Category Archives: Canada Bed Bugs

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.

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Talbot House Battling Bedbugs

An extermination company is on the hook for $10,000 after pleading guilty to starting a $3.5-million fire at a downtown Edmonton condo building last summer.

Bed Bugs Task Force Ltd. was charged under the Alberta Fire Code in connection to the Royal Scot Condominium fire on July 12, 2011.

The company was fined $10,000.

Four people were hurt in the fire which began on the top floor of the three-storey building at 92nd Street and 105th Avenue.

Two adults and two children were taken to hospital with severe smoke inhalation with one adult and one child listed in critical condition.

Two firefighters were also hurt from falling debris.

Bed Bug Task Force was exterminating bed bugs using a propane heater in a suite on the top floor of the 66-unit building.

Investigation revealed several fire code contraventions which likely contributed to the ignition and the rapid spread of the fire, said Russell Croome, Deputy Fire Chief of Public Safety.

The company was charged with four violations of the Alberta Fire Code.

On Monday Bed Bug Task Force pleaded guilty to one count of "conducting hot works in an area not free of combustible and flammable contents."

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Bedbug company fined in downtown condo fire

PNC not seeking mergers or acquisitions right now

PNC Financial Services Group, which acquired about 400 bank branches in the Southeast from Royal Bank of Canada in March, is not interested in more mergers or acquisitions, Chairman and CEO James Rohr said Monday. Because of the potential for internal growth, "We have little or no interest in using our capital for M&A at this time," Mr. Rohr said during a financial services conference hosted by Barclays in New York City. Loan demand continued to grow for the Pittsburgh-based bank in the third quarter, although at a slightly slower pace than in the first half of the year when it "was perhaps the highest in the industry," Mr. Rohr said. Overall, Mr. Rohr said he expected PNC's results for the second half this year to be stronger than the first, "resulting in another good year for PNC."

Ross Park among sites for Microsoft holiday store

Microsoft plans to open more than 30 holiday stores this fall, including one at Ross Park Mall. In addition to carrying the company's line of products, the holiday stores are meant to teach customers how to "get the most out of their Microsoft-enabled devices," the announcement from the Redmond, Wash., computer giant said. Ross Park Mall already houses an Apple store, selling products from the Cupertino, Calif., rival to Microsoft.

FedEx to take sponsorship of Heinz Field's Great Hall

FedEx has taken over sponsorship of the Great Hall inside Heinz Field, according to the Steelers organization. The facility had been sponsored by Coca-Cola until earlier this year when the team switched soft drink sponsors to go with Pepsi. The new sponsorship deal is for 10 years, and is effective immediately. No financial details were given. Shipping giant FedEx is based in Memphis, Tenn., but its FedEx Ground division is based in Moon. The Great Hall is used to house historic memorabilia as well as the new Pub 33, and TV shows such as "Steelers Huddle" and the "McDonald's Steelers KidZone" are taped there.

FTC files charges over bed bug repellent claims

The Federal Trade Commission filed deceptive advertising charges against two marketers for claiming that their products can stop and prevent bed bug infestations using natural ingredients such as cinnamon and cedar oil. The marketer of Rest Easy repellent settled the charges by agreeing not to make unsupported claims. A $265,000 judgment against the company was suspended because of the inability to pay, the FTC said. The other marketer, Cedarcide Industries and others, which touts Best Yet! treatment for bed bugs and head lice, is being sued by the agency.

Executives, jobs dwindling at Eastman Kodak

Bankrupt photography pioneer Eastman Kodak Co. is losing more executives and plans to cut an additional 1,000 jobs by the end of the year as it shrinks into a commercial printing-focused company, the Rochester, N.Y.-based company said in a statement Monday.

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Business Briefs: PNC not seeking mergers or acquisitions right now

ATLANTA, Aug. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Back to school season is upon us, and if you are not careful, you may unknowingly invite pests into your new home, or transport pests from your parents' or friends' homes. Anything from bed bugs to rodents can reside where you do, because they are all looking for the basic necessitiesfood, water and shelter. Dr. Ron Harrison, entomologist and technical services director at Orkin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rollins Inc. (ROL), has the top 10 things to remember when heading off to college.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120802/CL51360 )

"Be cautious of what you do," said Harrison. "Think about all of these things and the challenges each one presents. Do not attempt to treat yourself or an infestation with over-the-counter products. Talk to your landlord or housing director if you think you have an infestation. We recommend they call a pest control professional."

About Orkin, LLC

Founded in 1901, Atlanta-based Orkin is an industry leader in essential pest control services and protection against termite damage, rodents and insects in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Asia, the Mediterranean, Africa and Mexico. With more than 400 locations, Orkin's almost 8,000 employees serve approximately 1.7 million customers. The company serves homeowners and numerous industries, including food and beverage processing, foodservice, hospitality, healthcare, retail, warehousing, property/facilities management, schools and institutions. Orkin is proud to be recognized by the National Pest Management Association as a QualityPro and GreenPro-certified company, addressing not only our customer's pest control needs, but also their concern for protecting the environment. Learn more about Orkin at http://orkin.com. Orkin is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rollins Inc. (ROL).

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Orkin's Top 10 Back to School Checklist

The 2 1/2-year-old beagle, Oklahoma's only certified bedbug-detection dog, was called to Tulsa from Norman on Wednesday to sniff out bedbugs at the 135,000-square-foot Central Library, at Fourth Street and Denver Avenue.

The buff-and-white canine was greeted by news cameras, microphones and reporters asking her owner, Glen Collymore, all about how she sniffs out the elusive pests.

But then it was time for Liberty to go to work.

"She's here to help the people of Tulsa," said Gary Shaffer, chief executive officer of the Tulsa City-County Library system.

By 7:45 p.m., Liberty - as her owners call her - had rooted through all four of the library's floors, and library spokesman John Fancher said the bugs had not been found outside the area where they were first discovered.

Just before noon Tuesday, a customer showed a library staffer that he had been bitten by bedbugs while sitting in a chair in the periodicals section on the third floor.

Later in the day, officials announced that bedbugs had been found in several chairs in a 1,000-square-foot area. All the chairs were removed and replaced with vinyl and metal chairs, Fancher said.

Officials immediately closed the facility and called in an extermination service to assess the situation, Shaffer said.

Fancher said Wednesday that the downtown library would remain closed through Thursday, when a pest control company will treat the building. The library will reopen Friday.

While the possibility exists that the critters could ride home with someone in a book, it is unlikely, said Mario Echeverria with Rove Pest Control in Tulsa.

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Bedbug-detection dog sniffs out critters at Central Library