Talbot House Battling Bedbugs

Published: Friday, September 14, 2012 at 11:14 p.m. Last Modified: Friday, September 14, 2012 at 11:14 p.m.

LAKELAND | The Talbot House has some unwanted guests.

For four months, the downtown homeless shelter has waged an expensive battle against bedbugs, blood-sucking insects known for stubborn infestations that are on the rise nationwide.

Ramon Castillo Jr., 52, said he woke on a shelter bunk this week and found the bugs crawling near his feet.

"I just got so disgusted," he said. "I wiped them off the bed and crushed them."

Because of the increase in bedbugs elsewhere, the Talbot House staff thinks homeless clients who occasionally stay in hotels may have unknowingly carried the bugs to the shelter in their belongings, said Scott Thomas, the shelter's development director.

The insects are isolated to beds in a busy area of the shelter where homeless people can get a last-minute place for the night. The number of beds affected is in constant flux, Thomas said, but it's usually contained to 10 to 16 in an area for men.

Bedbugs aren't known for carrying or spreading disease, but they can cause rashes and skin infections, said Dr. Daniel Haight, Polk County Health Department director.

The Talbot House has a free medical facility where it can treat bites.

David Gilbertson, 34, who said he has stayed at the shelter, thinks the pock marks dotting his hands and back are from the insects. He has chosen to sleep outside until the shelter kills the bugs.

Read more:
Talbot House Battling Bedbugs