surface of its body has a papery, crinkly, flimsy appearance. When engorged with blood, its body becomes elongated and swollen, and its color changes from brown to dull red. The color, size, and shape change from an unfed to a full bug is remarkable.
Detroit's Monthly meetings are being held to combat the growing bed bug infestation in Section 8 housing, senior dwellings and low-income housing. In September a meeting, Cry For a Call to Action, held at St. Aloysius Center, 1234 Washington Blvd, led to numerous calls to city officials.
What are you doing to get rid of them (bed bugs)? callers asked.
Wanda Black indicated the problem was going unaddressed.
Either the management companies are not willing to do anything about the problem, Black said. Or they don't know what they are doing.
Bedbugs were once a common public health pest worldwide, which declined in incidence through the mid 20th century. Recently however, bed bugs have undergone a dramatic resurgence and worldwide there are reports of increasing numbers of infestations. Bed bugs are one of the great travelers of the world and are readily transported via luggage, clothing, bedding and furniture. As such, they have a worldwide distribution.
Carol Simpson, a resident of one of the senior complexes, knows the horrors of an encounter with bed bugs. Simpson has penny-sized brown circles all over her arms and legs. She said her life has been dreadful since being bitten.
I'm embarrassed, and feel abused, mentally, physically and emotionally,Simpson said.
Several dozen tenants of Bishop GD Moore Apartments in Highland Park were in court April 5. The tenants are withholding rent until several issues are resolved. The most significant is the bedbug infestation. Judge Bridgette Officer ordered mediation to solve the problem. The tenants accepted.
Tenant Robert Jones said the landlord took tenants to court attempting to force tenants to take money out of escrow and pay rent. The money has been in escrow for four months. Judge Officer ordered the money transferred to a court escrow fund and held until the issue is resolved. Tenants must pay into the escrow fund just as they would pay their monthly rent. A joint Detroit/Wayne County Bed Bug Task Force has been created to eliminate the problem. Wayne County Commissioner Jewel Ware, a member of the task force, said Wayne County government will do whatever it can to provide citizens the assistance they need.
One of the primary responsibilities of government is the health and safety of the community, Ware said. Bed bugs are definitely a community health problem that we must deal with head-on. Mark Sheperdigian, Board Certified Entomologist with a local pest exterminator, said bed bugs go with people. People live close together in urban areas. Therefore we must start a campaign to educate people how to reduce the possibility of spreading bedbugs, Sheperdigian said. One of the core principles: Do not pick up discarded furniture and bring it back into the complexes! Bed bugs can live in the cold.
City of Detroit Health Department official Don Edwards said there has been a spike in the number of reported bed bug infestations for the last two years. Arthur Rushin of the Detroit Building & Safety Engineering Property Management said training is needed to address resident's complaints. When we go into a home or apartment, first we verify they have bed bugs. According to the Detroit Metropolitan Landlord Association it cost between $20,000 and $100,000 to stop infestation.
http://www.michigancitizen.com/
Michigan launches website aimed at bed bug control Associated Press
Lansing --State health officials have launched a website on bed bugs, in response to what they say is widespread public concern about the bloodsucking insects. The Michigan Department of Community Health says the site is for renters, homeowners, facility managers and other government agencies. The site offers guidance on best practices for bed bug control. It's the result of collaboration among the state departments of Public Health, Agriculture, and Labor and Economic Growth, as well as the Property Managers Association of Michigan, Michigan Pest Management Association, and the state's Lodging and Tourism Association. Bed bugs hide in tight cracks on or near people's beds, and come out at night to bite. From The Detroit News.
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