If you are seeing bed bugs in NYC, you are not alone. As you may have read, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer called for the eradication of bedbugs in NYC. In front of the media, he said "the evidence of the problem is everywhere." So what is one to do?NYC is treating the bed bug epidemic like crime now, with teachers being trained in the schools and looking for children who have been biten. Then, they are sending task forces to the homes to see if bed bugs are there, and if they are, they bring in the exterminators. The problem is, there isn't enough exterminators in all of New York City to eradicate the bed bugs. Especially in multi-dwelling buildings where apartments and condominiums are connected wall-to-wall, with people moving in and out regul
arly, control has become almost impossible.What is happening though, is a revolt from within. New Yorkers are taking the matter into their own hands by purchasing bed bug products from sites like YourBedBugKit.com, and treating the buggers themselves. These new sites that distribute only professional grade bed bug products, are gaining popularity as NYC residents are getting tired of paying for pest control companies who are charging in some cases the same price for termite treatments. Billboards now advertise mattress covers, can be found on Time Square--who would have thought?
With the do-it-yourselfers on the rise, exterminators usually get annoyed. However, with the city turning into one big bed bug treatment, professional bed bug controllers are looking the other way. One thing pest control operators do agree on: bed bugs in NYC are here to stay.
The bed bug products are improving slowly. As one pest control operator admitted, "Since DDT was eliminated, we were caught with our pants down with the bed bug crisis." Don't count on DDT coming back anytime soon though. As a spokesperson for the PA Dept. Agriculture put it, "If you are in pest control and you are 40 years and older, you will be fighting bed bugs the rest of your career."
As described in the above video, you can now monitor bed bugs with the Bed Bug Detection System. Both pest control technicians and the do-it-yourselfers are loving it, not because you can catch the bed bugs you currently have, but you can see if new ones arrive.
And as products improve for the actual treatments for bed bugs in NYC, other products like the Bed Bug Luggage Carry On are getting attention. This "take-with" product allows you to spray your luggage while you are staying at a potention bed bug-infested hotel or motel. "The bed bug product manufacturers are getting creative", says one PCO. "If they just had a silver bullet like DDT, it would be great". Until then, it looks like it will be classical warfare. One thing it has done, everyone admits, is that for the bed bug infestation in NYC, pest control operators and do-it-yourselfers have come together for this stage of the battle.
