Category Archives: Bed Bugs New York

DAVIS Bed bugs may be little, but they are a big problem infestations are rampant locally, nationally and globally, says Tanya Drlik, integrated pest management (IPM) coordinator of Contra Costa County who will speak at the University of California, Davis campus at the May 3 meeting of the Northern California Entomology Society.

"We've had a reprieve from bed bugs for about 50 years, but now they're back," said Drlik, who will discuss "The Resurgence of Bed Bugs and Current Effective Control Methods" at 9:45 a.m. in the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road.

The society-membership is open to the general public, meeting 9:15 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Drlik is one of five speakers on topics ranging from bed bugs to lacewings to endangered species.

Drlik, who formed the Bed Bug Task Force to help prepare Contra Costa County to meet the challenges of the mounting bed bug infestation, says that bed bugs "have no regard for wealth or class everyone is vulnerable. Bed bugs can be found all across the country in apartment buildings, hotels and motels, private residences, hospitals, waiting rooms, fire station, taxis and buses...and the list goes on. They've infested four-star hotels and penthouses as well as homeless shelters and rundown apartment buildings."

"Judging by history and the experience of other jurisdictions across the country, the problem is only going to increase, and more and more public buildings and homes will experience infestations," said Drlik, who has a master's degree in ecosystem management and nearly 40 years of experience in the field of IPM. "Bed bugs are difficult to control because of their small size, their secretive nature and their growing resistance to the pesticides we have at our disposal. Poverty, clutter, and poor housekeeping do not cause bed bug infestations, but they make eliminating infestations much more difficult."

Bed bugs "can be seen in epidemic proportions in some areas of the United States, including New York City and central and southwestern Ohio," said Drlik, adding that since 2004, New York City has experienced a 2,277 percent increase in complaints about bed bugs in the five boroughs (source: New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development). "Colleagues in the Franklin County Health Department in central Ohio have commented to us that they were completely unprepared for the rapidity with which bed bugs spread throughout their county."

"Bed bugs are far more common in urban areas, and the poor, the elderly, and the mentally ill suffer disproportionately because they do not have the funds, the information, and often the wherewithal, to eliminate infestations," she said.

The Nor-Cal Entomology Society agenda:

The Department of Pesticide Regulation will grant continuing education hours: two and a half hours of "laws," and an hour and a half of "other," according to Nor Cal Entomology Society president Bob Case of Concord, retired deputy agricultural commissioner from the Contra Costa County Department of Agriculture.

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Bed bugs rampant locally, nationally and globally

Lawrenceville, NJ (PRWEB) March 28, 2012

Last week, Orkin (a subsidiary of Rollins Inc.) released its top 50 bed bug cities list for 2011 and entomologists and pest control professional are currently debating what factors effect fluctuations in bed bug populations in a given city. Is the population dependent on high tourism, such as New York (#9 on list) or Los Angeles (#5), warmer average summer temperatures in southern cities like Dallas (#7), or are trends from city to city driven more by warmer than average seasonal temperatures?

Although these types of lists provide insight into trends within a city, bed bug awareness and prevention continues to be the critical step in minimizing the spread of this pest.

This recent list about bed bugs should not cause panic or provide a sense of security for residents in these particular cities, said Jeffrey White, Technical Director and Research Entomologist at BedBug Central. Although a city may have moved on the list, many factors can influence the rankings on this list. For example, since only one company was evaluated, this company could have multiple chains or a greater influence and presence in one city over another.

Over the past year, the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development (HPD) in New York City reported a small decrease in bed bug complaints for the first time since the resurgence started. A decrease in bed bug calls may be due to an increase public awareness from the various media coverage this pest has received or due to the efforts of NYC to institute bed bug policies recommended by the Bed Bug Advisory Board.

In contrast, Dallas, a city with limited media bed bug coverage, reported significant increases in bed bug service calls in 2011 compared with 2010.

In addition to looking at trends within cities, many experts in the Northeast are wondering what affect the warmer than normal winter that has recently ended will have on summer bed bug populations.

We have definitely documented for the past few years that bed bugs show a seasonal trend where July through September are their peak time, said White. Although bed bugs are a problem year round, this significant peak in activity during the warmer months is most likely due to the warmer temperatures inside the home or other public places.

In response to the warmer than average winter in the Northeast, BedBug Central asked several companies in the Northeast to compare winter 2011 to winter 2012 bed bug service calls to see if there has been an increase in bed bug populations.

Most companies we spoke to are not reporting an increase this winter in bed bug calls in residential homes compared to last winter, said White. That being said this does not conclude that the warmer than average winter temperatures will not affect summer bed bugs. Unfortunately we wont gain additional insight until the summer is behind us.

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Recent Bed Bug List Provides Insight, but Unseasonably Warm Winter has Experts Worried About Populations for Summer

kens5.com

Posted on March 21, 2012 at 7:54 PM

Updated today at 8:34 PM

if you think your chances of getting bed bugs is slim to none - except if you pay a visit to mega-metropolitan area like New York City - think again. Right here in the Alamo City the freaky little unwanted pests are popping up.

UTSA says they have detected a few of these tiny biters on campus at the University Oaks, Chisholm Hall and Laurel Village residence facilities. They say three confirmed cases were resolved, and a fourth is currently being treated.

University officials sent out email notices to students in both the affected facilities and also to those living in unaffected residence halls.

With the health and safety of our students in mind, we are working with a local extermination firm to resolve the bed bug issue in one of our residence facilities, said Lionel Maten, UTSA director of housing and residence life. The firm has worked with universities across the region to remediate bed bug incidents and is going above and beyond our protocol in the affected facility. We anticipate resolving the issue today, March 21.

UTSA says here are some identifying signs that you too have been visited by bed bugs:

UTSA students who believe they have been bitten by bed bugs may get treatment at the UTSA Student Health Services on the main and downtown campuses.

The Texas Department of State Health Services has more information on bed bugs on their website.

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Bed bugs spotted in UTSA housing

(credit: STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES (CBS) Los Angeles is among the topten cities inthe nation with the most bed bugs, according to a study released Wednesday by Orkin.

Orkin announced its top 50 bed bug cities for 2011, and the City of Angelsranked fifth. Cincinnati came in at number one, followed by Chicago, Detroit and Denver.

The study ranked cities in order of the number of bed bug treatments Orkin preformed from Jan. to Dec. 2011.

Los Angeles jumped from 25th place in the 2010 rankings to fifth in 2011. New York ranked ninth, down two spots from the previous year.

In 2011, Orkins parent company, Rollins, saw a 33.6 percent increase in bed bug business compared to 2010, the study said.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, bed bugs can carry more than 30 different human pathogens, but there is no evidence that bed bugs can transmit diseases. Their bites can, however, leave itchy welts on their victims. Red marks or swelling may also develop, the study said.

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Study: LA Ranks 5th Among Top Bed Bug Cities In America

FILE - In a Feb. 1, 2011 file photo, bedbugs are seen next to the tip of a finger in a container from the lab at the National Pest Management Association, during the National Bed Bug Summit in Washington. Researchers now say that the creepy bugs have a special genetic gift: withstanding incest. It turns out that unlike most creatures, bedbugs are able to inbreed with close relatives and still produce generally healthy offspring. That means that if just a few bedbugs survive in a building after treatment, they repopulate quickly. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) (Alex Brandon)

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles climbed 20 spots to fifth in the nation in number of bed bug incidents treated by pest control company Orkin last year.

The company recently released a list of the top 50 cities based on the number of bed bug treatments it did in 2011.

The overall number of incidents climbed 33.6 percent over the previous year.

Cincinnati had the highest number of bed bug treatments, followed by Chicago, Detroit, Denver and Los Angeles.

The perennial hotspot New York City dropped two places to ninth.

The San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area was 12th, San Diego, 26th, and Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, 41st.

"The changes in some cities' rankings show bed bugs continue to be a problem in most areas of the U.S.," said Orkin entomologist and Technical Services Director Ron Harrison. "Several of the top 50 cities have large, busy airports, and there could be a correlation between increased travel and bed bug activity.

The rankings could also reflect an overall rise in population or greater public awareness of bed bugs and how to identify them, Harrison said.

Orkin advised travelers to remember the acronym S.L.E.E.P. to avoid bringing bed bugs home from a trip:

Continued here:
Bed bugs singin' 'We love L.A.'