Property Managers: Bedbugs, Coming To A City Near You

Bedbugs, Coming To A City Near You

Posted on 05. Aug, 2010 by Jonathan Brownfield in News

The largest bedbug survey ever conducted suggests that the blood sucking menaces have become more prevalent throughout the country – not just New York City. Despite their name, bedbugs need not live in a bed; bedbugs are found in single-family homes, apartments buildings, condos, motels, retail stores, schools, churches and even places of business.

The survey indicated that 90% of the responding companies reported treating bedbug infestations in apartments, condos or houses. To make matters worse, in a survey sponsored by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), the results suggest that bedbug infestations are increasing all over the country. It’s reported that bedbug related calls have increased by 81% over the last decade and 57% over the last five years.

Bedbugs spread by traveling with clothing and suitcases, feeding on the blood of both residents and their pets. They most often live within 10 to 20 feet of their hosts, preferring dark spaces under baseboards, behind hanging pictures or behind headboards. It’s said that one of the better ways for residents to thwart a bedbug infestation is by cleaning clothes (even if they were not worn) and drying them in high heat immediately as well as vacuuming out their suitcase upon returning from an overnight trip.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20100729/bed-bugs-biting-all-over-united-states

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Tags: bed bugs, maintenance, Real Estate

5 Responses to “Bedbugs, Coming To A City Near You”

Aimee Miller

06. Aug, 2010

This is scary stuff!!

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Juniper

09. Aug, 2010

Interesting article. I am hearing about this more and more on the news. I would love to read an article about what legal responsibility the landlord has when their rental home or apartment has a bedbug infestation.

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- admin
  
  09. Aug, 2010
  
  Hi Juniper,
  Great question. I found the following over at the Harvard School of Public Health’s website (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/). As the article suggests, your state / municipal housing authority is a good place for guidance on this issue.
  
  “If you are a tenant, contact your property manager or landlord to discuss your respective obligations, and to agree on a plan to manage the infestation. Generally, landlords are legally required to contract with a licensed pest control operator.”
  
  “Landlords and property owners have specific legal obligations to provide safe and habitable accommodations for tenants. Certain infestations, including bed bugs, may constitute an unacceptable condition. Tenants have an obligation to cooperate with owners and landlords. This includes preparing the apartment so that the pest control operator can easily inspect the rooms and treat if necessary. Contact your state or municipal health agency or housing authority for more guidance on these issues.”
  
  Anyone have experience with the law as it relates to bedbugs?
  
  Reply to this comment
Chris Lukacs

14. Aug, 2010

I have the bed bug fix. Use this Diatomaceous Earth power it gets into the exoskeleton joints of the bed bugs and is safe for us to eat. Just put an impenetrable path of power so the bugs have to crawl through it and bugs gone in a few days. http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/productdetails.aspx?sku=83038&source=GoogleBase
And its cheap!!!

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Richard Pollack

06. Oct, 2010

The Harvard websites on bed bugs have been updated and enhanced, and moved to a new home: http://identify.us.com

Most importantly, before you embark on a potentially expensive campaign against bed bugs, make absolutely sure that the bug you find is, indeed, a bed bug. Identification help is readily available at this site.

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Bedbugs, Coming To A City Near You

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