Category Archives: Bed Bugs New York

CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) -

A new report shows that Cincinnati may no longer be the bed bug capital of America, but that doesn't mean it's stillnot a major problem.

In the report release by Terminix Cincinnati ranks 2nd on the bed bug list. The list was created by compiling data from 300 Terminix branches from across the country.

In fact Ohio'sthree major cities made the list. Cleveland is 15th, Columbus comes in at number 7.

One through six is Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New York City, Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C.

Dr. Gene Kritsky is an Entomologist with Mount St. Joseph College who says today's mobile society contributes to the bed bug problem. "We're within a days drive of 61 percent of the United States' population. People can drive in and out of Cincinnati. We've got wonderful attractions that bring people in and that has contributed to the movement of bed bugs into the area....and it's also what drives the bed bugs going into Philadelphia and New York and other metropolitan areas as well," said Kritsky.

Kurt Scherzinger with Scherzinger Pest Control in Evandale says he's seeing more and moreservice calls for bed bugs."About five, seven years ago we were doing about a handful of bed bug jobs a year. Just last year we went over 1,200 bed bug jobs and we're on pace to beat that this year," he said.

Greg Kesterman, Assistant Health Commissioner with the Hamilton County Health Department says there are more reports of bed bugs because of better public education."I think maybe it's just that its getting reported very well here. Our agency has a very pro-active response, we're very pro-active at getting educational messages out there and teaching people about bed bugs and the first thing we teach them is if you have the problem you have to tell somebody to get rid of them," said Kesterman.

Scherzinger says not everyone around the globe worries about bed bugs and he says that's causing some concern as the city prepares to host the World Choir Games. "The big fear especially that we're getting feedback from the hotel community is not necessarily what's going to be there now, but what's going to show up when all these people from various countries show up to our city and what's going to be left inside those hotels when it's all said and done," said Scherzinger.

Experts says 24 percent of hotels and motels in this country have had a bed bug problem at one time or another, but at any given moment less than one percent of rooms are infested.

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Mobile society contributes to Cincinnati's bed bug program

MEMPHIS, TN (FOX19) -

A new report shows Cincinnati is the second-most bed bug infested city in America.

The report was released Tuesday by Terminix.

Philadelphia took the top spot this year, taking it from New York city, which held it for two years.

Cincinnati ranked second on the listed, followed by New York, Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, San Francisco, Denver and New Haven, Conn.

The list was created by compiling data from the 300 Terminix branches across the country. The company created the ranking by evaluating service calls from customers, as well as confirmed cases by service professionals.

Ohio continues to be a hotbed of activity, with three of its cities making the top 15. Cleveland ranked 15th.

"Bedbugs continue to increase their presence across the U.S.," said Stoy Hedges, an entomologist with Terminix. "While major metropolitan areas are most at risk, it is important to note that bedbugs have been spotted in cities and towns across the country."

As travelers prepare to hit the road this summer, Terminix offers tips to slow the spread of bedbugs:

Copyright 2012 WXIX. All rights reserved.

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Cincinnati ranks #2 for bed bugs

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Indianapolis has joined the ranks of the most bed bug-infested cities in the U.S.

The Circle City is ranked number 13 in a study conducted by Terminix. It is the citys first appearance on the list.

Increased travel throughout the summer is a big cause of the rising number of bed bugs seen.

The list compiled data from the 300 Terminix branches across the country. The company created the rankings by evaluating service calls from customers, as well as confirmed cases by service professionals.

Other Midwest cities on the list include: Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio.

The city that tops the list is Philadelphia. New York City dropped to third on the list after holding the top spot for two years.

As travelers plan to hit the road this summer, Terminix has some advice to slow the spread of bed bugs. It includes checking hotel mattresses for bed bugs, avoiding storing clothing in the hotels furniture drawers and vacuuming suitcases when one returns home.

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Indy on list of bed bug-infested cities

A lighthearted look at news, events, culture and everyday life in New York.______________________

By Nina Pajak

According to new research reported in theNew York Daily News, the presence of alcohol in a persons blood curbs the growth and egg production of feasting bed bugs. Turns out theyre all teetotalers, and if they detect youve been hitting the sauce, they eat less.

Oh, Santa. Youdo exist!

A wonderfulentomology Ph.D. candidate at the University of Nebraska by the name of Ralph Narain (aka. my hero) has just presented the results of his study at a conference on urban entomology in Atlanta. It turns out that bed bugs who fed on sober blood laid 44 eggs and doubled in size, while the ones who got inadvertently tooootally wasted only laid around twelve eggs and grew 12.5% on average.

More: Top Tips For Keeping Your Home Free Of Bed Bugs

Okay, sure, a dozen eggs is still much, much worse than zero, but its way better than 44! For those like me who are deathly terrified of the suckers, well take any good news we can get. And for those like me who will use any excuse to treat herself to a glass (or three) of wine, well. This is like a little gift. A gift of validatednay, encouraged! self-medication. I wont lie: Ive had to Pinot Noir myself to sleep on many a bug-phobic insomniac night. This news just means that instead of shame, I should feel vindicated! Or at least somewhat productive.

Maybe the bugs will evolve to learn to avoid we booze hounds entirely. Theyll be able to smell it on our breath or through our pores, like little vampire insect highway cops or prohibition agents.

This one smells like an after hours gin joint, fellas.

Quick! To the Mormon family across the hall!

See the article here:
Nina In New York: Apparently, Liquor Is Like Kryptonite To Bed Bugs

This undated image from the Travel Channel shows Anthony Melchiorri, host of a new show called Hotel Impossible. On the show, Melchiorri, who has been in the hospitality business for 20 years, advises hotels on improving facilities, service and decor. He describes himself as a "germaphobe" when it comes to hotel rooms, and his pet peeves as a guest include dirty grout and Internet fees. (AP Photo/Travel Channel)

NEW YORK - If you think you're a picky hotel guest, check out the pet peeves of Anthony Melchiorri, who critiques hotels for a living and hosts a new show called "Hotel Impossible" on the Travel Channel. Melchiorri is freaked out by dirty grout, hates Internet fees and always checks hotel rooms for something he almost can't bear to name.

On the show, which airs Monday nights (10 p.m. ET/PT), Melchiorri advises hotels on how to improve everything from facilities to service to decor with a goal of increasing sales. He's brought his in-your-face, can-do assessments to properties ranging from Gurney's, a historic beachfront inn in Montauk, N.Y., in the Hamptons, to a boutique hotel, The New Yorker, in Miami's artsy MiMo district. This week, he visits the Purple Orchid in California wine country.

Melchiorri has been in the hospitality business for 20 years and has helped reposition storied Manhattan hotels like the Plaza and the Algonquin. But he hasn't lost touch with what the average traveler experiences in those first few minutes in a hotel, and he shared that process with The Associated Press.

THE LOBBY: "When I walk into a hotel, I want the illusion that my stay is going to be perfect. I want to see the bellman greet me. I want to see that the paint isn't chipping. I want the front desk to engage me, treat me like a person, so that I know any problem I may have, they will take care of me. By the time I get to the elevator, I'm already starting

BIGGEST FEAR: "As soon as I walk in the room, I put my luggage in the bathroom because that's the safest place away from any insects. I say insects because I don't even want to use the word. Now I inspect the bed. I'm looking at the seams of the mattress and headboard, end tables, the side of the bed. Let me be clear: Most hotels don't have bed bugs. I have never found a bed bug in a hotel. But I never put my luggage on the bed, ever. And once I realize there's nothing living in the bed, I look for a metal luggage rack and put my luggage on that." (Metal repels bed bugs; they prefer wood.)

THE ROUTINE: "I bolt the door to the room, and if there's an adjoining room, I check the door to make sure that room is locked. I cannot tell you how many times people have walked in on me. I also look in the shower, sink and tiles for dirty grout. I can't get in a shower with dirty grout, not even in my own house. It freaks me out. Then I open up the ironing board, I make sure it's functional, I look to see that there's no water in the iron and I put it in a corner of my room so it's ready to use. And then I unpack. ... I have a plastic liner from the drycleaners and I put that in the drawer first."

THE EXHALE: "Now that I know my room is clean, I can forget that I'm a germaphobe. I can forget that I didn't want to touch the remote control. If the hotel does its job, and gives me the illusion that it's perfect, then my defenses go down. But if there's a dirty hallway or a light bulb is out or an employee was rude to me, then my cootie-ometer is up."

PET PEEVES: Rooms that don't have enough electrical outlets; alarm clocks that go off at 4 a.m. because the maid didn't turn off the previous guest's setting; hotels that charge for Internet. "The Algonquin Hotel was famous for hosting a lot of writers. When Dorothy Parker was sitting there at the Algonquin Round Table, and she needed a pen, she got a pen for free. Today we write using the Internet. Why should I charge somebody for the Internet if I don't charge them for a pen?"

THE PHONE CALL: "I once implemented a policy at a hotel that every single guest be called by the front desk within 10 minutes of being in the room to make sure they didn't need anything. But then I started getting complaints from people. `I just got in my room, I was in the bathroom, I thought my wife was calling! If I need you, I'll call you!' So I stopped the phone calls to guests."

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'Hotel Impossible': TV show host lists pet peeves