Category Archives: Bed Bugs Indiana

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Cincinnati maintains its position as the second most bedbug-infested U.S. city, according to the annual Most Bedbug-Infested Cities ranking, released today by Terminix.

Philadelphia took the top spot from New York City, which held the title for two years.

The 2012 most bed bug-infested cities include: 1. Philadelphia 2. Cincinnati 3. New York City 4. Chicago 5. Detroit 6. Washington, D.C. 7. Columbus, Ohio 8. San Francisco 9. Denver 10. New Haven, Conn. 11. Dallas 12. Houston 13. Indianapolis 14. Miami 15. Cleveland

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. The 2012 ranking proves bedbugs continue to be a problem across the country, with five cities - Cleveland, Houston, Indianapolis, Miami and New Haven - joining the top 15 this year. Other cities, such as Columbus, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., saw growing bedbug populations this year.

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

Terminix says it has seen an increase in the prevalence of bedbugs in most states since releasing its first bedbug ranking in 2010.

A survey done by the University of Cincinnati's Institute for Policy Research in March found the number of residents with bed bug problems declining, from 22% in 2009 to 18% in 2010. Cincinnati Health Department officials credit the city's aggressive outreach and education with the decline.

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Cincinnati Still #2 In Nation For Bed Bugs

JEFFERSONVILLE Some residents at Clark Arms are having to move belongings out of their apartments as a bed bug infestation has taken root.

Jenny Eldridge, whos mother-in-law lives at Clark Arms a public housing complex for elderly and disabled residents said she and family members spent several days last week clearing out closets full of coats, clothes, pictures, Christmas decorations and other items.

Bags of clothes had to be sealed, taken to a laundry facility, and washed in hot water to kill the bugs.

This has been a nightmare, Eldridge said, noting that shes worried about other residents who dont have family to help them move things out. Some of them are sick and disabled and dont have people that can help them.

Her mother-in-laws place was sprayed Monday and shes back in the apartment now. However, Eldridge is still upset because a couch from the apartment might have to be tossed out in order to get rid of the bugs completely.

Louisville-based OPC is treating the infestation and their staff told her the couch might have to go. OPC President Donnie Blake said he understands how hard the request is but said it might be necessary in order to treat the apartment.

Bed bugs are tough, Blake said. Trying to do these treatments are extremely invasive. Its no fun whatsoever.

In some cases, Blake said, the value of the furniture may not match up with the cost of treatment. Eldridge wants the authority to hire someone who will treat the used furniture.

Further, she doesnt like that OPC is going apartment to apartment to treat the bugs rather than treating the entire floor. Blake said treating only the infested units and adjacent units is the companys standard practice.

There are 101 units in Clark Arms and seven of them are under treatment for bed bugs, said Housing Authority Executive Director Phillip Bates. The housing authority is paying for the treatments and Bates said OPCs methods have been successful at eradicating the bed bugs when theyve worked at other authority properties.

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Clark Arms residents dealing with bed bugs

The city of Cincinnati may soon be losing it's not-so-desirable status as the "Bed Bug Capitol of the United States." Today, officials announced that the number of residents who are dealing with bed bugs has declined in just the past two years.

The Cincinnati Health Department says 18 percent of residents are experiencing problems with bed bugs, down from 22 percent in 2010. The Health Department believes its campaign to educate residents about the pesky bugs, which involved assembling a consortium of organization and experts from the City, County and State of Ohio, helped.

Back when "Time Magazine" published its article naming our city as the "Bed Bug Capitol", the city responded by forming the first bed bug strategic plan in the nation. A series of brochures, fliers, and videos were released and the Health Department worked with schools, businesses, "big box retailers", pest control companies, local, state and federal government agencies and community groups to develop bed bug control policies and teach effective bed bug control and eradication measures. In addition, the health department licenses Cincinnati hotels and motels, which allows for regular inspections and a quick response to bed bug complaints.

Though bed bugs are not known to transmit disease, they can be an expensive nuisance and cause substantial embarrassment and mental anguish for those experiencing an infestation. Dr. Camille Jones, Cincinnati Assistant Health Commissioner, says "We know that we can make a difference if we work together to provide surveillance, resources and deliver accurate public messages. The City will continue to be aggressive in our response to this very difficult problem and welcome partnership and resources from other levels of government, such as the State of Ohio to assist us."

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Cincinnati Sees Decline in Bed Bug Infestation

An Indiana Children's Hospital has confirmed at least one patient's room is infested with bed bugs, but the parents of the child who spent weeks there are saying the problem is more widespread and that hospital officials refused to take the problem seriously--until the father of the child captured one of the critters.

The father, Michael Wallace and his wife were at the Riley Children's Hospital in downtown Indianapolis for several weeks treating an undisclosed illness their newborn child was suffering from. After the second week, Wallace began noticing red welts up and down his arms and on his fingers.

Puzzled and alarmed, the parents tried to raise the concern, suspecting bed bugs, but were allegedly ignored by hospital officials who insisted on seeing a live bed bug before taking action.

Finally, says Wallace, he was "lucky" enough to catch what he describes as a "grandfather" bed bug crawling down his arm and brought the insect to hospital employees. His family was immediately moved to another room.

The hospital has released a statement addressing the issue, but it's not very reassuring and doesn't seem to address whether the hospital is attempting to gauge the scope of the infestation. Michael Wallace doesn't believe the hospital has taken any action to clean the room he and his family occupied for weeks.

This is an especially difficult problem for a hospital to address as killing bed bugs involves chemicals and pesticides. But the real question is, how could this have happened in the first place?

See how the local FOX affiliate covered the story by clicking here.

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Bed Bugs Infest Indiana Children's Hospital!

POSTED: 5:28 pm EST February 13, 2012

UPDATED: 5:32 pm EST February 13, 2012

INDIANAPOLIS -- An infestation of bedbugs discovered in a room at the Riley Hospital for Children has been contained, a spokeswoman for the Indiana University Health said Monday.Independent pest control contractors were called in to fumigate the room after a patient's family complained of bites on their bodies at the weekend, IU Health spokeswoman Abby Gras said.The affected room will stay sealed until the contractors have inspected it again and declared it free of bugs, she said. "This is our standard procedure, and we take the proper precautions," Gras said. She would not say which pesticides were used or which contractors applied them.She said that room is now empty and that the surrounding rooms have been inspected and declared bug-free.Bedbugs are wingless, reddish-brown insects that bite people and animals to draw blood for their meals. Their bites can cause itching and welts. While bed bugs themselves don't spread diseases, they contain an allergen that can induce asthma attacks, much like cockroaches, and in rare cases repeated bug bites can cause anemia.Experts warn that bedbugs have built up an uncannily good tolerance for pesticides and that there are always residual dangers associated with the use of such chemicals."Any time you use pesticides around people, including children, you always need a lot of caution," said Timothy Gibb, an entomologist at Purdue University. "In a hospital, you have to be more sensitive, since people in a hospital are already compromised."Gras said the pesticides were isolated to one, empty room rather than an entire hospital wing and were applied by professionals.Gibb said that since bedbugs are a relatively new threat to Indiana, hospitals haven't yet had the chance to teach their staff how to spot signs of a potential infestation, such as blood stains on bed sheets and fecal matter."It's a matter of education, making people aware and getting them on board," Gibb said.Researchers at The Ohio State University found last year that some bedbugs have a gene that breaks down most common pesticides, which they believe may be a factor in the bug's resurgence.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Bedbugs Found At Indianapolis Children's Hospital