Christopher Francoeur was evicted from 415 MacLaren St. in Ottawa, after refusing to have his apartment in the infested 249-unit building treated for bed bugs.
The Ottawa Citizen reports that
According to a Landlord and Tenant Board ruling, the resident, Christopher Francoeur, refused to let anyone in to spray.
Francoeur claims he simply got home late from an appointment, but it does not explain why the city was turned away or locked out on seven previous occasions. The article claims the city
. . . visited Unit 1908 at least eight times. Each time, the bedbug warriors were turned away for different reasons — once because, they say, Francoeur, a 35-year-old convicted drug dealer, changed the locks.
Francoeur claims the public housing building had bed bugs before he moved in. However, this is no reason not to try and cooperate with the city’s plan to treat all the units. It is hard enough to get rid of bed bugs in a multi-unit building. If the landlord is willing to treat all units concurrently (and repeatedly, we hope), the other tenants have a better chance of getting rid of this problem.
The board ruled last month that Francoeur “substantially interfered with the reasonable enjoyment of the residential complex by the other tenants.”
We hear all of the time about such cases, where a tenant — for whatever reason — refuses treatment.
(And I love, by the way, how “reasonable enjoyment of the residential complex” translates to “trying to eliminate a blood-sucking parasite.”)
A NYC reader emailed today telling me that while she does not have bed bugs yet, she just heard someone in her building — a number of floors above her – is refusing treatment.
Even though laws may allow such tenants to be forced to cooperate with treatment or evicted, the process of enforcing them may take some time.
Sourced by nobugsonme on March 7, 2010 · 0 comments
in 415 MacLaren St., bed bugs, landlords vs. tenants, ottawa, public housing
Monday, March 8, 2010
Rats, fleas and mice plague hospitals
RATS, fleas, mice and bed bugs have been plaguing Addenbrooke's Hospital wards.
Health chiefs are itching to get to the bottom of why more than a dozen infestations happened in the last year - which included a "suspected
Bosses paid pest controllers £20,000 in 2008/9 to rid wards and staff areas in the prestigious Cambridge University hospital of disease carrying vermin.
Figures released to the News under the Freedom of Information Act revealed the extent of the problem at the massive hospital.
Critics have accused hospital chiefs of having their eye on hitting targets rather than keeping their noses to the ground to sniff out disease carriers.
Cllr Geoff Heathcock, chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council's health scrutiny committee, said: "I am absolutely appalled that in the 21st Century, the largest hospital in the county can have such a wide ranging problem with infestation.
"This poses many questions about how high up the board's priorities cleanliness really is rather than chasing imposed performance targets."
But health chiefs insist they have a clean record on pest control compared to other trusts.
An Addenbrooke's spokeswoman said: "Our patients expect 100 per cent expert care in a clean, safe and comfortable environment. The trust takes pest control very seriously and employs an external company to perform monthly routine monitoring, provide advice and treat any infestations."
Previous figures revealed Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust called out pest controllers 228 times between January 2006 and April 2008 to deal with rodents and insects.
The results of the Freedom of Information Act request also showed Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Addenbrooke's, had problems with ants, wasps and flies.
No information was collected from Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which has a contract with a pest control company.
Hinchingbrooke revealed it had to deal with rats, mice, ants, biting insects, fleas, wasps, flies, squirrels, silverfish, bugs, woodlice, bees, hornets and "unspecified insects".
Health chiefs are itching to get to the bottom of why more than a dozen infestations happened in the last year - which included a "suspected
Bosses paid pest controllers £20,000 in 2008/9 to rid wards and staff areas in the prestigious Cambridge University hospital of disease carrying vermin.
Figures released to the News under the Freedom of Information Act revealed the extent of the problem at the massive hospital.
Critics have accused hospital chiefs of having their eye on hitting targets rather than keeping their noses to the ground to sniff out disease carriers.
Cllr Geoff Heathcock, chairman of Cambridgeshire County Council's health scrutiny committee, said: "I am absolutely appalled that in the 21st Century, the largest hospital in the county can have such a wide ranging problem with infestation.
"This poses many questions about how high up the board's priorities cleanliness really is rather than chasing imposed performance targets."
But health chiefs insist they have a clean record on pest control compared to other trusts.
An Addenbrooke's spokeswoman said: "Our patients expect 100 per cent expert care in a clean, safe and comfortable environment. The trust takes pest control very seriously and employs an external company to perform monthly routine monitoring, provide advice and treat any infestations."
Previous figures revealed Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust called out pest controllers 228 times between January 2006 and April 2008 to deal with rodents and insects.
The results of the Freedom of Information Act request also showed Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Addenbrooke's, had problems with ants, wasps and flies.
No information was collected from Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which has a contract with a pest control company.
Hinchingbrooke revealed it had to deal with rats, mice, ants, biting insects, fleas, wasps, flies, squirrels, silverfish, bugs, woodlice, bees, hornets and "unspecified insects".
Friday, March 5, 2010
Bedbug colonies on rise in county
Source: Natalya Stanko, For the CDT
The old saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” isn’t just a good-night wish, but an uncomfortable reality for an increasing number of Americans.
Bedbugs are making a comeback, nationally and locally.
Penn State Housing has been tracking the change. Since 2006, there have been 22 reported cases of bedbugs on the University Park campus, including nine this academic year, said David Manos, assistant director of housing for East Halls dormitories. Manos, who joined the housing department in 1991, knows of no incidences of bedbugs on campus before 2006, he said.
Bedbugs were nearly wiped out in the United States after World War II due to the widespread use of pesticides such as DDT. But now that experts use less toxic chemicals, the bugs are multiplying, said Ed Rajotte, an entomology professor at Penn State.
Bedbugs, which are wingless, reddish-brown and about the size of an apple seed, feed on human blood like a mosquito. They are mostly active at night.
Bedbugs are hitchhikers that easily move from one place to another in baggage, furniture and clothing, said Manos. They can live up to 18 months without feeding. In State College, they have infested not only dormitories, but also hotels and apartments.
That,s why
bedbugs are a community issue that needs to be addressed cooperatively, Manos said.
Penn State Housing, in collaboration with about 10 local landowners, recently formed the Centre Region Bedbug Coalition. The coalition’s goal is to educate both on-and off-campus tenants about how to quickly identify and report bedbugs, said borough health inspector Kevin Kassab.
“There’s no shame in having (bedbugs),” Kassab said. “But the problem only gets worse if you ignore it.”
To check for bedbugs, examine the entire bed, including the folds of the sheet and the seams of the mattress, Manos said. Look for dark blood spots about the size of a pencil point. If you suspect
you’ve already been bitten, check your skin for itchy red bumps.
Bedbugs are not a serious health concern, and they are not known to transfer diseases, Rajotte said. But they can be psychologically draining. The Web site www.bedbugregistry.com tracks bedbug alerts nationwide, including seven from the State College area over the past few years. The site, however, does not vouch for the accuracy of reports made there.
To treat bedbugs, Rajotte recommends to “never do just one thing, but attack with multiple tactics.” Once the bugs have been identified, quarantine the infected rooms.
Wash and dry all soft objects, such as clothing and blankets, using hot water. Bedbugs die when heated to 113 degrees.
Be wary of over-the-counter pesticides, Rajotte said. Overuse of common pesticides has made some bedbugs resistant to them.
“If you have a major infestation, contact a professional pest control service, which has access to a much wider array of chemicals,” he added.
Penn State practices Integrated Pest Management, which encourages pesticide use only as a last resort, said Rajotte, coordinator of the program.
Penn State treats infested nonwashable belongings, such as laptops and other electronic equipment, by placing them in a “hot box” made from a 4- by 8-foot Styrofoam insulation that houses electric heaters, Manos said. Occupants are asked to shower.
Penn State limits its chemical use to the pesticides Bedlam and Phantom and the alcohol-based aerosol product Sterifab. According to BASF Chemical Co., the two pesticides are slightly toxic to humans when inhaled and very toxic to aquatic and terrestrial animals.
In preparation for spring break next week, Penn State Housing is posting fliers in dormitories and bathrooms to warn students to check for bugs when traveling internationally, where the bugs are more prevalent.
“The best deterrent isn’t chemical,” Manos said. “It’s educational.”
Source: Natalya Stanko, For the CDT
The old saying “Don’t let the bed bugs bite” isn’t just a good-night wish, but an uncomfortable reality for an increasing number of Americans.
Bedbugs are making a comeback, nationally and locally.
Penn State Housing has been tracking the change. Since 2006, there have been 22 reported cases of bedbugs on the University Park campus, including nine this academic year, said David Manos, assistant director of housing for East Halls dormitories. Manos, who joined the housing department in 1991, knows of no incidences of bedbugs on campus before 2006, he said.
Bedbugs were nearly wiped out in the United States after World War II due to the widespread use of pesticides such as DDT. But now that experts use less toxic chemicals, the bugs are multiplying, said Ed Rajotte, an entomology professor at Penn State.
Bedbugs, which are wingless, reddish-brown and about the size of an apple seed, feed on human blood like a mosquito. They are mostly active at night.
Bedbugs are hitchhikers that easily move from one place to another in baggage, furniture and clothing, said Manos. They can live up to 18 months without feeding. In State College, they have infested not only dormitories, but also hotels and apartments.
That,s why
bedbugs are a community issue that needs to be addressed cooperatively, Manos said.
Penn State Housing, in collaboration with about 10 local landowners, recently formed the Centre Region Bedbug Coalition. The coalition’s goal is to educate both on-and off-campus tenants about how to quickly identify and report bedbugs, said borough health inspector Kevin Kassab.
“There’s no shame in having (bedbugs),” Kassab said. “But the problem only gets worse if you ignore it.”
To check for bedbugs, examine the entire bed, including the folds of the sheet and the seams of the mattress, Manos said. Look for dark blood spots about the size of a pencil point. If you suspect
you’ve already been bitten, check your skin for itchy red bumps.
Bedbugs are not a serious health concern, and they are not known to transfer diseases, Rajotte said. But they can be psychologically draining. The Web site www.bedbugregistry.com tracks bedbug alerts nationwide, including seven from the State College area over the past few years. The site, however, does not vouch for the accuracy of reports made there.
To treat bedbugs, Rajotte recommends to “never do just one thing, but attack with multiple tactics.” Once the bugs have been identified, quarantine the infected rooms.
Wash and dry all soft objects, such as clothing and blankets, using hot water. Bedbugs die when heated to 113 degrees.
Be wary of over-the-counter pesticides, Rajotte said. Overuse of common pesticides has made some bedbugs resistant to them.
“If you have a major infestation, contact a professional pest control service, which has access to a much wider array of chemicals,” he added.
Penn State practices Integrated Pest Management, which encourages pesticide use only as a last resort, said Rajotte, coordinator of the program.
Penn State treats infested nonwashable belongings, such as laptops and other electronic equipment, by placing them in a “hot box” made from a 4- by 8-foot Styrofoam insulation that houses electric heaters, Manos said. Occupants are asked to shower.
Penn State limits its chemical use to the pesticides Bedlam and Phantom and the alcohol-based aerosol product Sterifab. According to BASF Chemical Co., the two pesticides are slightly toxic to humans when inhaled and very toxic to aquatic and terrestrial animals.
In preparation for spring break next week, Penn State Housing is posting fliers in dormitories and bathrooms to warn students to check for bugs when traveling internationally, where the bugs are more prevalent.
“The best deterrent isn’t chemical,” Manos said. “It’s educational.”
Monday, February 22, 2010
Homeless couple struggles to rebuild life in Lincoln
It was easier, she says, when they lived in their car.
In November, Tiffany and Byll Dale would park their 2006 Chevy Aveo on the top level of the parking garage of a Lincoln hospital, in a spot with good Internet reception.
Byll, a 35-year-old out-of-work computer technician, would place his Dell laptop on the dashboard and they'd catch up on movies and TV. "Entourage," "Fringe," "CSI." They'd put snacks in the middle just like at the movies.
It's a camping adventure!
That's what Colt, who's 8, said. Kaiden, 2, had no clue he and his family and his best friend Buzz Lightyear had no home. (They made sure to bring Buzz with them from Florida.)
This is an intergalactic emergency!
That's what Buzz told Kaiden when he pressed the buttons.
My ship has crash-landed here by mistake!
Tiffany, 28, felt scared at times in the car. It was light years from the life she knew in Florida, where she grew up with grandparents who owned businesses and ate dinner every night with them at the table. So far away from fishing on the lake where they lived and shopping with her friends at the mall and kicking her legs high as a high school cheerleader.
So far away from the house where she and Byll lived, the house where she watched Colt do his homework at the table, where she walked with Kaiden around the block and he pointed out every bird.
But at least in the car she and her family still felt like a family.
She'd never been homeless. How do you ... be ... homeless?
When it was time to sleep, they'd park the Aveo on the lowest level of the hospital garage. They liked having the security cameras nearby. It was cozy, even though Tiffany was pregnant and had just had surgery to put tubes in her back to drain her sick kidneys.
They lived mostly in their car for three weeks, and Tiffany was in and out of the nearby hospital -- BryanLGH Medical Center East.
In and out of pain.
To the mission
It's early January, and it's cold. Tiffany and Byll and the boys have a room at the People's City Mission. They've been here well over a month.
The people are nice, but Tiffany is at the end of her rope.
Kaiden is whiney. He didn't get a nap. And Colt got off the school bus crying because a girl punched him in the eye.
"I cry 95 percent of the time," Tiffany tells Chris Webster, a homeless outreach specialist for Lincoln Public Schools who's trying to help them get housing and gas cards and get Kaiden into Head Start.
"There's one lady here who's constantly cussing. Kaiden mimics everything she says, and he's picked up some really foul words. I almost feel like I'm being a bad mom, to have kids in the shelter. I can't fix it. There's nothing I can do."
Tears fall. They stain the T-shirt that covers her pregnant belly. She tells Chris she's been praying every night for a house or apartment of their own, before the baby comes.
But everything she's heard about housing tells her they'll probably have to wait nine months to a year.
They already call the baby by her name. Faith. The doctor wants to take Faith by C-section in mid-February.
"I just want to get a place," she begs Chris. "Please."
"Well, we're working on it here, Tiffany."
She wipes her eyes. She smiles at Chris. She says she forgot to tell him the good news, the one prayer that's been answered so far.
Life without a home
When they lived in their car, they had a routine. In the morning, they drove to the HyVee on O Street and washed in the bathrooms and ate breakfast in the café. They sat at the table for hours while Byll called computer companies about jobs.
The boys watched movies on the laptop or colored or read.
Sometimes, for an adventure, they walked to Barnes & Noble. They'd each find a book and sit together. Byll always bee-lined for the computer books. Colt liked books on drawing. Tiffany liked the gossip magazines. Or she'd read Kaiden books about Buzz Lightyear.
Byll applied for at least 30 jobs. The computer companies had openings, but nothing they were filling for a month or two. So he filled out forms at McDonald's, Burger King, HyVee. He almost fell asleep late one night at Walmart's computer kiosk, where the store's application took about an hour to complete.
Maybe, Tiffany thought, she and the boys should have stayed in Florida and waited for Byll to find a job. But the boys needed their dad.
Byll started his own company in Florida. Storm PC was going along fine, but then the economy soured.
Tiffany sometimes felt Byll was too soft-hearted to own his own company. If an older person thought her computer needed to be fixed and Byll saw that she just hadn't plugged it in, he wouldn't ask for any money. Tiffany used to get on him about that.
After the business folded, Byll couldn't find work. They got behind on their utility bills and couldn't dig out.
Tiffany's grandparents had owned a restaurant and a gas station. They'd worked together side by side. Her grandpa -- her "dad" -- died of a brain tumor when she was 16. Her grandma -- her "mom" -- died of cancer, too, a week after Kaiden was born.
When they were gone, so was the safety net.
Tiffany thinks her mom would have been upset with her for moving. Tiffany is the planner, but she let Byll take the reins on this one.
They chose Lincoln for their fresh start so he could live near his dad. The plan was for them to go in on a place with him.
They stayed with him the first few days, but he was in a tough financial spot too, and things didn't work out.
Byll reminds Tiffany of her dad. Byll is strong, upbeat. Never gives up. She remembers what her dad always told her: It's OK to make a mistake, as long as you learn from it.
One day in December, she and the kids waited for hours in the car outside Schrock Innovations, a company on Pine Lake Road. Byll was being interviewed, demonstrating how he can find viruses and take apart computers and put them back together.
A few days later, the day before Christmas Eve, one prayer was answered.
The phone rang.
Tiffany handed the cell to her husband and watched him step away from the car, so far away she couldn't hear. She tried to look unconcerned, in case it was bad news.
He got back in the car. She saw him smile.
I start tomorrow, he told her.
So far away
Tiffany has cystinuria, an inherited disorder that makes her body form and pass a lot of kidney stones. She's on disability and cannot work.
Back in Florida, she volunteered at a preschool. She loves kids.
Her urologist got upset each time she got pregnant. When she found out she was pregnant with Kaiden, one doctor suggested she abort.
Faith was a shock. Tiffany was in the hospital for another surgery to remove a stone when they gave her a routine pregnancy test. She cried. Kaiden was supposed to be her last.
Byll held her hand and told her everything would be all right.
On Jan. 12, she went to her doctor at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center for a checkup. Another shock. Her amniotic fluid was way too low. Tiffany was 33 weeks along; 40 is normal for a full-term pregnancy.
She phoned Byll at work, crying.
They want to take the baby, she told him.
Tiffany checked into Saint Elizabeth. They gave her steroid shots to speed the development of Faith's lungs. Byll tried to keep her upbeat. He joked that with all the steroids, Faith would come out looking like the Incredible Hulk.
He held her hand.
The Dales got together after they'd both had bad marriages. Tiffany was a friend to Byll's first wife, but she and Byll really didn't like each other much. After their marriages fell apart, they found each other.
Byll has three kids he loves from that first marriage. He says he wants to be able to pay child support to them again.
Colt is Tiffany's son from her first marriage. He worships Byll, and Byll worships Colt. Since Tiffany's dad was gone, Byll asked Colt's permission to marry her.
Colt helped him plan the proposal.
It was just before Mother's Day 2007, and Tiffany wanted a digital camera because she'd had to hock hers. Byll handed her a box with the camera inside.
Read the directions first, he insisted.
She opened the manual and found a folded piece of paper, a photograph of a red heart Byll colored with one of her Sharpies. In the photo, on top of the heart, was a ring and these words: Will you be my wife?
Room 254
"Why do I love Tiffany?"
Byll sits at his laptop in their room at the People's City Mission. The room has two windows, two bunk beds and cubbyholes for their clothes. An ultrasound photo of Faith is taped to the door.
"She's like my base," Byll says. "Without that, you'd just fall over."
You don't feel like much of a man, he says, when your family has to live in a place like this. But Tiffany never makes him feel bad.
"Her father taught her to love with everything she has, and everything she is. And that's probably the one main thing that I love about Tiffany -- it's whole-hearted, all out.
"And she lets me do the same."
He plays the Nickelback song "Far Away" on his laptop. It's their wedding song, he explains. And as if on cue, near the end, Tiffany returns to the room.
Keep breathing, hold onto me
Never let me go ...
"Hey," she says softly. "I know that song."
January 14
This is to be Faith's birth day. VH-1 plays on the TV to distract Tiffany.
Byll brushes Tiffany's hair, pulls it into a high ponytail.
She's on the verge of tears, scared something will be wrong with Faith, feeling she's failed as a mom because she couldn't carry her longer.
Byll says things to make her smile, and she does. She jokes that after she's through in the delivery room, maybe he should get in line for a vasectomy.
A hospital chaplain meets them at the doorway. They pray, heads bowed, then Byll walks her down the hall to the delivery room. The doors close.
Soon, a baby girl cries and another prayer is answered. Faith is healthy. Her scores on the newborn Apgar test show she's as healthy as a full-term baby even though she weighs just 3 pounds, 3 ounces.
This is a good day, but there have been some bad ones.
Like the day Colt got punched in the eye on the bus. And the day Tiffany got a call from Byll's dad, telling her Kaiden had just used a string of bad words.
The day the boys woke up with tiny red bites. Bed bugs.
The day she and Byll got "written up" for having a bottle of Gatorade in their room at the mission.
There have been good days, too.
Like the day Tiffany ran out of gas on O Street and coasted into a Git 'N Split and a woman overheard her say she had no money and paid for the gas.
Like the day some people from a church paid for a hotel for them for a few nights when they were sleeping in their car.
The day at the mission when she was overcome with fear and talked with a kind pastor there.
The day some women at the mission threw her a baby shower.
And this day, Faith's birth day.
But still, they have no home.
With Byll's job, they could pay rent and utilities. But they don't have money yet for a deposit.
A few days before Faith is to be discharged, the baby's doctor gives the Dales a letter -- "To Whom It May Concern" -- implying she does not want Faith to go to the mission for health reasons.
Tiffany and Byll show the letter to a case worker at the Lincoln Action Program. But so many people are like them now, the case worker says.
Chris, the LPS homeless outreach worker, tries his hardest to pull strings -- pull heartstrings, too. This is a deserving family, he tells people.
A new place
Just days before Faith was to leave the hospital, the Dales packed their things and checked into Value Place, a hotel near the interstate that lets people pay by the week.
They got a room for $219 a week. It's clean. It's homey, like a studio apartment. It has a kitchenette, a full-size fridge and stove, a table, a bathroom, two beds.
The first night, Tiffany ate a piece of beef in her bed. Just because she could, she told Byll.
You, my friend, are one of my favorite life forms.
That's what Buzz Lightyear told Kaiden when he pressed the buttons.
To infinity, and beyond!
February 9
This has been one of the best days in this journey so far away from a normal life.
Tiffany fed Faith one last time at the hospital about 3 p.m., then dressed her in a pink outfit with brown polka dots and little brown booties shaped like bears.
She put her in her car seat, drove the Aveo to pick Colt up from school and then drove to Value Place.
For supper, she microwaved meatloaf and mac and cheese, and before they ate it the table, they thanked God.
For Faith. For their family, now complete. For having a place to call home again.
Even if it's just week to week.
Source: By COLLEEN KENNEY / Lincoln Journal Star
In November, Tiffany and Byll Dale would park their 2006 Chevy Aveo on the top level of the parking garage of a Lincoln hospital, in a spot with good Internet reception.
Byll, a 35-year-old out-of-work computer technician, would place his Dell laptop on the dashboard and they'd catch up on movies and TV. "Entourage," "Fringe," "CSI." They'd put snacks in the middle just like at the movies.
It's a camping adventure!
That's what Colt, who's 8, said. Kaiden, 2, had no clue he and his family and his best friend Buzz Lightyear had no home. (They made sure to bring Buzz with them from Florida.)
This is an intergalactic emergency!
That's what Buzz told Kaiden when he pressed the buttons.
My ship has crash-landed here by mistake!
Tiffany, 28, felt scared at times in the car. It was light years from the life she knew in Florida, where she grew up with grandparents who owned businesses and ate dinner every night with them at the table. So far away from fishing on the lake where they lived and shopping with her friends at the mall and kicking her legs high as a high school cheerleader.
So far away from the house where she and Byll lived, the house where she watched Colt do his homework at the table, where she walked with Kaiden around the block and he pointed out every bird.
But at least in the car she and her family still felt like a family.
She'd never been homeless. How do you ... be ... homeless?
When it was time to sleep, they'd park the Aveo on the lowest level of the hospital garage. They liked having the security cameras nearby. It was cozy, even though Tiffany was pregnant and had just had surgery to put tubes in her back to drain her sick kidneys.
They lived mostly in their car for three weeks, and Tiffany was in and out of the nearby hospital -- BryanLGH Medical Center East.
In and out of pain.
To the mission
It's early January, and it's cold. Tiffany and Byll and the boys have a room at the People's City Mission. They've been here well over a month.
The people are nice, but Tiffany is at the end of her rope.
Kaiden is whiney. He didn't get a nap. And Colt got off the school bus crying because a girl punched him in the eye.
"I cry 95 percent of the time," Tiffany tells Chris Webster, a homeless outreach specialist for Lincoln Public Schools who's trying to help them get housing and gas cards and get Kaiden into Head Start.
"There's one lady here who's constantly cussing. Kaiden mimics everything she says, and he's picked up some really foul words. I almost feel like I'm being a bad mom, to have kids in the shelter. I can't fix it. There's nothing I can do."
Tears fall. They stain the T-shirt that covers her pregnant belly. She tells Chris she's been praying every night for a house or apartment of their own, before the baby comes.
But everything she's heard about housing tells her they'll probably have to wait nine months to a year.
They already call the baby by her name. Faith. The doctor wants to take Faith by C-section in mid-February.
"I just want to get a place," she begs Chris. "Please."
"Well, we're working on it here, Tiffany."
She wipes her eyes. She smiles at Chris. She says she forgot to tell him the good news, the one prayer that's been answered so far.
Life without a home
When they lived in their car, they had a routine. In the morning, they drove to the HyVee on O Street and washed in the bathrooms and ate breakfast in the café. They sat at the table for hours while Byll called computer companies about jobs.
The boys watched movies on the laptop or colored or read.
Sometimes, for an adventure, they walked to Barnes & Noble. They'd each find a book and sit together. Byll always bee-lined for the computer books. Colt liked books on drawing. Tiffany liked the gossip magazines. Or she'd read Kaiden books about Buzz Lightyear.
Byll applied for at least 30 jobs. The computer companies had openings, but nothing they were filling for a month or two. So he filled out forms at McDonald's, Burger King, HyVee. He almost fell asleep late one night at Walmart's computer kiosk, where the store's application took about an hour to complete.
Maybe, Tiffany thought, she and the boys should have stayed in Florida and waited for Byll to find a job. But the boys needed their dad.
Byll started his own company in Florida. Storm PC was going along fine, but then the economy soured.
Tiffany sometimes felt Byll was too soft-hearted to own his own company. If an older person thought her computer needed to be fixed and Byll saw that she just hadn't plugged it in, he wouldn't ask for any money. Tiffany used to get on him about that.
After the business folded, Byll couldn't find work. They got behind on their utility bills and couldn't dig out.
Tiffany's grandparents had owned a restaurant and a gas station. They'd worked together side by side. Her grandpa -- her "dad" -- died of a brain tumor when she was 16. Her grandma -- her "mom" -- died of cancer, too, a week after Kaiden was born.
When they were gone, so was the safety net.
Tiffany thinks her mom would have been upset with her for moving. Tiffany is the planner, but she let Byll take the reins on this one.
They chose Lincoln for their fresh start so he could live near his dad. The plan was for them to go in on a place with him.
They stayed with him the first few days, but he was in a tough financial spot too, and things didn't work out.
Byll reminds Tiffany of her dad. Byll is strong, upbeat. Never gives up. She remembers what her dad always told her: It's OK to make a mistake, as long as you learn from it.
One day in December, she and the kids waited for hours in the car outside Schrock Innovations, a company on Pine Lake Road. Byll was being interviewed, demonstrating how he can find viruses and take apart computers and put them back together.
A few days later, the day before Christmas Eve, one prayer was answered.
The phone rang.
Tiffany handed the cell to her husband and watched him step away from the car, so far away she couldn't hear. She tried to look unconcerned, in case it was bad news.
He got back in the car. She saw him smile.
I start tomorrow, he told her.
So far away
Tiffany has cystinuria, an inherited disorder that makes her body form and pass a lot of kidney stones. She's on disability and cannot work.
Back in Florida, she volunteered at a preschool. She loves kids.
Her urologist got upset each time she got pregnant. When she found out she was pregnant with Kaiden, one doctor suggested she abort.
Faith was a shock. Tiffany was in the hospital for another surgery to remove a stone when they gave her a routine pregnancy test. She cried. Kaiden was supposed to be her last.
Byll held her hand and told her everything would be all right.
On Jan. 12, she went to her doctor at St. Elizabeth Regional Medical Center for a checkup. Another shock. Her amniotic fluid was way too low. Tiffany was 33 weeks along; 40 is normal for a full-term pregnancy.
She phoned Byll at work, crying.
They want to take the baby, she told him.
Tiffany checked into Saint Elizabeth. They gave her steroid shots to speed the development of Faith's lungs. Byll tried to keep her upbeat. He joked that with all the steroids, Faith would come out looking like the Incredible Hulk.
He held her hand.
The Dales got together after they'd both had bad marriages. Tiffany was a friend to Byll's first wife, but she and Byll really didn't like each other much. After their marriages fell apart, they found each other.
Byll has three kids he loves from that first marriage. He says he wants to be able to pay child support to them again.
Colt is Tiffany's son from her first marriage. He worships Byll, and Byll worships Colt. Since Tiffany's dad was gone, Byll asked Colt's permission to marry her.
Colt helped him plan the proposal.
It was just before Mother's Day 2007, and Tiffany wanted a digital camera because she'd had to hock hers. Byll handed her a box with the camera inside.
Read the directions first, he insisted.
She opened the manual and found a folded piece of paper, a photograph of a red heart Byll colored with one of her Sharpies. In the photo, on top of the heart, was a ring and these words: Will you be my wife?
Room 254
"Why do I love Tiffany?"
Byll sits at his laptop in their room at the People's City Mission. The room has two windows, two bunk beds and cubbyholes for their clothes. An ultrasound photo of Faith is taped to the door.
"She's like my base," Byll says. "Without that, you'd just fall over."
You don't feel like much of a man, he says, when your family has to live in a place like this. But Tiffany never makes him feel bad.
"Her father taught her to love with everything she has, and everything she is. And that's probably the one main thing that I love about Tiffany -- it's whole-hearted, all out.
"And she lets me do the same."
He plays the Nickelback song "Far Away" on his laptop. It's their wedding song, he explains. And as if on cue, near the end, Tiffany returns to the room.
Keep breathing, hold onto me
Never let me go ...
"Hey," she says softly. "I know that song."
January 14
This is to be Faith's birth day. VH-1 plays on the TV to distract Tiffany.
Byll brushes Tiffany's hair, pulls it into a high ponytail.
She's on the verge of tears, scared something will be wrong with Faith, feeling she's failed as a mom because she couldn't carry her longer.
Byll says things to make her smile, and she does. She jokes that after she's through in the delivery room, maybe he should get in line for a vasectomy.
A hospital chaplain meets them at the doorway. They pray, heads bowed, then Byll walks her down the hall to the delivery room. The doors close.
Soon, a baby girl cries and another prayer is answered. Faith is healthy. Her scores on the newborn Apgar test show she's as healthy as a full-term baby even though she weighs just 3 pounds, 3 ounces.
This is a good day, but there have been some bad ones.
Like the day Colt got punched in the eye on the bus. And the day Tiffany got a call from Byll's dad, telling her Kaiden had just used a string of bad words.
The day the boys woke up with tiny red bites. Bed bugs.
The day she and Byll got "written up" for having a bottle of Gatorade in their room at the mission.
There have been good days, too.
Like the day Tiffany ran out of gas on O Street and coasted into a Git 'N Split and a woman overheard her say she had no money and paid for the gas.
Like the day some people from a church paid for a hotel for them for a few nights when they were sleeping in their car.
The day at the mission when she was overcome with fear and talked with a kind pastor there.
The day some women at the mission threw her a baby shower.
And this day, Faith's birth day.
But still, they have no home.
With Byll's job, they could pay rent and utilities. But they don't have money yet for a deposit.
A few days before Faith is to be discharged, the baby's doctor gives the Dales a letter -- "To Whom It May Concern" -- implying she does not want Faith to go to the mission for health reasons.
Tiffany and Byll show the letter to a case worker at the Lincoln Action Program. But so many people are like them now, the case worker says.
Chris, the LPS homeless outreach worker, tries his hardest to pull strings -- pull heartstrings, too. This is a deserving family, he tells people.
A new place
Just days before Faith was to leave the hospital, the Dales packed their things and checked into Value Place, a hotel near the interstate that lets people pay by the week.
They got a room for $219 a week. It's clean. It's homey, like a studio apartment. It has a kitchenette, a full-size fridge and stove, a table, a bathroom, two beds.
The first night, Tiffany ate a piece of beef in her bed. Just because she could, she told Byll.
You, my friend, are one of my favorite life forms.
That's what Buzz Lightyear told Kaiden when he pressed the buttons.
To infinity, and beyond!
February 9
This has been one of the best days in this journey so far away from a normal life.
Tiffany fed Faith one last time at the hospital about 3 p.m., then dressed her in a pink outfit with brown polka dots and little brown booties shaped like bears.
She put her in her car seat, drove the Aveo to pick Colt up from school and then drove to Value Place.
For supper, she microwaved meatloaf and mac and cheese, and before they ate it the table, they thanked God.
For Faith. For their family, now complete. For having a place to call home again.
Even if it's just week to week.
Source: By COLLEEN KENNEY / Lincoln Journal Star
Bed bugs go undetected? No state money for hotel inspections.
Bed bugs go undetected? No state money for hotel inspections.
Becky Andrews checked into the Super 8 hotel in Bonner Springs last fall as she prepared to watch her son act in a play at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
For Andrews, a retired high school chemistry teacher from Colorado, the night turned into an ordeal.
"I had this sensation of things crawling on me, but I never saw anything," she said. "It took a long time for me to realize what was going on."
After several "itchy-twitchy" hours, she said, she captured a live bug in a plastic cup and took it to the front desk the next morning to complain.
She said that when the hotel didn't appear to take her seriously, she filed a complaint with the state.
A Kansas Department of Agriculture inspector visited the hotel on Nov. 3 and confirmed that Room 406 was infested with bed bugs.
The hotel was ordered to fix the problem, and a follow-up inspection was scheduled for Dec. 3. But the follow-up never occurred.
The state announced that day it was suspending its lodging inspection program because of budget cuts.
In Kansas today, no government agency is working to ensure that hotel rooms are free of bed bugs, showers are free of mildew, evacuation routes are conspicuously posted, and drinking glasses are properly prepackaged.
"This is the painful reality of our current economic climate," Josh Svaty, acting agriculture secretary, said in a news release issued that day.
"Whether the department will be able to resume inspections will depend on future funding levels."
In what has turned out to be a tight budget year, it seems unlikely that the state will find the $240,000 it needs to fund the lodging inspection program for another year.
Andrews said she finds that unsettling.
"If you just go to a regular, normal hotel and inspect a room, I don't know what you're going to find," she said. "But I sure think that any time you have a complaint, there should be an inspection. And then a follow-up to make sure management is taking care of the problem."
Hotel law
In Kansas, hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfasts are governed by the Lodging Establishment Regulations, a 54-page document that regulates the water temperature in hot tubs, the liners used in ice buckets, and the markings that delineate the deep and shallow ends of hotel swimming pools, among other things.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture licenses more than 800 lodging facilities, and until last year each of those was required to submit to an annual inspection focusing on safety and sanitation issues.
Under the system, each violation was noted in an inspection report, and follow-up inspections were scheduled when problems couldn't be corrected immediately. About 11 percent of last year's inspections required follow-up visits.
In addition to the routine inspections, the Department of Agriculture last year investigated 132 lodging complaints, 35 of which involved bed bugs. Inspectors said 11 of the bed bug complaints — including the one submitted by Andrews — were valid.
State inspectors have the authority to shut down an establishment that poses an "imminent health hazard" involving fire, flood, sewage backup, rodent infestation, bed bug infestation or "any other condition that could endanger the health and safety of guests, employees and the general public."
Last year, imminent health hazard violations were issued 24 times. Six of the violations involved bed bugs.
Constantine Cotsoradis, deputy agriculture secretary, said that discontinue-operations orders, particularly in bed bug cases, usually apply only to areas of a hotel affected by the problem.
"We want to protect the public but do as little economic harm as possible to the business," he said.
State law gives regulators the authority to impose civil penalties on establishments that experience repeated violations. Last year such a penalty was imposed only once — a $1,350 penalty assessed to the Knights Inn and Suites in Leavenworth.
During its final 12 months of operation — December 2008 through November 2009 — the state's lodging inspection program sent inspectors to nearly 800 businesses, and most inspections uncovered at least some violations.
The businesses collectively were cited for 3,251 violations including soiled linens, moldy showers, and unsafe levels of chlorine in swimming pools.
The most common violations — those dealing with smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers — accounted for nearly 20 percent of the total.
Hotels' perspective
Don Sayler, president of the Kansas Restaurant & Hospitality Association, said hotel and motel managers usually have no control over bed bug infestations.
While cleanliness and attention to detail will keep a hotel in line with most state regulations, Sayler said, bed bug infestations typically occur randomly when the bugs are brought into a room in the luggage of a guest.
"It's not a huge issue, but obviously it's a problem anytime you have them because they are hard to get rid of," he said.
The manager of the Super 8 hotel referred questions about the bugs to a spokeswoman who did not return a message left on her cell phone.
The hotel had a perfect score when it was inspected in August, four months before Andrews' visit.
Sayler said his organization would like to see lodging inspections resumed, though on a scaled-back basis. Until a few years ago, he said, the state stepped in only after receiving a complaint from a guest. It wasn't until about four years ago, he said, that the state began conducting annual inspections of all hotels and motels.
Sayler said chain hotels have their own inspectors, who make annual or semi-annual inspections that are more rigorous than those conducted by the state.
"There is some type of oversight going on over and above what state had been doing," he said.
But he said he thinks there needs to be some state involvement.
"We don't want to be a totally unregulated industry," he said. "We think that people need to have somebody to call if there's a problem.
"We think there needs to be a venue where they can go to say, 'I've got a complaint.' "
Andrews noted that an in-house inspection that uncovered bed bugs probably wouldn't be detailed in a public inspection report.
Sayler and Cotsoradis both said they support a bill that has been introduced in the Kansas Legislature that would at least reinstate inspections after complaints are received.
"It's going to take funding, so that's really the key point at this time," Cotsoradis said.
Andrews' experience
Andrews said that after her encounter with bed bugs at the Super 8 hotel, she became a student of the species. She said half of humans show no reaction when exposed to bed bugs, which explains why her husband felt no ill effects during his stay at the hotel.
Andrews, on the other hand, said she felt the full wrath of the bugs.
"I'm like a canary in a coal mine for bed bugs," she said. "I just broke out in welts all over my throat and chest and arms."
Source: BY HURST LAVIANA
The Wichita Eagle
Becky Andrews checked into the Super 8 hotel in Bonner Springs last fall as she prepared to watch her son act in a play at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
For Andrews, a retired high school chemistry teacher from Colorado, the night turned into an ordeal.
"I had this sensation of things crawling on me, but I never saw anything," she said. "It took a long time for me to realize what was going on."
After several "itchy-twitchy" hours, she said, she captured a live bug in a plastic cup and took it to the front desk the next morning to complain.
She said that when the hotel didn't appear to take her seriously, she filed a complaint with the state.
A Kansas Department of Agriculture inspector visited the hotel on Nov. 3 and confirmed that Room 406 was infested with bed bugs.
The hotel was ordered to fix the problem, and a follow-up inspection was scheduled for Dec. 3. But the follow-up never occurred.
The state announced that day it was suspending its lodging inspection program because of budget cuts.
In Kansas today, no government agency is working to ensure that hotel rooms are free of bed bugs, showers are free of mildew, evacuation routes are conspicuously posted, and drinking glasses are properly prepackaged.
"This is the painful reality of our current economic climate," Josh Svaty, acting agriculture secretary, said in a news release issued that day.
"Whether the department will be able to resume inspections will depend on future funding levels."
In what has turned out to be a tight budget year, it seems unlikely that the state will find the $240,000 it needs to fund the lodging inspection program for another year.
Andrews said she finds that unsettling.
"If you just go to a regular, normal hotel and inspect a room, I don't know what you're going to find," she said. "But I sure think that any time you have a complaint, there should be an inspection. And then a follow-up to make sure management is taking care of the problem."
Hotel law
In Kansas, hotels, motels and bed-and-breakfasts are governed by the Lodging Establishment Regulations, a 54-page document that regulates the water temperature in hot tubs, the liners used in ice buckets, and the markings that delineate the deep and shallow ends of hotel swimming pools, among other things.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture licenses more than 800 lodging facilities, and until last year each of those was required to submit to an annual inspection focusing on safety and sanitation issues.
Under the system, each violation was noted in an inspection report, and follow-up inspections were scheduled when problems couldn't be corrected immediately. About 11 percent of last year's inspections required follow-up visits.
In addition to the routine inspections, the Department of Agriculture last year investigated 132 lodging complaints, 35 of which involved bed bugs. Inspectors said 11 of the bed bug complaints — including the one submitted by Andrews — were valid.
State inspectors have the authority to shut down an establishment that poses an "imminent health hazard" involving fire, flood, sewage backup, rodent infestation, bed bug infestation or "any other condition that could endanger the health and safety of guests, employees and the general public."
Last year, imminent health hazard violations were issued 24 times. Six of the violations involved bed bugs.
Constantine Cotsoradis, deputy agriculture secretary, said that discontinue-operations orders, particularly in bed bug cases, usually apply only to areas of a hotel affected by the problem.
"We want to protect the public but do as little economic harm as possible to the business," he said.
State law gives regulators the authority to impose civil penalties on establishments that experience repeated violations. Last year such a penalty was imposed only once — a $1,350 penalty assessed to the Knights Inn and Suites in Leavenworth.
During its final 12 months of operation — December 2008 through November 2009 — the state's lodging inspection program sent inspectors to nearly 800 businesses, and most inspections uncovered at least some violations.
The businesses collectively were cited for 3,251 violations including soiled linens, moldy showers, and unsafe levels of chlorine in swimming pools.
The most common violations — those dealing with smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers — accounted for nearly 20 percent of the total.
Hotels' perspective
Don Sayler, president of the Kansas Restaurant & Hospitality Association, said hotel and motel managers usually have no control over bed bug infestations.
While cleanliness and attention to detail will keep a hotel in line with most state regulations, Sayler said, bed bug infestations typically occur randomly when the bugs are brought into a room in the luggage of a guest.
"It's not a huge issue, but obviously it's a problem anytime you have them because they are hard to get rid of," he said.
The manager of the Super 8 hotel referred questions about the bugs to a spokeswoman who did not return a message left on her cell phone.
The hotel had a perfect score when it was inspected in August, four months before Andrews' visit.
Sayler said his organization would like to see lodging inspections resumed, though on a scaled-back basis. Until a few years ago, he said, the state stepped in only after receiving a complaint from a guest. It wasn't until about four years ago, he said, that the state began conducting annual inspections of all hotels and motels.
Sayler said chain hotels have their own inspectors, who make annual or semi-annual inspections that are more rigorous than those conducted by the state.
"There is some type of oversight going on over and above what state had been doing," he said.
But he said he thinks there needs to be some state involvement.
"We don't want to be a totally unregulated industry," he said. "We think that people need to have somebody to call if there's a problem.
"We think there needs to be a venue where they can go to say, 'I've got a complaint.' "
Andrews noted that an in-house inspection that uncovered bed bugs probably wouldn't be detailed in a public inspection report.
Sayler and Cotsoradis both said they support a bill that has been introduced in the Kansas Legislature that would at least reinstate inspections after complaints are received.
"It's going to take funding, so that's really the key point at this time," Cotsoradis said.
Andrews' experience
Andrews said that after her encounter with bed bugs at the Super 8 hotel, she became a student of the species. She said half of humans show no reaction when exposed to bed bugs, which explains why her husband felt no ill effects during his stay at the hotel.
Andrews, on the other hand, said she felt the full wrath of the bugs.
"I'm like a canary in a coal mine for bed bugs," she said. "I just broke out in welts all over my throat and chest and arms."
Source: BY HURST LAVIANA
The Wichita Eagle
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Don't let the bed bugs bite
Diamond Marquesa and Buffy can sniff out the bed bugs.
Cathy Palmer breeds and raises Beagles in Cedaredge and more recently has gone into the bed bug detection business as well. After nine months of training, two of her retired show dogs are certified and ready to hunt down the tiny insects — in hotels, apartment complexes, hospitals, or private homes. The business is called Scentsational Hounds.
It's not just beds that can become infected. The Denver Public Library was forced to quarantine the library and destroy some rare books after a patron returned the books infested with bed bugs last fall.
Palmer began training two of her retired Beagles last year after she saw news coverage of the need for bed bug detectors.
“Bed bugs have made a huge resurgence in the U.S. in the past 10 yeas,” Palmer said. She attributes the occurrence to more international travel and a resistance to pesticides.
The bugs “spread mainly through hotels — the bugs come out at night, get into luggage and hijack home,” Palmer said.
In a standard hotel room it'll take a dog two to five minutes to detect the bugs, whereas a human may need an hour to find them, Palmer said.
Palmer's dogs were certified in Florida through the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association. Palmer trains the dogs six days a week, a practice that will continue for their entire lives, she said.
Bed bugs suck human blood and can cause redness and itching, although they spread no known disease, Palmer said. Some people are affected psychologically however with an inability to sleep.
“If hotels get on a quarterly schedule for a sweep, it can catch bugs before it becomes a huge infestation,” Palmer said. They tend to hide in crevasses of mattresses, wall outlets and in luggage, she said.
Scentsational Hounds is a detection company only. A pest control company must be called to eradicate the insects.
Dogs can pinpoint exactly the location of the bugs allowing an exterminator to spray a specific spot.
“It saves on a lot of unnecessary chemical use,” Palmer said.
Several years ago when she was starting her dog and cat boarding business, Happy Tails Pet Lodge, Palmer came to Grand Junction to attend Leading Edge, a comprehensive business course offered at the Business Incubator Center, 2591 B 3/4 Road.
“If it hadn't been for that class I never would have got it up and running,” Palmer said.
The Incubator is a nonprofit organization that offers low-cost business classes and free consulting to new and expanding businesses.
The 12-week intensive Leading Edge program covers topics such as cash flow management, marketing, finance, personnel and legal issues, as well as hands-on assistance in preparing a business plan.
When Palmer set out to expand her business to include Scentsational Hounds, she re-took the Leading Edge course, and received help in writing another business plan.
“It's really helpful. It's got a lot of good resources,” Palmer said. “There are a lot of great speakers,” including bankers, local business people and attorneys.
Palmer and her bug-detecting dogs will travel all over the Western Slope, as well as to Denver and Las Vegas.
Source:BY SHARON SULLIVAN
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Cathy Palmer breeds and raises Beagles in Cedaredge and more recently has gone into the bed bug detection business as well. After nine months of training, two of her retired show dogs are certified and ready to hunt down the tiny insects — in hotels, apartment complexes, hospitals, or private homes. The business is called Scentsational Hounds.
It's not just beds that can become infected. The Denver Public Library was forced to quarantine the library and destroy some rare books after a patron returned the books infested with bed bugs last fall.
Palmer began training two of her retired Beagles last year after she saw news coverage of the need for bed bug detectors.
“Bed bugs have made a huge resurgence in the U.S. in the past 10 yeas,” Palmer said. She attributes the occurrence to more international travel and a resistance to pesticides.
The bugs “spread mainly through hotels — the bugs come out at night, get into luggage and hijack home,” Palmer said.
In a standard hotel room it'll take a dog two to five minutes to detect the bugs, whereas a human may need an hour to find them, Palmer said.
Palmer's dogs were certified in Florida through the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association. Palmer trains the dogs six days a week, a practice that will continue for their entire lives, she said.
Bed bugs suck human blood and can cause redness and itching, although they spread no known disease, Palmer said. Some people are affected psychologically however with an inability to sleep.
“If hotels get on a quarterly schedule for a sweep, it can catch bugs before it becomes a huge infestation,” Palmer said. They tend to hide in crevasses of mattresses, wall outlets and in luggage, she said.
Scentsational Hounds is a detection company only. A pest control company must be called to eradicate the insects.
Dogs can pinpoint exactly the location of the bugs allowing an exterminator to spray a specific spot.
“It saves on a lot of unnecessary chemical use,” Palmer said.
Several years ago when she was starting her dog and cat boarding business, Happy Tails Pet Lodge, Palmer came to Grand Junction to attend Leading Edge, a comprehensive business course offered at the Business Incubator Center, 2591 B 3/4 Road.
“If it hadn't been for that class I never would have got it up and running,” Palmer said.
The Incubator is a nonprofit organization that offers low-cost business classes and free consulting to new and expanding businesses.
The 12-week intensive Leading Edge program covers topics such as cash flow management, marketing, finance, personnel and legal issues, as well as hands-on assistance in preparing a business plan.
When Palmer set out to expand her business to include Scentsational Hounds, she re-took the Leading Edge course, and received help in writing another business plan.
“It's really helpful. It's got a lot of good resources,” Palmer said. “There are a lot of great speakers,” including bankers, local business people and attorneys.
Palmer and her bug-detecting dogs will travel all over the Western Slope, as well as to Denver and Las Vegas.
Source:BY SHARON SULLIVAN
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Monday, February 1, 2010
Job Corps Center blasting bed bugs with freezing-cold air
FLINT -- The Flint/Genesee Job Corps Center is using the freezing-cold as an ally against invading bedbugs, and the center director says the strategy seems to be working.
“We are so grateful that it’s gotten cold,” said center Director Jean Hill. “We are letting cold air into the buildings when students are away.”
Notoriously hard to wipe out, bedbugs often spread quickly throughout a building and can be hard to find as they hide in nooks and crannies, including bedding, mattresses and box springs.
But the bugs can be killed by freezing cold weather, and Hill said officials at the center have also had exterminators fumigate buildings and clothing on campus and given students advise on caring for their clothing to make sure the insects aren’t carried back onto campus.
Officials have said the bed bugs appear to have been brought onto campus in the first place by a student returning the center after winter break earlier this month.
Hill said there have been no recent bedbug spottings and credited the Job Corps Center’s varied and persistent treatment, including the blasts of cold air.
“We’re using every treatment that we’ve (heard of),” she said.
Bed bugs were one eradicated in most developed countries with the use of DDT after World War II, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site, which says the return of the parasites to this country may have occurred because of increased international travel.
The bugs are reddish brown, oval and flat — about the size of an apple seed.
There are about 280 students who live on campus at the Job Corps Center, a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep jobs
The center is located on North Saginaw Street in Flint
Source:By Ron Fonger | Flint Journal
“We are so grateful that it’s gotten cold,” said center Director Jean Hill. “We are letting cold air into the buildings when students are away.”
Notoriously hard to wipe out, bedbugs often spread quickly throughout a building and can be hard to find as they hide in nooks and crannies, including bedding, mattresses and box springs.
But the bugs can be killed by freezing cold weather, and Hill said officials at the center have also had exterminators fumigate buildings and clothing on campus and given students advise on caring for their clothing to make sure the insects aren’t carried back onto campus.
Officials have said the bed bugs appear to have been brought onto campus in the first place by a student returning the center after winter break earlier this month.
Hill said there have been no recent bedbug spottings and credited the Job Corps Center’s varied and persistent treatment, including the blasts of cold air.
“We’re using every treatment that we’ve (heard of),” she said.
Bed bugs were one eradicated in most developed countries with the use of DDT after World War II, according to the Mayo Clinic Web site, which says the return of the parasites to this country may have occurred because of increased international travel.
The bugs are reddish brown, oval and flat — about the size of an apple seed.
There are about 280 students who live on campus at the Job Corps Center, a free education and training program that helps young people learn a career, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep jobs
The center is located on North Saginaw Street in Flint
Source:By Ron Fonger | Flint Journal
THIS JUST IN: Ohio County
Jan. 5
Michele Zane vs. CSA Fraternal Life and Gary A. Castricone
PA- Barry Hill; William G. Petroplus; J- Recht
* Mr. Zane was issued a policy in March 2007 by Slovene for $10,000; subsequently, Castricone wrote a policy with CSA in November 2007 for $25,000. CSA denied Mrs. Zane's application for benefits and she asks for a judgment on her breach of contract.
Case number: 10-C-5
Jan. 6
State of West Virginia, ex- rel., West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau for Child Support Enforcement vs. Shawn M. Murphy, Sr. and Laurie Ann Murphy and Estate of Shawn M. Murphy, Jr. By Security National Trust Company
PA- Pamela S. Paith; J- Mazzone
* BCSE moves this Court for an Injunction prohibiting the Estate from disbursing any funds which would otherwise be subject to inheritance by Shawn Murphy, Sr., asserting his support arrears of $35,742.96, are owed for periods through September 30, 2008.
Case number: 10-C-6
William D. Robertson, D.D.S., M.S., vs. vs. Douglas Neil Robertson, D.D.S., M.S. in their capacity as members of Drs. Robertson & Robertson, PLLC
PA- Melvin F. O'Brien; J- Mazzone
* Plaintiff owned 100 percent of the firm when it was originally founded but sold 50 percent to his son, in 2007, on an installment five-year term basis. Fundamental disagreements concerning the management and operation of the firm have arisen that frustrate the economic purpose rendering it impracticable for the firm to carry on its business. A judicial decree dissolving the firm is deemed appropriate.
Case number: 10-C-7
Jeannie Geiser, as Administratrix of the Estate of Jacob Geiser, Deceased, and Jeannie Geiser, individually vs. Simplicity, Inc. a/k/a Simplicity for Children, SFCA, Inc.
PA- Ronald W. Zavolta; J- Gaughan
* Jacob Geiser died by strangulation on Jan. 15, 2008, when the negligently designed crib separated from the headboard causing Geiser's head and neck to be wedged between the rail and headboard. The direct and proximate result of sustained injuries resulted in the infant's death. Defendants failed to adequately warn purchasers of the risks and dangers associated with the intended use of the crib.
Case number: 10-C-13
Katherine Karras vs. Colten Wise and Gary Wise
PA- Ronald W. Zavolta; J- Mazzone
* Karras was rear-ended on National Road by defendant Colten Wise. The negligence committed on Jan. 8, 2008, is claimed for lasting injuries and judgment is demanded jointly and severally.
Case number: 10-C-8
Desire Clendenning and Ed Clendenning vs. Super 8 Worldwide Inc., Super 8 Motel dba Rohan Investment LLC dba Nirvi LLC and Akshay S. Sham
PA- Teresa C. Toriseva; J- Mazzone
* Plaintiff was on a business trip in Aberdeen, Md.; while staying as a guest at Super 8 she encountered bed bugs in her room. She suffered a severe reaction to the bites over her body and seeks judgment for equitable relief.
Case number: 10-C-9
Source: By Denise Simpson -Ohio Bureau
Michele Zane vs. CSA Fraternal Life and Gary A. Castricone
PA- Barry Hill; William G. Petroplus; J- Recht
* Mr. Zane was issued a policy in March 2007 by Slovene for $10,000; subsequently, Castricone wrote a policy with CSA in November 2007 for $25,000. CSA denied Mrs. Zane's application for benefits and she asks for a judgment on her breach of contract.
Case number: 10-C-5
Jan. 6
State of West Virginia, ex- rel., West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau for Child Support Enforcement vs. Shawn M. Murphy, Sr. and Laurie Ann Murphy and Estate of Shawn M. Murphy, Jr. By Security National Trust Company
PA- Pamela S. Paith; J- Mazzone
* BCSE moves this Court for an Injunction prohibiting the Estate from disbursing any funds which would otherwise be subject to inheritance by Shawn Murphy, Sr., asserting his support arrears of $35,742.96, are owed for periods through September 30, 2008.
Case number: 10-C-6
William D. Robertson, D.D.S., M.S., vs. vs. Douglas Neil Robertson, D.D.S., M.S. in their capacity as members of Drs. Robertson & Robertson, PLLC
PA- Melvin F. O'Brien; J- Mazzone
* Plaintiff owned 100 percent of the firm when it was originally founded but sold 50 percent to his son, in 2007, on an installment five-year term basis. Fundamental disagreements concerning the management and operation of the firm have arisen that frustrate the economic purpose rendering it impracticable for the firm to carry on its business. A judicial decree dissolving the firm is deemed appropriate.
Case number: 10-C-7
Jeannie Geiser, as Administratrix of the Estate of Jacob Geiser, Deceased, and Jeannie Geiser, individually vs. Simplicity, Inc. a/k/a Simplicity for Children, SFCA, Inc.
PA- Ronald W. Zavolta; J- Gaughan
* Jacob Geiser died by strangulation on Jan. 15, 2008, when the negligently designed crib separated from the headboard causing Geiser's head and neck to be wedged between the rail and headboard. The direct and proximate result of sustained injuries resulted in the infant's death. Defendants failed to adequately warn purchasers of the risks and dangers associated with the intended use of the crib.
Case number: 10-C-13
Katherine Karras vs. Colten Wise and Gary Wise
PA- Ronald W. Zavolta; J- Mazzone
* Karras was rear-ended on National Road by defendant Colten Wise. The negligence committed on Jan. 8, 2008, is claimed for lasting injuries and judgment is demanded jointly and severally.
Case number: 10-C-8
Desire Clendenning and Ed Clendenning vs. Super 8 Worldwide Inc., Super 8 Motel dba Rohan Investment LLC dba Nirvi LLC and Akshay S. Sham
PA- Teresa C. Toriseva; J- Mazzone
* Plaintiff was on a business trip in Aberdeen, Md.; while staying as a guest at Super 8 she encountered bed bugs in her room. She suffered a severe reaction to the bites over her body and seeks judgment for equitable relief.
Case number: 10-C-9
Source: By Denise Simpson -Ohio Bureau
Fastest bed in the West
OATMAN - Sunny skies provided a background for the 20th annual Great Oatman Bed Races Saturday afternoon.
The Bed Bugs from Kingman made the loop - and the bed - the fastest at just under 35 seconds. But the Daily News was unable to catch up with them following the race. One of the team members left right away to celebrate his engagement, which had just happened before the team took its turn.
Fred Eck, emcee for the races, said this was the first engagement in the history of the event.
Reigning champions the Womack Revivers from the Mohave Valley Medical Care offices tried to sustain the momentum they've had for the past two years.
“I think we had two very lucky days in a row,” said team captain Brian Womack of his teams' first-place finishes in two years.
“Some of the people from Valley View Medical Center have been talking trash, so as long as we beat them, I'll be happy,” Womack joked.
And beat VVMC they did. Womack's Revivers came in at 48 seconds and VVMC's Bed Pans ended the course at 50.99 seconds.
Each team is made up of five people, four to steer the bed and one person to ride on it. Teams are required to stop in the middle of the course and make a bed, complete with sheets and four pillows needing cases. Ideally, teams put their lightest person on the bed.
The Superheroes from Colorado River Medical Center in Needles came in second place. Team captain Catwoman - a.k.a. Mary Gonzales, director of medical records - said the team wanted to do the superhero theme last year but did not have time to pull it off. Team members donned outfits such as the Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Spiderman and Bruce Wayne.
“I figured if we didn't win at least we would get the award for best costume, but I guess they aren't giving it out this year,” Gonzales said.
As usual, teams from the Oatman Fire Department and the Red Hatters participated in the race by having fun with the audience and race officials. Neither team participated for the title. The Red Hatters used the pillow cases to collect spare change to go toward the new bathrooms in Oatman.
Source: HEATHER SMATHERS/The Daily News
The Bed Bugs from Kingman made the loop - and the bed - the fastest at just under 35 seconds. But the Daily News was unable to catch up with them following the race. One of the team members left right away to celebrate his engagement, which had just happened before the team took its turn.
Fred Eck, emcee for the races, said this was the first engagement in the history of the event.
Reigning champions the Womack Revivers from the Mohave Valley Medical Care offices tried to sustain the momentum they've had for the past two years.
“I think we had two very lucky days in a row,” said team captain Brian Womack of his teams' first-place finishes in two years.
“Some of the people from Valley View Medical Center have been talking trash, so as long as we beat them, I'll be happy,” Womack joked.
And beat VVMC they did. Womack's Revivers came in at 48 seconds and VVMC's Bed Pans ended the course at 50.99 seconds.
Each team is made up of five people, four to steer the bed and one person to ride on it. Teams are required to stop in the middle of the course and make a bed, complete with sheets and four pillows needing cases. Ideally, teams put their lightest person on the bed.
The Superheroes from Colorado River Medical Center in Needles came in second place. Team captain Catwoman - a.k.a. Mary Gonzales, director of medical records - said the team wanted to do the superhero theme last year but did not have time to pull it off. Team members donned outfits such as the Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Spiderman and Bruce Wayne.
“I figured if we didn't win at least we would get the award for best costume, but I guess they aren't giving it out this year,” Gonzales said.
As usual, teams from the Oatman Fire Department and the Red Hatters participated in the race by having fun with the audience and race officials. Neither team participated for the title. The Red Hatters used the pillow cases to collect spare change to go toward the new bathrooms in Oatman.
Source: HEATHER SMATHERS/The Daily News
Bed Bugs Infest Part of Idaho Senior Center
Officials with the Blackfoot Senior Citizens Center say bed bugs are infesting some apartments at the center-run Sunset Manor.
The apartments cater to low-income seniors and those with disabilities. Larry Wadsworth, who serves on the board of directors for the senior center, says the affected units have been treated monthly by an exterminator, to no avail.
The Idaho State Journal reports that officials are now considering temporarily moving all the tenants to a hotel so the entire apartment complex can be treated. That could cost as much as $60,000.
Bed bugs are small, flat bugs that feed on blood and make bites similar to those caused by mosquitoes.
Source: BLACKFOOT, Idaho (AP)
The apartments cater to low-income seniors and those with disabilities. Larry Wadsworth, who serves on the board of directors for the senior center, says the affected units have been treated monthly by an exterminator, to no avail.
The Idaho State Journal reports that officials are now considering temporarily moving all the tenants to a hotel so the entire apartment complex can be treated. That could cost as much as $60,000.
Bed bugs are small, flat bugs that feed on blood and make bites similar to those caused by mosquitoes.
Source: BLACKFOOT, Idaho (AP)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Pesky bed bugs are making a resurgence
Certain cities across the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe and Africa have seen an explosion in bed bugs in recent years. Increased worldwide travel and the rising popularity of second-hand goods may be factors. Some suggest that bringing back DDT and other harsh insecticides, long banned, is going to be the only way to halt an epidemic.
Bed bugs, tiny little rust-colored insects of the Cimicidae family, live by feeding on the blood of humans and other warmblooded hosts. They get their name from their favorite habitat: mattresses (they like sofas and other cushy furniture, too).
Bed bugs are most active at night, just when you're asleep in your bed and easy prey. While their bites can be itchy, bed bugs are more of a nuisance than a health threat at this point.
For reasons still unknown to public health experts, certain cities across the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe and Africa have seen an explosion in bed bugs in recent years.
According to Larry Pinto, author of The Techletter, a leading information source for the pest control industry, increased worldwide travel and the rising popularity of secondhand goods may be factors in the resurgence of bed bugs, but the most likely reason is our rejection of DDT and other harsh insecticides composed of chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Pinto suggests that the kinder, gentler pesticides available now, as well as more conservative pest control methods (such as using bait traps for specific infestations instead of all-around, periodic preventative spraying) are less effective at keeping bed bugs - and likely other pests - away.
"Modern insecticides are proving to be somewhat ineffective against bed bugs," he reports, adding that insects can also develop some level of resistance to insecticides in general.
Due to the bed bug problem in many cities, charities like Goodwill often won't accept old mattresses or couches any longer. Consumers should beware of purchasing reconditioned or used mattresses and furniture. Even new mattresses can arrive at your home already infested, especially if they travel in trucks that contain old mattresses that customers are discarding. If you can drive your new mattress home from the store yourself you are more likely to avoid a bed bug infestation.
The upside of our abandonment of pesticides like DDT, of course, is the resurgence of bald eagles and other wildlife negatively affected by the accumulation of such toxins in the environment during the latter half of the 20th century. DDT was causing the shells of bird eggs to be thin and weak, resulting in fewer hatchlings.
By the mid-1960s, the U.S. played host to only 400 breeding pairs of bald eagles - less than one percent of the bird's estimated population in the region prior to Colonial settlement. DDT was finally banned in 1972, and today nearly 10,000 breeding pairs of bald eagles thrive in the continental U.S.
Some home-use treatments made with natural non-toxic ingredients are now available. XeroBugs' Best Yet, a top choice of hotel/motel managers, makes use of cedar oil and natural enzymes to kill bed bugs. Another leading product is Rest Easy Bed Bug Spray, which uses cinnamon and other natural ingredients. Although these products are deemed effective, some argue that they don't work nearly well enough to eradicate what some are calling a bed bug epidemic. Some are even calling for bringing back DDT (for use in small doses and for specific applications only) to help eradicate the growing bed bug problem.
Click for more information:
Source: EarthTalk TM From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine |
Bed bugs, tiny little rust-colored insects of the Cimicidae family, live by feeding on the blood of humans and other warmblooded hosts. They get their name from their favorite habitat: mattresses (they like sofas and other cushy furniture, too).
Bed bugs are most active at night, just when you're asleep in your bed and easy prey. While their bites can be itchy, bed bugs are more of a nuisance than a health threat at this point.
For reasons still unknown to public health experts, certain cities across the U.S., Canada, Australia, Europe and Africa have seen an explosion in bed bugs in recent years.
According to Larry Pinto, author of The Techletter, a leading information source for the pest control industry, increased worldwide travel and the rising popularity of secondhand goods may be factors in the resurgence of bed bugs, but the most likely reason is our rejection of DDT and other harsh insecticides composed of chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Pinto suggests that the kinder, gentler pesticides available now, as well as more conservative pest control methods (such as using bait traps for specific infestations instead of all-around, periodic preventative spraying) are less effective at keeping bed bugs - and likely other pests - away.
"Modern insecticides are proving to be somewhat ineffective against bed bugs," he reports, adding that insects can also develop some level of resistance to insecticides in general.
Due to the bed bug problem in many cities, charities like Goodwill often won't accept old mattresses or couches any longer. Consumers should beware of purchasing reconditioned or used mattresses and furniture. Even new mattresses can arrive at your home already infested, especially if they travel in trucks that contain old mattresses that customers are discarding. If you can drive your new mattress home from the store yourself you are more likely to avoid a bed bug infestation.
The upside of our abandonment of pesticides like DDT, of course, is the resurgence of bald eagles and other wildlife negatively affected by the accumulation of such toxins in the environment during the latter half of the 20th century. DDT was causing the shells of bird eggs to be thin and weak, resulting in fewer hatchlings.
By the mid-1960s, the U.S. played host to only 400 breeding pairs of bald eagles - less than one percent of the bird's estimated population in the region prior to Colonial settlement. DDT was finally banned in 1972, and today nearly 10,000 breeding pairs of bald eagles thrive in the continental U.S.
Some home-use treatments made with natural non-toxic ingredients are now available. XeroBugs' Best Yet, a top choice of hotel/motel managers, makes use of cedar oil and natural enzymes to kill bed bugs. Another leading product is Rest Easy Bed Bug Spray, which uses cinnamon and other natural ingredients. Although these products are deemed effective, some argue that they don't work nearly well enough to eradicate what some are calling a bed bug epidemic. Some are even calling for bringing back DDT (for use in small doses and for specific applications only) to help eradicate the growing bed bug problem.
Click for more information:
Source: EarthTalk TM From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine |
Friday, January 8, 2010
Seven Terrible Parasites From Tapeworms to Bedbugs
What's Eating You? Seven Terrible Parasites, From Tapeworms to Bedbugs
Some Common Blood Sucking Bugs Can Cause Infections Abroad, Or At Home
The holidays are over, and for those of us sighing at the cold, dreary, vacationless months ahead it is important to remember some blessings.
For instance, that winter means fewer bugs.
That's precisely why Tara Dairman, 30, was confused by a painful itching on her scalp this December after returning from months abroad in Central and South America.
"I thought the bite was really weird when we got home because we were in Indiana and it was cold," said Dairman.
Dairman quickly found she had been infested with not one, but two painful parasites in her scalp. Her run-in with a blood-sucking bug happened in the jungle of Belize, but there are plenty of parasites one can catch in the United States.
Below is a list of some of the more common parasites to avoid at home and around the world, along with some expert advice on how to rid yourself of the worms.
1) The Human Bot Fly
"We're pretty sure that they came from the jungle in Belize," Dairman said of the two bot fly larva that embedded themselves in her scalp.
Dairman and her husband, Andrew Cahill, 30, already had plenty of bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) bites from the trip. But little did the couple know the bot fly lays its eggs in a more insidious way.
"They actually capture a mosquito or a tick and they lay their eggs on their stomachs," said Dairman. The bot fly then releases the mosquito or tick and hopes it will find a good host -- like Dairman -- to bite.
The warmth of the blood the mosquito sucks from the body prompt the bot-fly eggs to hatch. The larvae then embed themselves in the skin either through the new insect bite or a hair follicle, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
As if that's not bad enough, the larvae start to grow spikes on its body to keep hosts like Tara from pulling them out as they feed on her flesh.
"They have these little barbs in them so either when they move or when they're feeding it feels like this hot needle stabbing into you," said Dairman.
Days after the first symptoms, Dairman discovered she had a second itchy, painful spot on her head that caused a lot of pain.
But Cahill couldn't see what Dairman was talking about. With some Internet searches the couple matched Dairman's symptoms to the notorious bot fly. They also read the best way to find the larvae is to try and deprive them of oxygen.
Put on some form of grease, in this case Vaseline, and the larvae will burrow upwards and fight for air.
The couple would have visited a dermatologist, but wanted to see if they could do it without paying hundreds of dollars for a visit.
"Since we quit our jobs to go traveling we don't have health insurance to cover us in the United States, we only have insurance for emergencies," said Dairman.
If you're fast enough you can grab them with tweezers and (painfully) pull them out. Cahill however, found it was better to suffocate them first.
"We covered them with New-Skin for the night to cut off their air supply," Cahill wrote on their blog, "Andy and Tara's World." "New-Skin is basically fingernail polish that is meant to go on small cuts and scrapes for protection. This morning when we got up, we peeled the New-Skin off one of them and the dead worm was visible."
Dairman said she'd go back to Belize, even after her experience with the bot fly.
"Belize is terrific. So I'd certainly recommend it to anyone," said Dairman. "I think this is really rare."
2) Fish Tapeworms
For a spare few aficionados of raw fish, the delicacy they love can lead to a very unwelcome visitor -- the kind that takes up residence in your intestines.
Anthony Franz was one such case. In the summer of 2006, he went to a Chicago area hospital carrying a 9-foot tapeworm that had come from his digestive tract.
Franz, who was not available for comment, filed a lawsuit against an Illinois seafood restaurant for $100,000 last spring.
Basically we discovered that this particular tapeworm was caused from uncooked seafood, particularly salmon," said Franz's attorney, Gregory Leiter. "That's what he brought into the hospital."
Franz is one of the small but growing number of tapeworm victims in cities across the world who are discovering (or rediscovering) that some of the most popular fish can host parasites.
Fortunately, the number of people who have a story similar to Franz's is still relatively low; a recent study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases pegged the number at just 1 per 100,000 people in Kyoto, Japan in 2008.
But as sashimi and other raw fish dishes grow in popularity, experts say such cases could become more common.
"Usually, with this particular warm it produces discomfort, some pain, and it can produce anemia," Dr. Felipe C. Cabello, professor of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, told ABCNews.com.
The worm rarely poses an imminent danger to health, Cabello said. But he added that its presence can leave its host drained.
"The parasite sucks the vitamin B12, and the person with the parasite does not have enough," said Cabello. "This is a worm that can reach 25 feet and it might take months, a year to grow."
"Usually, with this particular warm it produces discomfort, some pain, and it can produce anemia," Dr. Felipe C. Cabello, professor of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, told ABCNews.com.
The worm rarely poses an imminent danger to health, Cabello said. But he added that its presence can leave its host drained.
"The parasite sucks the vitamin B12, and the person with the parasite does not have enough," said Cabello. "This is a worm that can reach 25 feet and it might take months, a year to grow."
"Usually, with this particular warm it produces discomfort, some pain, and it can produce anemia," Dr. Felipe C. Cabello, professor of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, told ABCNews.com.
The worm rarely poses an imminent danger to health, Cabello said. But he added that its presence can leave its host drained.
"The parasite sucks the vitamin B12, and the person with the parasite does not have enough," said Cabello. "This is a worm that can reach 25 feet and it might take months, a year to grow."
3) Taenia Solium
For Rosemary Alvarez, it was a diagnosis that brought both relief and revulsion.
The relief came when Alvarez, a 37-year-old Phoenix resident, learned from her surgeon that her neurological symptoms had not been caused by a brain tumor, as her doctors had initially suspected.
But the revulsion soon followed -- when the surgeon said her balance problems, her difficulty swallowing and the numbness in her left arm had been caused by a worm he had just pulled out of her brain.
"She was deteriorating rather quickly, so she needed it out," Dr. Peter Nakaji, a neurosurgeon at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, told ABC News.
But when Nakaji cut into Alvarez's brain to extract what he thought was a tumor, he instead found a parasite living in her brain -- a tapeworm called Taenia solium, to be precise.
"I was actually quite pleased," said Nakaji. "As neurosurgeons, we see a lot of bad things and have to deliver a lot of bad news."
Unfortunately, it is difficult to avoid the worm, which usually only infects pigs. Nakaji said Alvarez's hygiene habits were probably not to blame. It was more likely that someone, somewhere, had served her food tainted with the feces of a person infected with the pork tapeworm parasite.
Parasitologists say that while brushes with the pork tapeworms remain relatively rare, they endure in certain areas of the country.
"We've got a lot more of cases of this in the United States now," said Raymond Kuhn, professor of biology and an expert on parasites at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. "Upwards of 20 percent of neurology offices in California have seen it."
And the eggs of the worm are nothing if not resilient.
"These eggs can live for three months in formaldehyde," said Kuhn. "You got to think, sometimes, a person is slapping lettuce on your sandwich with a few extra add-ons there."
4) Lice and Bedbugs
"Don't let the bedbugs bite."
What once might have been a facetious nighttime saying became pretty good advice for New York City commuters in 2008, as an official with the city's Department of Housing, Preservation and Development told an audience that the city's subway trains and stations may have been infested with the insects.
The New York City Transit Authority immediately defended itself. But Edward Brownbear, lead education instructor for the housing department and the city's top bedbug authority, reportedly said that he himself had seen the bugs on the wooden benches of Manhattan's Union Square station and The Bronx's Fordham Road station -- as well as on the clothing of a passenger on a train.
At least one Manhattan pest control professional agreed at the time that bedbug infestation had been a growing problem in the city's subway system.
"I've been talking about it for five years," said Jeffrey Eisenberg, president of Pest Away Exterminating, adding that he had personally reported bedbug sightings to subway administrators seven to eight years before.
Efforts to track the critters have revealed that, after a long decline, bedbugs have rebounded in the United States in recent years. This is partly because of increased international travel. The tiny, nocturnal insects are able to live in both fibers and wood. They are also known for their bites, which cause itchy bumps on the skin.
But the bite can lead to more than an itch. According to reports from the U.S. Public Health Service, bedbugs are known to carry dozens of infectious diseases, from smallpox to the flu.
And where people are, the bugs are sure to follow, said Cindy Mannes, spokeswoman for the National Pest Management Association.
"If you think about large groups of people, in many cases this is how bedbugs are transported," Mannes said at the time. "I know they've been found in movie theaters and other strange places."
5) Guinea Worm
The horrific nature of a Guinea worm infection is perhaps best captured in its Latin name -- Dracunculus medinensis. Roughly translated, the term means "little dragon of the Mediterranean."
Despite its small size, the Guinea worm can cause excruciating pain. The pest infects a human host through contaminated drinking water. The larvae of the worm mature in one's stomach and reproduce in the intestines. The mature female worms migrate to the surface of the skin. There, the worms embed themselves, growing up to three feet in length.
Primarily found in the Middle East and many African countries, the Guinea worm enjoys a colorful history shared by few other parasites. It has been found during the dissection of Egyptian mummies and is well documented in ancient texts. There are even possible references to it in the Old Testament.
Some even believe that the Guinea worm was the inspiration for the design of the caduceus -- the serpent-entwined staff that is now the symbol of the medical profession. The theory springs from the fact that in the ancient world, the proper removal of the worm involved grabbing the exposed tail and gradually winding the body of the worm around a stick -- as pulling too hard would cause the worm to break, resulting in infection and inflammation. Thus, some believe, the symbol of the parasite twisted around a stick became synonymous with the healing arts.
Fortunately, public health efforts appear to have largely turned the tide against Guinea worm infections. According to statistics compiled by The Carter Center http://www.cartercenter.org/health/guinea-worm/index.html -- the disease-fighting nonprofit organization founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter -- eradication efforts have reduced the number of cases reported in 20 African nations from 3.5 million in 1986 to just a few thousand last year. And some hope that the disease will be completely eradicated within the next few years.
6) Malaria
Arguably the deadliest parasite ever known to man, a microscopic organism known as Plasmodium is responsible for the disease known as malaria. The disease is spread by mosquitoes, and each year between 350 million and 500 million people worldwide fall ill from it, according to statistics from the CDC. Of those stricken, more than a million die.
Those infected with malaria generally have fever, headache, and vomiting, starting 10 to 15 days after contracting the disease from a mosquito bite. The deadliest form of the parasite, called Plasmodium falciparum, can rapidly threaten the lives of its victims by disrupting blood supply to vital organs.
The deadly nature malaria has put it in the crosshairs of global health organizations and charitable institutions alike.
"Malaria still kills more than 1 million people every year," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon during a speech on World Malaria Day in April 2008. "The toll it is taking is unacceptable -- all the more so because malaria is preventable and treatable."
And the solutions for this devastating disease are simple ones. Bednets, insecticides and inexpensive antimalarial drugs all go a long way in the areas where it still threatens humans, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
7) Chagas Disease
For many, infection with Chagas disease takes place in the dead of night.
When the lights go out in many of the adobe and mud homes inhabited by the rural poor in Central and South America, the triatomine beetle -- also known as the "kissing bug" -- creeps out from the crevices in walls and ceilings, seeking out warm, sleeping bodies.
The bug got its seemingly-romantic nickname because it is attracted to its victims' faces. At night one's face is generally uncovered and gives off body heat. The insect sucks one's blood through a long proboscis. As it feeds, it defecates -- and spreads the disease.
Within the fecal matter of the bug lives an organism known as Trypanosoma cruzi. And if this parasite enters the bloodstream -- perhaps when a sleeping victim wakes up and inadvertently rubs it into the new, itchy wound left by the beetle -- it can lead to Chagas disease, an infection that is both lifelong and life-threatening.
While early symptoms of the illness include nonspecific symptoms such as fever, fatigue, body aches and headache, the chronic phase of the disease can be deadly. At its worst, the disease can lead to heart failure and sudden death.
While most of the 8 to 11 million victims of Chagas live in Mexico and Central America, it is also seen in poor Hispanic households in southern states and along the Mexican border. Exactly how many in the country are infected is a matter of contention; estimates range from a few thousand to up to a million.
Chagas is just one of an array of diseases that disproportionately affect the poor -- and it was one of the diseases highlighted in a recent report titled "Neglected Infections of Poverty in the United States of America."
"The fact that these neglected infections of poverty represent some of the greatest health disparities in the United States, but they remain at the bottom of the public health agenda, is a national disgrace," said Dr. Peter Hotez, author of the analysis and executive director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases in a press release.
Source By: Reports from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Some Common Blood Sucking Bugs Can Cause Infections Abroad, Or At Home
The holidays are over, and for those of us sighing at the cold, dreary, vacationless months ahead it is important to remember some blessings.
For instance, that winter means fewer bugs.
That's precisely why Tara Dairman, 30, was confused by a painful itching on her scalp this December after returning from months abroad in Central and South America.
"I thought the bite was really weird when we got home because we were in Indiana and it was cold," said Dairman.
Dairman quickly found she had been infested with not one, but two painful parasites in her scalp. Her run-in with a blood-sucking bug happened in the jungle of Belize, but there are plenty of parasites one can catch in the United States.
Below is a list of some of the more common parasites to avoid at home and around the world, along with some expert advice on how to rid yourself of the worms.
1) The Human Bot Fly
"We're pretty sure that they came from the jungle in Belize," Dairman said of the two bot fly larva that embedded themselves in her scalp.
Dairman and her husband, Andrew Cahill, 30, already had plenty of bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) bites from the trip. But little did the couple know the bot fly lays its eggs in a more insidious way.
"They actually capture a mosquito or a tick and they lay their eggs on their stomachs," said Dairman. The bot fly then releases the mosquito or tick and hopes it will find a good host -- like Dairman -- to bite.
The warmth of the blood the mosquito sucks from the body prompt the bot-fly eggs to hatch. The larvae then embed themselves in the skin either through the new insect bite or a hair follicle, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
As if that's not bad enough, the larvae start to grow spikes on its body to keep hosts like Tara from pulling them out as they feed on her flesh.
"They have these little barbs in them so either when they move or when they're feeding it feels like this hot needle stabbing into you," said Dairman.
Days after the first symptoms, Dairman discovered she had a second itchy, painful spot on her head that caused a lot of pain.
But Cahill couldn't see what Dairman was talking about. With some Internet searches the couple matched Dairman's symptoms to the notorious bot fly. They also read the best way to find the larvae is to try and deprive them of oxygen.
Put on some form of grease, in this case Vaseline, and the larvae will burrow upwards and fight for air.
The couple would have visited a dermatologist, but wanted to see if they could do it without paying hundreds of dollars for a visit.
"Since we quit our jobs to go traveling we don't have health insurance to cover us in the United States, we only have insurance for emergencies," said Dairman.
If you're fast enough you can grab them with tweezers and (painfully) pull them out. Cahill however, found it was better to suffocate them first.
"We covered them with New-Skin for the night to cut off their air supply," Cahill wrote on their blog, "Andy and Tara's World." "New-Skin is basically fingernail polish that is meant to go on small cuts and scrapes for protection. This morning when we got up, we peeled the New-Skin off one of them and the dead worm was visible."
Dairman said she'd go back to Belize, even after her experience with the bot fly.
"Belize is terrific. So I'd certainly recommend it to anyone," said Dairman. "I think this is really rare."
2) Fish Tapeworms
For a spare few aficionados of raw fish, the delicacy they love can lead to a very unwelcome visitor -- the kind that takes up residence in your intestines.
Anthony Franz was one such case. In the summer of 2006, he went to a Chicago area hospital carrying a 9-foot tapeworm that had come from his digestive tract.
Franz, who was not available for comment, filed a lawsuit against an Illinois seafood restaurant for $100,000 last spring.
Basically we discovered that this particular tapeworm was caused from uncooked seafood, particularly salmon," said Franz's attorney, Gregory Leiter. "That's what he brought into the hospital."
Franz is one of the small but growing number of tapeworm victims in cities across the world who are discovering (or rediscovering) that some of the most popular fish can host parasites.
Fortunately, the number of people who have a story similar to Franz's is still relatively low; a recent study in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases pegged the number at just 1 per 100,000 people in Kyoto, Japan in 2008.
But as sashimi and other raw fish dishes grow in popularity, experts say such cases could become more common.
"Usually, with this particular warm it produces discomfort, some pain, and it can produce anemia," Dr. Felipe C. Cabello, professor of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, told ABCNews.com.
The worm rarely poses an imminent danger to health, Cabello said. But he added that its presence can leave its host drained.
"The parasite sucks the vitamin B12, and the person with the parasite does not have enough," said Cabello. "This is a worm that can reach 25 feet and it might take months, a year to grow."
"Usually, with this particular warm it produces discomfort, some pain, and it can produce anemia," Dr. Felipe C. Cabello, professor of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, told ABCNews.com.
The worm rarely poses an imminent danger to health, Cabello said. But he added that its presence can leave its host drained.
"The parasite sucks the vitamin B12, and the person with the parasite does not have enough," said Cabello. "This is a worm that can reach 25 feet and it might take months, a year to grow."
"Usually, with this particular warm it produces discomfort, some pain, and it can produce anemia," Dr. Felipe C. Cabello, professor of Microbiology and Immunology at New York Medical College in Valhalla, told ABCNews.com.
The worm rarely poses an imminent danger to health, Cabello said. But he added that its presence can leave its host drained.
"The parasite sucks the vitamin B12, and the person with the parasite does not have enough," said Cabello. "This is a worm that can reach 25 feet and it might take months, a year to grow."
3) Taenia Solium
For Rosemary Alvarez, it was a diagnosis that brought both relief and revulsion.
The relief came when Alvarez, a 37-year-old Phoenix resident, learned from her surgeon that her neurological symptoms had not been caused by a brain tumor, as her doctors had initially suspected.
But the revulsion soon followed -- when the surgeon said her balance problems, her difficulty swallowing and the numbness in her left arm had been caused by a worm he had just pulled out of her brain.
"She was deteriorating rather quickly, so she needed it out," Dr. Peter Nakaji, a neurosurgeon at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, told ABC News.
But when Nakaji cut into Alvarez's brain to extract what he thought was a tumor, he instead found a parasite living in her brain -- a tapeworm called Taenia solium, to be precise.
"I was actually quite pleased," said Nakaji. "As neurosurgeons, we see a lot of bad things and have to deliver a lot of bad news."
Unfortunately, it is difficult to avoid the worm, which usually only infects pigs. Nakaji said Alvarez's hygiene habits were probably not to blame. It was more likely that someone, somewhere, had served her food tainted with the feces of a person infected with the pork tapeworm parasite.
Parasitologists say that while brushes with the pork tapeworms remain relatively rare, they endure in certain areas of the country.
"We've got a lot more of cases of this in the United States now," said Raymond Kuhn, professor of biology and an expert on parasites at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. "Upwards of 20 percent of neurology offices in California have seen it."
And the eggs of the worm are nothing if not resilient.
"These eggs can live for three months in formaldehyde," said Kuhn. "You got to think, sometimes, a person is slapping lettuce on your sandwich with a few extra add-ons there."
4) Lice and Bedbugs
"Don't let the bedbugs bite."
What once might have been a facetious nighttime saying became pretty good advice for New York City commuters in 2008, as an official with the city's Department of Housing, Preservation and Development told an audience that the city's subway trains and stations may have been infested with the insects.
The New York City Transit Authority immediately defended itself. But Edward Brownbear, lead education instructor for the housing department and the city's top bedbug authority, reportedly said that he himself had seen the bugs on the wooden benches of Manhattan's Union Square station and The Bronx's Fordham Road station -- as well as on the clothing of a passenger on a train.
At least one Manhattan pest control professional agreed at the time that bedbug infestation had been a growing problem in the city's subway system.
"I've been talking about it for five years," said Jeffrey Eisenberg, president of Pest Away Exterminating, adding that he had personally reported bedbug sightings to subway administrators seven to eight years before.
Efforts to track the critters have revealed that, after a long decline, bedbugs have rebounded in the United States in recent years. This is partly because of increased international travel. The tiny, nocturnal insects are able to live in both fibers and wood. They are also known for their bites, which cause itchy bumps on the skin.
But the bite can lead to more than an itch. According to reports from the U.S. Public Health Service, bedbugs are known to carry dozens of infectious diseases, from smallpox to the flu.
And where people are, the bugs are sure to follow, said Cindy Mannes, spokeswoman for the National Pest Management Association.
"If you think about large groups of people, in many cases this is how bedbugs are transported," Mannes said at the time. "I know they've been found in movie theaters and other strange places."
5) Guinea Worm
The horrific nature of a Guinea worm infection is perhaps best captured in its Latin name -- Dracunculus medinensis. Roughly translated, the term means "little dragon of the Mediterranean."
Despite its small size, the Guinea worm can cause excruciating pain. The pest infects a human host through contaminated drinking water. The larvae of the worm mature in one's stomach and reproduce in the intestines. The mature female worms migrate to the surface of the skin. There, the worms embed themselves, growing up to three feet in length.
Primarily found in the Middle East and many African countries, the Guinea worm enjoys a colorful history shared by few other parasites. It has been found during the dissection of Egyptian mummies and is well documented in ancient texts. There are even possible references to it in the Old Testament.
Some even believe that the Guinea worm was the inspiration for the design of the caduceus -- the serpent-entwined staff that is now the symbol of the medical profession. The theory springs from the fact that in the ancient world, the proper removal of the worm involved grabbing the exposed tail and gradually winding the body of the worm around a stick -- as pulling too hard would cause the worm to break, resulting in infection and inflammation. Thus, some believe, the symbol of the parasite twisted around a stick became synonymous with the healing arts.
Fortunately, public health efforts appear to have largely turned the tide against Guinea worm infections. According to statistics compiled by The Carter Center http://www.cartercenter.org/health/guinea-worm/index.html -- the disease-fighting nonprofit organization founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter -- eradication efforts have reduced the number of cases reported in 20 African nations from 3.5 million in 1986 to just a few thousand last year. And some hope that the disease will be completely eradicated within the next few years.
6) Malaria
Arguably the deadliest parasite ever known to man, a microscopic organism known as Plasmodium is responsible for the disease known as malaria. The disease is spread by mosquitoes, and each year between 350 million and 500 million people worldwide fall ill from it, according to statistics from the CDC. Of those stricken, more than a million die.
Those infected with malaria generally have fever, headache, and vomiting, starting 10 to 15 days after contracting the disease from a mosquito bite. The deadliest form of the parasite, called Plasmodium falciparum, can rapidly threaten the lives of its victims by disrupting blood supply to vital organs.
The deadly nature malaria has put it in the crosshairs of global health organizations and charitable institutions alike.
"Malaria still kills more than 1 million people every year," said U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon during a speech on World Malaria Day in April 2008. "The toll it is taking is unacceptable -- all the more so because malaria is preventable and treatable."
And the solutions for this devastating disease are simple ones. Bednets, insecticides and inexpensive antimalarial drugs all go a long way in the areas where it still threatens humans, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.
7) Chagas Disease
For many, infection with Chagas disease takes place in the dead of night.
When the lights go out in many of the adobe and mud homes inhabited by the rural poor in Central and South America, the triatomine beetle -- also known as the "kissing bug" -- creeps out from the crevices in walls and ceilings, seeking out warm, sleeping bodies.
The bug got its seemingly-romantic nickname because it is attracted to its victims' faces. At night one's face is generally uncovered and gives off body heat. The insect sucks one's blood through a long proboscis. As it feeds, it defecates -- and spreads the disease.
Within the fecal matter of the bug lives an organism known as Trypanosoma cruzi. And if this parasite enters the bloodstream -- perhaps when a sleeping victim wakes up and inadvertently rubs it into the new, itchy wound left by the beetle -- it can lead to Chagas disease, an infection that is both lifelong and life-threatening.
While early symptoms of the illness include nonspecific symptoms such as fever, fatigue, body aches and headache, the chronic phase of the disease can be deadly. At its worst, the disease can lead to heart failure and sudden death.
While most of the 8 to 11 million victims of Chagas live in Mexico and Central America, it is also seen in poor Hispanic households in southern states and along the Mexican border. Exactly how many in the country are infected is a matter of contention; estimates range from a few thousand to up to a million.
Chagas is just one of an array of diseases that disproportionately affect the poor -- and it was one of the diseases highlighted in a recent report titled "Neglected Infections of Poverty in the United States of America."
"The fact that these neglected infections of poverty represent some of the greatest health disparities in the United States, but they remain at the bottom of the public health agenda, is a national disgrace," said Dr. Peter Hotez, author of the analysis and executive director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases in a press release.
Source By: Reports from the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bedbugs can find their way into all sorts of furnishings, not just bedding.
That’s when Derby residents William and Connie Steeves and their trained Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Gracie, will come to the rescue. The couple takes Gracie to discreetly visit hotels, assisted-living facilities, apartment buildings, college dormitories, shelters, residences and anywhere she is needed to search for infestations of the tiny pests.
The work is confidential, and they don’t use uniforms or marked cars. “People aren’t going to tell other people that they have bedbugs,” William Steeves said.
The Steeveses recently established Canine Bed Bug Locators LLC.
Dr. Gale E. Ridge, an entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, said there are about 10 teams of bedbug-sniffing dogs and handlers in Connecticut. “The handlers go for some intense training,” she said. “There’s an element of talent” among the dogs who sniff for bedbugs.
Ridge said there has been a huge increase in the bedbug population in Connecticut in recent years.
“It’s an underreported, serious public nuisance issue,” she said. “There’s a social stigma, and culturally we’re not prepared to deal with them.”
The growth in the numbers of bedbugs is due in part to increased international travel, use of less powerful pesticides than in the past, and a lack of awareness, Ridge said.
Bedbugs are nocturnal pests that feed on human blood, William Steeves said, and they find people in their beds at night. But they often live in desks or dressers or couches, and lay eggs in furniture.
An adult bedbug is no more than a quarter-inch in size. When they suck a person’s blood, bedbugs get enough nourishment for at least six months, William Steeves said.
Gracie graduated from the Florida Canine Academy in Tampa, Steeves said. Dogs have been trained for many years to detect bombs, drugs, mold and more, and bedbugs are now added to the list of things dogs can find with their keen sense of smell.
Gracie was there for 2 1/2 months earlier this year. The last five days, the Steeveses joined her for the training.
Gracie has joined a select group of canines with her new skills. William Steeves said there are less than 150 dogs nationwide that are trained to find bedbugs.
“We train her every day,” Steeves said. “When she hits on a bedbug she’ll sit,” he said, and he gives her a treat as a reward.
“She loves to go to work. When I say, ‘Let’s go to work,’ she gets excited,” Steeves said. “I give her a (15- to 20-minute) break every 45 minutes” when on a bedbug search.
“Hotels use exterminators, but a lot of these bedbugs learn to hide from the exterminator,” Steeves said. They can smell the chemicals, Steeves said, and burrow deeper into furniture. They can’t fly, but will use a building’s ventilation system to travel.
Connie Steeves said, “If you can locate it, you can treat it.” She said an infestation can happen in the cleanest of buildings. The couple said they could not divulge any of the locations where they have worked.
Businesses such as hotels can save money by having bedbug locations pinpointed by a trained dog. Only the infested areas need to be treated with pesticides, the couple said.
William Steeves demonstrated Gracie’s bedbug-finding capabilities inside his house this week.
He put Gracie on a leash and told her they were going to work. “Seek,” he said.
He walked her around a wooden board with six spokes coming from it. Each spoke had a plastic container at the end of it, and one of the containers held a glass salt shaker with bedbugs inside.
When Gracie reached the container, she sat down, pointed her nose at it and looked up at Steeves, to alert him of the pests. He rewarded her with a few treats and positive feedback.
Steeves said he purchased the bedbugs to use in training Gracie from an entomologist who breeds them.
“A dog’s sense of smell is a thousand times stronger than a human’s,” Steeves said. And a dog trained to locate bedbugs will be accurate 97 percent of the time, he said.
Steeves demonstrated in three other areas of his home where he had hidden glass salt shakers with bedbugs inside. Gracie had no problem finding them all.
Ridge said entomologists would like to see the public become more proactive when it comes to finding bedbugs, because the bedbug population has gotten “out of control.”
She said the Connecticut Coalition Against Bed Bugs was recently established to address the infestation.
Ridge urged people to visit http://www.ct.gov/caes, and click on “bedbugs.” She called it an informational and educational site with no agenda.
Ridge is available to talk to people about their concerns, and many residents bring samples of the pests to her for identification. People often “confuse carpet beetles with bedbugs,” Ridge said. “We’re very busy. It’s the top insect inquiry.”
In 2009, the agency held two forums about bedbugs for housing authority officials, pest control operators, lawyers and others, Ridge said, and plans are under way to hold a forum for the public in the spring.
Sorced By: Patricia Villers Register Staff
That’s when Derby residents William and Connie Steeves and their trained Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Gracie, will come to the rescue. The couple takes Gracie to discreetly visit hotels, assisted-living facilities, apartment buildings, college dormitories, shelters, residences and anywhere she is needed to search for infestations of the tiny pests.
The work is confidential, and they don’t use uniforms or marked cars. “People aren’t going to tell other people that they have bedbugs,” William Steeves said.
The Steeveses recently established Canine Bed Bug Locators LLC.
Dr. Gale E. Ridge, an entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, said there are about 10 teams of bedbug-sniffing dogs and handlers in Connecticut. “The handlers go for some intense training,” she said. “There’s an element of talent” among the dogs who sniff for bedbugs.
Ridge said there has been a huge increase in the bedbug population in Connecticut in recent years.
“It’s an underreported, serious public nuisance issue,” she said. “There’s a social stigma, and culturally we’re not prepared to deal with them.”
The growth in the numbers of bedbugs is due in part to increased international travel, use of less powerful pesticides than in the past, and a lack of awareness, Ridge said.
Bedbugs are nocturnal pests that feed on human blood, William Steeves said, and they find people in their beds at night. But they often live in desks or dressers or couches, and lay eggs in furniture.
An adult bedbug is no more than a quarter-inch in size. When they suck a person’s blood, bedbugs get enough nourishment for at least six months, William Steeves said.
Gracie graduated from the Florida Canine Academy in Tampa, Steeves said. Dogs have been trained for many years to detect bombs, drugs, mold and more, and bedbugs are now added to the list of things dogs can find with their keen sense of smell.
Gracie was there for 2 1/2 months earlier this year. The last five days, the Steeveses joined her for the training.
Gracie has joined a select group of canines with her new skills. William Steeves said there are less than 150 dogs nationwide that are trained to find bedbugs.
“We train her every day,” Steeves said. “When she hits on a bedbug she’ll sit,” he said, and he gives her a treat as a reward.
“She loves to go to work. When I say, ‘Let’s go to work,’ she gets excited,” Steeves said. “I give her a (15- to 20-minute) break every 45 minutes” when on a bedbug search.
“Hotels use exterminators, but a lot of these bedbugs learn to hide from the exterminator,” Steeves said. They can smell the chemicals, Steeves said, and burrow deeper into furniture. They can’t fly, but will use a building’s ventilation system to travel.
Connie Steeves said, “If you can locate it, you can treat it.” She said an infestation can happen in the cleanest of buildings. The couple said they could not divulge any of the locations where they have worked.
Businesses such as hotels can save money by having bedbug locations pinpointed by a trained dog. Only the infested areas need to be treated with pesticides, the couple said.
William Steeves demonstrated Gracie’s bedbug-finding capabilities inside his house this week.
He put Gracie on a leash and told her they were going to work. “Seek,” he said.
He walked her around a wooden board with six spokes coming from it. Each spoke had a plastic container at the end of it, and one of the containers held a glass salt shaker with bedbugs inside.
When Gracie reached the container, she sat down, pointed her nose at it and looked up at Steeves, to alert him of the pests. He rewarded her with a few treats and positive feedback.
Steeves said he purchased the bedbugs to use in training Gracie from an entomologist who breeds them.
“A dog’s sense of smell is a thousand times stronger than a human’s,” Steeves said. And a dog trained to locate bedbugs will be accurate 97 percent of the time, he said.
Steeves demonstrated in three other areas of his home where he had hidden glass salt shakers with bedbugs inside. Gracie had no problem finding them all.
Ridge said entomologists would like to see the public become more proactive when it comes to finding bedbugs, because the bedbug population has gotten “out of control.”
She said the Connecticut Coalition Against Bed Bugs was recently established to address the infestation.
Ridge urged people to visit http://www.ct.gov/caes, and click on “bedbugs.” She called it an informational and educational site with no agenda.
Ridge is available to talk to people about their concerns, and many residents bring samples of the pests to her for identification. People often “confuse carpet beetles with bedbugs,” Ridge said. “We’re very busy. It’s the top insect inquiry.”
In 2009, the agency held two forums about bedbugs for housing authority officials, pest control operators, lawyers and others, Ridge said, and plans are under way to hold a forum for the public in the spring.
Sorced By: Patricia Villers Register Staff
ST. GEORGE - While Dixie Care and Share is open to the homeless, bedbugs have also made themselves right at home.
Kara Coop, executive director of care and share, said she's paid thousands and thousands of dollars in treatments to exterminate the pests.
"They're just not something you can get rid of," she said. "It's a nationwide epidemic right now."
Coop said bedbugs are in motels and shelters. It's just a matter of one person coming from a place that has bedbugs to start the cycle all over again.
"We've been fighting them for a long time - we've had the whole place tented, that was a year ago," she said. "We've bought new mattresses four or five times - we do treatments continuously. The only cure is going to be a new facility."
Since they can't eliminate the bedbugs, they just keep treating the problem as it arises.
"We need a new Dixie Care and Share - once you have a new facility you can take different precautions to keep them out," Coop said.
She added a lot of clients get bit and a lot of clients don't. Jon Patteson from Denver, Colo., was one client who was bitten by the bedbugs.
Patteson said he lost his job and was working his way down to Reno, Nevada.
The week before Christmas Patteson stayed at the Care and Share as he was passing through.
"I was there two days and have been eaten alive by bedbugs," he said. "I'm afraid to go back. Talk about kicking a man when he's down."
Patteson said the attitude toward the bedbugs at the shelter is callous.
"They (shelter management) say there's nothing they can do about it, they say they spray and (they) come back," he said.
While at the shelter, Patteson said around the breakfast table people would joke about the bedbugs.
"They would joke 'how were the bugs for you last night,'" he said.
Chau Ly, new customer specialist at Orkin Inc., said typically people get bedbugs from traveling from different hotels, airplanes or homeless shelters.
He added they're not like ants or cockroaches that travel.
"They (bedbugs) stay where a food source is at so infestations can get really nasty," Ly said. "They're there mainly to feed off of human blood."
He added bedbugs can be found in mattresses, behind headboards and sometimes hide behind picture frames.
"Majority of cases come from hotels and apartments because it's a constant food source," Ly said.
He said people can also bring bedbugs in off their clothes.
Ly said the best way to treat a bedbug infestation is professional pest care.
"The hardest thing is getting rid of the eggs as well," he said.
A lot of times people don't know they've been bitten by a bedbug because the bites are similar to mosquito bites.
Ly described bed bugs as the size of a watermelon seed. They are flat and grayish color, after they feed they're red.
Sorce: BY TIFFANY DE MASTERS
Kara Coop, executive director of care and share, said she's paid thousands and thousands of dollars in treatments to exterminate the pests.
"They're just not something you can get rid of," she said. "It's a nationwide epidemic right now."
Coop said bedbugs are in motels and shelters. It's just a matter of one person coming from a place that has bedbugs to start the cycle all over again.
"We've been fighting them for a long time - we've had the whole place tented, that was a year ago," she said. "We've bought new mattresses four or five times - we do treatments continuously. The only cure is going to be a new facility."
Since they can't eliminate the bedbugs, they just keep treating the problem as it arises.
"We need a new Dixie Care and Share - once you have a new facility you can take different precautions to keep them out," Coop said.
She added a lot of clients get bit and a lot of clients don't. Jon Patteson from Denver, Colo., was one client who was bitten by the bedbugs.
Patteson said he lost his job and was working his way down to Reno, Nevada.
The week before Christmas Patteson stayed at the Care and Share as he was passing through.
"I was there two days and have been eaten alive by bedbugs," he said. "I'm afraid to go back. Talk about kicking a man when he's down."
Patteson said the attitude toward the bedbugs at the shelter is callous.
"They (shelter management) say there's nothing they can do about it, they say they spray and (they) come back," he said.
While at the shelter, Patteson said around the breakfast table people would joke about the bedbugs.
"They would joke 'how were the bugs for you last night,'" he said.
Chau Ly, new customer specialist at Orkin Inc., said typically people get bedbugs from traveling from different hotels, airplanes or homeless shelters.
He added they're not like ants or cockroaches that travel.
"They (bedbugs) stay where a food source is at so infestations can get really nasty," Ly said. "They're there mainly to feed off of human blood."
He added bedbugs can be found in mattresses, behind headboards and sometimes hide behind picture frames.
"Majority of cases come from hotels and apartments because it's a constant food source," Ly said.
He said people can also bring bedbugs in off their clothes.
Ly said the best way to treat a bedbug infestation is professional pest care.
"The hardest thing is getting rid of the eggs as well," he said.
A lot of times people don't know they've been bitten by a bedbug because the bites are similar to mosquito bites.
Ly described bed bugs as the size of a watermelon seed. They are flat and grayish color, after they feed they're red.
Sorce: BY TIFFANY DE MASTERS
Its not always bed bugs!The holidays are over, and for those of us sighing at the cold, dreary, vacationless months ahead it is important to remember some blessings.
For instance, that winter means fewer bugs.
That's precisely why Tara Dairman, 30, was confused by a painful itching on her scalp this December after returning from months abroad in Central and South America.
"I thought the bite was really weird when we got home because we were in Indiana and it was cold," said Dairman.
Dairman quickly found she had been infested with not one, but two painful parasites in her scalp. Her run-in with a blood-sucking bug happened in the jungle of Belize, but there are plenty of parasites one can catch in the United States.
Below is a list of some of the more common parasites to avoid at home and around the world, along with some expert advice on how to rid yourself of the worms.
1) The Human Bot Fly
"We're pretty sure that they came from the jungle in Belize," Dairman said of the two bot fly larva that embedded themselves in her scalp.
Dairman and her husband, Andrew Cahill, 30, already had plenty of bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) bites from the trip. But little did the couple know the bot fly lays its eggs in a more insidious way.
"They actually capture a mosquito or a tick and they lay their eggs on their stomachs," said Dairman. The bot fly then releases the mosquito or tick and hopes it will find a good host -- like Dairman -- to bite.
The warmth of the blood the mosquito sucks from the body prompt the bot-fly eggs to hatch. The larvae then embed themselves in the skin either through the new insect bite or a hair follicle, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
As if that's not bad enough, the larvae start to grow spikes on its body to keep hosts like Tara from pulling them out as they feed on her flesh.
"They have these little barbs in them so either when they move or when they're feeding it feels like this hot needle stabbing into you," said Dairman.
Days after the first symptoms, Dairman discovered she had a second itchy, painful spot on her head that caused a lot of pain.
But Cahill couldn't see what Dairman was talking about. With some Internet searches the couple matched Dairman's symptoms to the notorious bot fly. They also read the best way to find the larvae is to try and deprive them of oxygen.
Put on some form of grease, in this case Vaseline, and the larvae will burrow upwards and fight for air.
The couple would have visited a dermatologist, but wanted to see if they could do it without paying hundreds of dollars for a visit.
"Since we quit our jobs to go traveling we don't have health insurance to cover us in the United States, we only have insurance for emergencies," said Dairman.
If you're fast enough you can grab them with tweezers and (painfully) pull them out. Cahill however, found it was better to suffocate them first.
"We covered them with New-Skin for the night to cut off their air supply," Cahill wrote on their blog, "Andy and Tara's World." "New-Skin is basically fingernail polish that is meant to go on small cuts and scrapes for protection. This morning when we got up, we peeled the New-Skin off one of them and the dead worm was visible."
Dairman said she'd go back to Belize, even after her experience with the bot fly.
"Belize is terrific. So I'd certainly recommend it to anyone," said Dairman. "I think this is really rare."
Sorced By:By DAN CHILDS and LAUREN COX
For instance, that winter means fewer bugs.
That's precisely why Tara Dairman, 30, was confused by a painful itching on her scalp this December after returning from months abroad in Central and South America.
"I thought the bite was really weird when we got home because we were in Indiana and it was cold," said Dairman.
Dairman quickly found she had been infested with not one, but two painful parasites in her scalp. Her run-in with a blood-sucking bug happened in the jungle of Belize, but there are plenty of parasites one can catch in the United States.
Below is a list of some of the more common parasites to avoid at home and around the world, along with some expert advice on how to rid yourself of the worms.
1) The Human Bot Fly
"We're pretty sure that they came from the jungle in Belize," Dairman said of the two bot fly larva that embedded themselves in her scalp.
Dairman and her husband, Andrew Cahill, 30, already had plenty of bot fly (Dermatobia hominis) bites from the trip. But little did the couple know the bot fly lays its eggs in a more insidious way.
"They actually capture a mosquito or a tick and they lay their eggs on their stomachs," said Dairman. The bot fly then releases the mosquito or tick and hopes it will find a good host -- like Dairman -- to bite.
The warmth of the blood the mosquito sucks from the body prompt the bot-fly eggs to hatch. The larvae then embed themselves in the skin either through the new insect bite or a hair follicle, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
As if that's not bad enough, the larvae start to grow spikes on its body to keep hosts like Tara from pulling them out as they feed on her flesh.
"They have these little barbs in them so either when they move or when they're feeding it feels like this hot needle stabbing into you," said Dairman.
Days after the first symptoms, Dairman discovered she had a second itchy, painful spot on her head that caused a lot of pain.
But Cahill couldn't see what Dairman was talking about. With some Internet searches the couple matched Dairman's symptoms to the notorious bot fly. They also read the best way to find the larvae is to try and deprive them of oxygen.
Put on some form of grease, in this case Vaseline, and the larvae will burrow upwards and fight for air.
The couple would have visited a dermatologist, but wanted to see if they could do it without paying hundreds of dollars for a visit.
"Since we quit our jobs to go traveling we don't have health insurance to cover us in the United States, we only have insurance for emergencies," said Dairman.
If you're fast enough you can grab them with tweezers and (painfully) pull them out. Cahill however, found it was better to suffocate them first.
"We covered them with New-Skin for the night to cut off their air supply," Cahill wrote on their blog, "Andy and Tara's World." "New-Skin is basically fingernail polish that is meant to go on small cuts and scrapes for protection. This morning when we got up, we peeled the New-Skin off one of them and the dead worm was visible."
Dairman said she'd go back to Belize, even after her experience with the bot fly.
"Belize is terrific. So I'd certainly recommend it to anyone," said Dairman. "I think this is really rare."
Sorced By:By DAN CHILDS and LAUREN COX
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Bed Bugs at FOX NEWS
While grappling with MSNBC and CNN for viewers, Fox News has also been battling a smaller, more insidious enemy closer to home: bed bugs in its Midtown Manhattan newsroom. In an interview on Monday, Warren Vandeveer, senior vice president for operations and engineering at Fox News, said the cable channel had realized it had a problem a few weeks ago, when an employee “caught a bug and showed it to us.” An exterminator determined that the incursion was limited to a “very small area in the newsroom.” But the source of the bugs was not determined until the exterminator inspected the homes of about 20 employees. Mr. Vandeveer said the exterminator later described one employee’s home as having “the worst infestation he had seen in 25 years in the business.” After making large bags available for employees to stash their belongings, and replacing a number of fabric-covered desk chairs, Mr. Vandeveer said that the treatments had ended about a week ago, and that the problem had been contained. “It’s totally eradicated,” he said.
Source By: JACQUES STEINBERG
Source By: JACQUES STEINBERG
Friday, December 18, 2009
Lewiston Housing Authority: catch a bed bug and then we’ll help you
The Sun Journal reports that tenant Misti Oliviera had bed bugs, but the Lewiston, Maine Housing Authority would not help her until she showed them a bed bug body (dead or alive):
“I was told there is nothing they can do until I physically catch one,” she said. “I can’t catch one. I’ve been looking and trying to catch one because I want these gone; it even says online that these suckers are so hard to catch sometimes you need a professional just to even catch one.”
Bed bugs are indeed difficult to catch. You may be bitten for a while before ever seeing one.
It’s true that an infestation needs to be confirmed before treatment occurs. But are tenants the best ones to search for a sample?
It wasn’t until a building maintenance worker, who was in her apartment about a week and a half ago for a different reason, saw evidence of the bugs, that the Lewiston Housing Authority scheduled an extermination appointment for her apartment.
(This is similar to the NYC Department of Education policy discussed here and here, which requires teachers to bag and send in a bed bug sample before any action is taken in their classrooms.)
Olivieri has two children; her 1 1/2 year old had a “serious infection from picking a scab left from a bed bug bite,” and had been taken to the doctor.
Jim Dowling, executive director of the Lewiston Housing Authority, confirmed that the working policy for bed bug treatment is to ask the tenant to show a bed bug body first.
“If someone reports bed bugs, but doesn’t catch one or have anything to show us, it’s very hard to know whether there are bed bugs there or not,” he said. “It saves (us) from tearing a unit apart looking for bed bugs, which can sometimes be hard to spot.”
It’s true bed bugs are hard to spot. And it can be expensive to have someone follow up on all suspected infestations.
However, not getting a professional in to search for signs of bed bugs means many tenants may go months, even years, living with bed bugs.
This is a terrible situation, and in the end, I suspect it will cost the Housing Authority or other landlords more money than they would spend if they promptly responded to suspected cases of bed bugs. Because during that waiting period, bed bugs will spread further — both within the building, and outside it.
It’s well known that bed bugs are difficult to find; experienced PCOs tell us they take hours to locate samples.
Other housing authorities (in Milwaukee and Seattle) have invested in bed bug sniffing canines. A well-trained dog in the hands of an experienced and talented handler can be an effective tool for locating bed bugs.
Another option for the Lewiston Housing Authority would be a set of active bed bug monitors (such as the Nightwatch), which could be deployed to apartments where bed bugs are suspected.
Bed bug inspections and active monitors are not cheap, but detecting bed bug infestations before they get out of control and spread makes it easier to get rid of bed bugs and prevent them spreading further — and this saves a lot of time, energy, and money, both for tenants and their landlords.
Sourced By: Nobugsonme
“I was told there is nothing they can do until I physically catch one,” she said. “I can’t catch one. I’ve been looking and trying to catch one because I want these gone; it even says online that these suckers are so hard to catch sometimes you need a professional just to even catch one.”
Bed bugs are indeed difficult to catch. You may be bitten for a while before ever seeing one.
It’s true that an infestation needs to be confirmed before treatment occurs. But are tenants the best ones to search for a sample?
It wasn’t until a building maintenance worker, who was in her apartment about a week and a half ago for a different reason, saw evidence of the bugs, that the Lewiston Housing Authority scheduled an extermination appointment for her apartment.
(This is similar to the NYC Department of Education policy discussed here and here, which requires teachers to bag and send in a bed bug sample before any action is taken in their classrooms.)
Olivieri has two children; her 1 1/2 year old had a “serious infection from picking a scab left from a bed bug bite,” and had been taken to the doctor.
Jim Dowling, executive director of the Lewiston Housing Authority, confirmed that the working policy for bed bug treatment is to ask the tenant to show a bed bug body first.
“If someone reports bed bugs, but doesn’t catch one or have anything to show us, it’s very hard to know whether there are bed bugs there or not,” he said. “It saves (us) from tearing a unit apart looking for bed bugs, which can sometimes be hard to spot.”
It’s true bed bugs are hard to spot. And it can be expensive to have someone follow up on all suspected infestations.
However, not getting a professional in to search for signs of bed bugs means many tenants may go months, even years, living with bed bugs.
This is a terrible situation, and in the end, I suspect it will cost the Housing Authority or other landlords more money than they would spend if they promptly responded to suspected cases of bed bugs. Because during that waiting period, bed bugs will spread further — both within the building, and outside it.
It’s well known that bed bugs are difficult to find; experienced PCOs tell us they take hours to locate samples.
Other housing authorities (in Milwaukee and Seattle) have invested in bed bug sniffing canines. A well-trained dog in the hands of an experienced and talented handler can be an effective tool for locating bed bugs.
Another option for the Lewiston Housing Authority would be a set of active bed bug monitors (such as the Nightwatch), which could be deployed to apartments where bed bugs are suspected.
Bed bug inspections and active monitors are not cheap, but detecting bed bug infestations before they get out of control and spread makes it easier to get rid of bed bugs and prevent them spreading further — and this saves a lot of time, energy, and money, both for tenants and their landlords.
Sourced By: Nobugsonme
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Clermont hotel shut down, strippers unaffected
An infamous Atlanta hotel known for its campy lounge with baby boomer strip dancers has been shut down.
The AJC was the first to report the Clermont Motor Hotel was ordered to close by Dec. 31 after a visit by Fulton County health inspectors uncovered a laundry list of violations, starting with, uh, the laundry.
"There are several issues that would have to be addressed," said Kevin Jones, a manager with the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness. Dirty linen, old bedding and bed bug stains were among them, he said. Inspectors also found mold growing on the walls, black water spilling from faucets and broken toilet fixtures.
An employee at the front desk refused comment Wednesday night and would not give a reporter the manager's contact information. A sign on the door said the hotel closed Dec. 12, but residents have until Dec. 31 to find new lodgings.
The basement Clermont Lounge, and its aging troupe of strippers, is unaffected by the hotel's closing.
Chuck Jeffress, 39, a security guard at the lounge, lived at the hotel and said it was easy to find another place to call home. He said he had no problems in his 1-bedroom unit, which cost him $185 a week. He said the plumbing worked and he did not know of any mold problems. Bed bugs were not a problem because he used his own bed and bedding.
"I think it sucks that the health department has issued their holy edict just because the water is brown," said Jeffress.
He enjoyed his time at the Clermont, but won't miss living above the loud parking lot or paying $10 to have visitors after 11 p.m.
"My friend says it's the only hotel in America that hookers can't get into,"Jeffress said Wednesday night as a group of women watched a lone stripper.
The hotel inspection was triggered by a change in ownership. Prior owner Inman Park Properties was trying to sell the Clermont but couldn't dump it fast enough. The lender, Fairway Capital Partners of New York, foreclosed.
Matt Shulman, a partner with Fairway Capital, said his firm took over the property after Inman Park Properties failed to make payments. "Obligations were not met," he said. "We tried to defer payments."
Inman Park Properties could not be reached for comment. The real estate agent who tried to sell the property said a deal nearly closed, but he said Fairway Capital wouldn't approve it.
"It was under contract," said the agent, Gene Kansas. There were plans for a renovation, and Kansas helped select an architect who proposed slick upgrades like luminous polycarbonate walls. "It was going to be great, but I guess Fairway had other plans," he said.
Kansas said the collapsing market for commercial real estate, and the foreclosure, would cut the value of the property in half. Less than half a year ago, Inman Park Properties was asking $6.5 million. The Clermont had potential because of its location on Ponce de Leon Avenue and its oddball history, he said.
The Clermont was built in 1924 as an apartment building. It was converted to a hotel in 1940. Decades ago it earned its reputation as a hip spot for a younger crowd to watch overweight, older dancers. Last year, writers from the famous comedy outfit Second City visited the lounge for a skit about Atlanta. One of them mused that it seemed to hire dancers based on their "internal" beauty.
Fulton's Jones said Fairway submitted a remediation plan that his department deemed "inadequate." He said the county was working to help relocate the hotel's 38 long-term tenants. The lounge wasn't inspected because it remains under the permit of the operator, who is leasing it.
Shulman said the health code violations predated his company's ownership. He said the deteriorating condition was one reason his firm decided to foreclose. "We were concerned about the safety of the underlying collateral," he said. "I was worried that the roof might cave in."
Shulman said Fairway would do all it could in the short term to "stabilize" the property and to keep the lounge open. Long term plans include everthing from selling the property to redeveloping it and bringing in new management, he said. " We don't want to be seen as the big bad investment house that shut the Clermont down."
By Ty Tagami
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC was the first to report the Clermont Motor Hotel was ordered to close by Dec. 31 after a visit by Fulton County health inspectors uncovered a laundry list of violations, starting with, uh, the laundry.
"There are several issues that would have to be addressed," said Kevin Jones, a manager with the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness. Dirty linen, old bedding and bed bug stains were among them, he said. Inspectors also found mold growing on the walls, black water spilling from faucets and broken toilet fixtures.
An employee at the front desk refused comment Wednesday night and would not give a reporter the manager's contact information. A sign on the door said the hotel closed Dec. 12, but residents have until Dec. 31 to find new lodgings.
The basement Clermont Lounge, and its aging troupe of strippers, is unaffected by the hotel's closing.
Chuck Jeffress, 39, a security guard at the lounge, lived at the hotel and said it was easy to find another place to call home. He said he had no problems in his 1-bedroom unit, which cost him $185 a week. He said the plumbing worked and he did not know of any mold problems. Bed bugs were not a problem because he used his own bed and bedding.
"I think it sucks that the health department has issued their holy edict just because the water is brown," said Jeffress.
He enjoyed his time at the Clermont, but won't miss living above the loud parking lot or paying $10 to have visitors after 11 p.m.
"My friend says it's the only hotel in America that hookers can't get into,"Jeffress said Wednesday night as a group of women watched a lone stripper.
The hotel inspection was triggered by a change in ownership. Prior owner Inman Park Properties was trying to sell the Clermont but couldn't dump it fast enough. The lender, Fairway Capital Partners of New York, foreclosed.
Matt Shulman, a partner with Fairway Capital, said his firm took over the property after Inman Park Properties failed to make payments. "Obligations were not met," he said. "We tried to defer payments."
Inman Park Properties could not be reached for comment. The real estate agent who tried to sell the property said a deal nearly closed, but he said Fairway Capital wouldn't approve it.
"It was under contract," said the agent, Gene Kansas. There were plans for a renovation, and Kansas helped select an architect who proposed slick upgrades like luminous polycarbonate walls. "It was going to be great, but I guess Fairway had other plans," he said.
Kansas said the collapsing market for commercial real estate, and the foreclosure, would cut the value of the property in half. Less than half a year ago, Inman Park Properties was asking $6.5 million. The Clermont had potential because of its location on Ponce de Leon Avenue and its oddball history, he said.
The Clermont was built in 1924 as an apartment building. It was converted to a hotel in 1940. Decades ago it earned its reputation as a hip spot for a younger crowd to watch overweight, older dancers. Last year, writers from the famous comedy outfit Second City visited the lounge for a skit about Atlanta. One of them mused that it seemed to hire dancers based on their "internal" beauty.
Fulton's Jones said Fairway submitted a remediation plan that his department deemed "inadequate." He said the county was working to help relocate the hotel's 38 long-term tenants. The lounge wasn't inspected because it remains under the permit of the operator, who is leasing it.
Shulman said the health code violations predated his company's ownership. He said the deteriorating condition was one reason his firm decided to foreclose. "We were concerned about the safety of the underlying collateral," he said. "I was worried that the roof might cave in."
Shulman said Fairway would do all it could in the short term to "stabilize" the property and to keep the lounge open. Long term plans include everthing from selling the property to redeveloping it and bringing in new management, he said. " We don't want to be seen as the big bad investment house that shut the Clermont down."
By Ty Tagami
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clermont hotel shut down
An infamous Atlanta hotel known for its campy lounge with baby boomer strip dancers has been shut down.
The AJC was the first to report the Clermont Motor Hotel was ordered to close by Dec. 31 after a visit by Fulton County health inspectors uncovered a laundry list of violations, starting with, uh, the laundry.
"There are several issues that would have to be addressed," said Kevin Jones, a manager with the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness. Dirty linen, old bedding and bed bug stains were among them, he said. Inspectors also found mold growing on the walls, black water spilling from faucets and broken toilet fixtures.
An employee at the front desk refused comment Wednesday night and would not give a reporter the manager's contact information. A sign on the door said the hotel closed Dec. 12, but residents have until Dec. 31 to find new lodgings.
The basement Clermont Lounge, and its aging troupe of strippers, is unaffected by the hotel's closing.
Chuck Jeffress, 39, a security guard at the lounge, lived at the hotel and said it was easy to find another place to call home. He said he had no problems in his 1-bedroom unit, which cost him $185 a week. He said the plumbing worked and he did not know of any mold problems. Bed bugs were not a problem because he used his own bed and bedding.
"I think it sucks that the health department has issued their holy edict just because the water is brown," said Jeffress.
He enjoyed his time at the Clermont, but won't miss living above the loud parking lot or paying $10 to have visitors after 11 p.m.
"My friend says it's the only hotel in America that hookers can't get into,"Jeffress said Wednesday night as a group of women watched a lone stripper.
The hotel inspection was triggered by a change in ownership. Prior owner Inman Park Properties was trying to sell the Clermont but couldn't dump it fast enough. The lender, Fairway Capital Partners of New York, foreclosed.
Matt Shulman, a partner with Fairway Capital, said his firm took over the property after Inman Park Properties failed to make payments. "Obligations were not met," he said. "We tried to defer payments."
Inman Park Properties could not be reached for comment. The real estate agent who tried to sell the property said a deal nearly closed, but he said Fairway Capital wouldn't approve it.
"It was under contract," said the agent, Gene Kansas. There were plans for a renovation, and Kansas helped select an architect who proposed slick upgrades like luminous polycarbonate walls. "It was going to be great, but I guess Fairway had other plans," he said.
Kansas said the collapsing market for commercial real estate, and the foreclosure, would cut the value of the property in half. Less than half a year ago, Inman Park Properties was asking $6.5 million. The Clermont had potential because of its location on Ponce de Leon Avenue and its oddball history, he said.
The Clermont was built in 1924 as an apartment building. It was converted to a hotel in 1940. Decades ago it earned its reputation as a hip spot for a younger crowd to watch overweight, older dancers. Last year, writers from the famous comedy outfit Second City visited the lounge for a skit about Atlanta. One of them mused that it seemed to hire dancers based on their "internal" beauty.
Fulton's Jones said Fairway submitted a remediation plan that his department deemed "inadequate." He said the county was working to help relocate the hotel's 38 long-term tenants. The lounge wasn't inspected because it remains under the permit of the operator, who is leasing it.
Shulman said the health code violations predated his company's ownership. He said the deteriorating condition was one reason his firm decided to foreclose. "We were concerned about the safety of the underlying collateral," he said. "I was worried that the roof might cave in."
Shulman said Fairway would do all it could in the short term to "stabilize" the property and to keep the lounge open. Long term plans include everthing from selling the property to redeveloping it and bringing in new management, he said. " We don't want to be seen as the big bad investment house that shut the Clermont down."
Sourced By: By Ty Tagami
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The AJC was the first to report the Clermont Motor Hotel was ordered to close by Dec. 31 after a visit by Fulton County health inspectors uncovered a laundry list of violations, starting with, uh, the laundry.
"There are several issues that would have to be addressed," said Kevin Jones, a manager with the Fulton County Department of Health and Wellness. Dirty linen, old bedding and bed bug stains were among them, he said. Inspectors also found mold growing on the walls, black water spilling from faucets and broken toilet fixtures.
An employee at the front desk refused comment Wednesday night and would not give a reporter the manager's contact information. A sign on the door said the hotel closed Dec. 12, but residents have until Dec. 31 to find new lodgings.
The basement Clermont Lounge, and its aging troupe of strippers, is unaffected by the hotel's closing.
Chuck Jeffress, 39, a security guard at the lounge, lived at the hotel and said it was easy to find another place to call home. He said he had no problems in his 1-bedroom unit, which cost him $185 a week. He said the plumbing worked and he did not know of any mold problems. Bed bugs were not a problem because he used his own bed and bedding.
"I think it sucks that the health department has issued their holy edict just because the water is brown," said Jeffress.
He enjoyed his time at the Clermont, but won't miss living above the loud parking lot or paying $10 to have visitors after 11 p.m.
"My friend says it's the only hotel in America that hookers can't get into,"Jeffress said Wednesday night as a group of women watched a lone stripper.
The hotel inspection was triggered by a change in ownership. Prior owner Inman Park Properties was trying to sell the Clermont but couldn't dump it fast enough. The lender, Fairway Capital Partners of New York, foreclosed.
Matt Shulman, a partner with Fairway Capital, said his firm took over the property after Inman Park Properties failed to make payments. "Obligations were not met," he said. "We tried to defer payments."
Inman Park Properties could not be reached for comment. The real estate agent who tried to sell the property said a deal nearly closed, but he said Fairway Capital wouldn't approve it.
"It was under contract," said the agent, Gene Kansas. There were plans for a renovation, and Kansas helped select an architect who proposed slick upgrades like luminous polycarbonate walls. "It was going to be great, but I guess Fairway had other plans," he said.
Kansas said the collapsing market for commercial real estate, and the foreclosure, would cut the value of the property in half. Less than half a year ago, Inman Park Properties was asking $6.5 million. The Clermont had potential because of its location on Ponce de Leon Avenue and its oddball history, he said.
The Clermont was built in 1924 as an apartment building. It was converted to a hotel in 1940. Decades ago it earned its reputation as a hip spot for a younger crowd to watch overweight, older dancers. Last year, writers from the famous comedy outfit Second City visited the lounge for a skit about Atlanta. One of them mused that it seemed to hire dancers based on their "internal" beauty.
Fulton's Jones said Fairway submitted a remediation plan that his department deemed "inadequate." He said the county was working to help relocate the hotel's 38 long-term tenants. The lounge wasn't inspected because it remains under the permit of the operator, who is leasing it.
Shulman said the health code violations predated his company's ownership. He said the deteriorating condition was one reason his firm decided to foreclose. "We were concerned about the safety of the underlying collateral," he said. "I was worried that the roof might cave in."
Shulman said Fairway would do all it could in the short term to "stabilize" the property and to keep the lounge open. Long term plans include everthing from selling the property to redeveloping it and bringing in new management, he said. " We don't want to be seen as the big bad investment house that shut the Clermont down."
Sourced By: By Ty Tagami
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Bed Bug Control
The city has put its pest infestation statistics online, allowing New Yorkers to see just how vermin-ridden our neighborhoods really are. The new Environmental Public Health Tracking Portal allows visitors to create maps depicting the percentages of households infested by roaches as well as rats and mice.
According to Brick Underground, Manhattan's least buggy community is the Upper East Side, where only 9.5 percent of households spotted a roach every day for a month. In Greenwich Village, the Financial District, StuyTown, and Turtle Bay, 12.7 percent of residents polled spotted roaches daily, compared to 19.1 percent of in the Upper West Side. Statistics show that 23 percent of Chelsea, Clinton, and Midtown homes had roach problems — but those numbers were greatly eclipsed by the Lower East Side and Chinatown's 42 percent and East Harlem's 51 percent.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, 26 percent of Williamsburg and Greenpoint residents spotted roaches in their homes daily, edging out Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene's 25.4, and Park Slope's 18.6.
Borough-wide statistics reveal that Staten Island had the lowest percentage of infestations, with just 7 percent of residents recording roach sightings and 8.7 percent recording mouse sightings. In both cases, Staten Island was followed by Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and finally the Bronx, where a whopping 46.3 percent of residents spotted roaches in their homes in the past month, and 49.8 percent saw mice or signs of mice in the past 90 days. The stats are well and good (and rather disgusting), but the folks at Bedbugger.com are angry that the city isn't tracking the most horrific of infestations — bed bugs.
Sourced By: Ben Muessig
According to Brick Underground, Manhattan's least buggy community is the Upper East Side, where only 9.5 percent of households spotted a roach every day for a month. In Greenwich Village, the Financial District, StuyTown, and Turtle Bay, 12.7 percent of residents polled spotted roaches daily, compared to 19.1 percent of in the Upper West Side. Statistics show that 23 percent of Chelsea, Clinton, and Midtown homes had roach problems — but those numbers were greatly eclipsed by the Lower East Side and Chinatown's 42 percent and East Harlem's 51 percent.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, 26 percent of Williamsburg and Greenpoint residents spotted roaches in their homes daily, edging out Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene's 25.4, and Park Slope's 18.6.
Borough-wide statistics reveal that Staten Island had the lowest percentage of infestations, with just 7 percent of residents recording roach sightings and 8.7 percent recording mouse sightings. In both cases, Staten Island was followed by Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and finally the Bronx, where a whopping 46.3 percent of residents spotted roaches in their homes in the past month, and 49.8 percent saw mice or signs of mice in the past 90 days. The stats are well and good (and rather disgusting), but the folks at Bedbugger.com are angry that the city isn't tracking the most horrific of infestations — bed bugs.
Sourced By: Ben Muessig
Monday, December 14, 2009
Firm kills bed bugs with heat
The latest technique to eliminate a stubborn pest has bedbugs feeling the heat - and dying.
A Michigan-based pest control company with Cincinnati roots used heat to treat a Westwood apartment infested with bedbugs Friday.
As it turns out, bedbugs are fairly resistant to cold temperatures. Unlike many insects, they don't like it hot, said Mark "Shep" Sheperdigian, an urban entomologist and vice president of technical services for Rose Pest Solutions of Troy, Mich.
Temperatures of 113 degrees will kill bedbugs, but it can take hours Sheperdigian said.
Crank the thermostat up to 120 degrees or higher, and the little bloodsuckers dry up and die "in minutes," he said.
Kevin Stacy, special service manager for Rose, and two co-workers set up four large electric heaters in the three-bedroom apartment, then set up fans around the apartment to help circulate the heat.
The setup, powered by a diesel generator, will kill bedbugs in an apartment, hotel room or dorm room measuring up to a 1,000 square feet or so, Stacy said. In bigger spaces, the crew just sets up more heaters and fans.
Sensors are set up throughout the space being treated to make sure an even temperature is achieved.
At about 9:30 Friday morning, temperatures in the apartment hovered around 120 degrees, and bedbugs on a headboard and nightstand could be seen scurrying for cooler climes.
Also visible were dusty white-ish areas that were actually bedbug eggs and rusty brown stains on walls around the bed and behind a set of stereo speakers that had been infested.
High heat can damage some items, including oil paintings and some antique furniture, Stacy said. Those items are treated separately.
Homeowners prepare for the treatment by bringing bedding, clothes and other items out of closets and setting it up in baskets. The crew comes in and shuffles items up to the top of the basket to make sure the heat reaches everything.
Chemical pesticides kill bedbugs, but not their eggs, which means homes might have to be treated several times. It's also hard for exterminators to tell where exactly the bedbugs are located, so spot treatment is difficult.
Heat treatment kills the eggs as well, so unless the bedbugs are somehow re-introduced to a home, one treatment is all it takes, Sheperdigian said.
But it's not cheap: Treating a single apartment, motel room or dorm room costs about $1,000 to $1,500, which is more expensive than conventional treatments, he said.
Bedbugs, which had largely vanished from the United States by the 1950s, thanks to the pesticide DDT, began re-emerging in early 2000s.
Rose got its first bedbug call in 2002, Sheperdigian said.
"Now we're up to hundreds of calls every year. It is growing geometrically," he said.
The Cincinnati Health Department received 352 bedbug complaints about bedbugs in the first nine months of 2009.
Bedbugs are widespread enough that State Rep. Dale Mallory, D-West End, and State Sen. Eric Kearney, D-North Avondale, are introducing resolutions to the Ohio General Assembly that ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow a special exemption approving the chemical pesticide Propoxur for household use against bedbugs.
Rose Pest Services started offering heat treatment against bedbugs in July with a single four-heater system, Stacy said.
They've added two more units since then, and have ordered still more. They're one of a handful of companies nationally offering the service.
Sourced By Peggy O'Farrell
A Michigan-based pest control company with Cincinnati roots used heat to treat a Westwood apartment infested with bedbugs Friday.
As it turns out, bedbugs are fairly resistant to cold temperatures. Unlike many insects, they don't like it hot, said Mark "Shep" Sheperdigian, an urban entomologist and vice president of technical services for Rose Pest Solutions of Troy, Mich.
Temperatures of 113 degrees will kill bedbugs, but it can take hours Sheperdigian said.
Crank the thermostat up to 120 degrees or higher, and the little bloodsuckers dry up and die "in minutes," he said.
Kevin Stacy, special service manager for Rose, and two co-workers set up four large electric heaters in the three-bedroom apartment, then set up fans around the apartment to help circulate the heat.
The setup, powered by a diesel generator, will kill bedbugs in an apartment, hotel room or dorm room measuring up to a 1,000 square feet or so, Stacy said. In bigger spaces, the crew just sets up more heaters and fans.
Sensors are set up throughout the space being treated to make sure an even temperature is achieved.
At about 9:30 Friday morning, temperatures in the apartment hovered around 120 degrees, and bedbugs on a headboard and nightstand could be seen scurrying for cooler climes.
Also visible were dusty white-ish areas that were actually bedbug eggs and rusty brown stains on walls around the bed and behind a set of stereo speakers that had been infested.
High heat can damage some items, including oil paintings and some antique furniture, Stacy said. Those items are treated separately.
Homeowners prepare for the treatment by bringing bedding, clothes and other items out of closets and setting it up in baskets. The crew comes in and shuffles items up to the top of the basket to make sure the heat reaches everything.
Chemical pesticides kill bedbugs, but not their eggs, which means homes might have to be treated several times. It's also hard for exterminators to tell where exactly the bedbugs are located, so spot treatment is difficult.
Heat treatment kills the eggs as well, so unless the bedbugs are somehow re-introduced to a home, one treatment is all it takes, Sheperdigian said.
But it's not cheap: Treating a single apartment, motel room or dorm room costs about $1,000 to $1,500, which is more expensive than conventional treatments, he said.
Bedbugs, which had largely vanished from the United States by the 1950s, thanks to the pesticide DDT, began re-emerging in early 2000s.
Rose got its first bedbug call in 2002, Sheperdigian said.
"Now we're up to hundreds of calls every year. It is growing geometrically," he said.
The Cincinnati Health Department received 352 bedbug complaints about bedbugs in the first nine months of 2009.
Bedbugs are widespread enough that State Rep. Dale Mallory, D-West End, and State Sen. Eric Kearney, D-North Avondale, are introducing resolutions to the Ohio General Assembly that ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to allow a special exemption approving the chemical pesticide Propoxur for household use against bedbugs.
Rose Pest Services started offering heat treatment against bedbugs in July with a single four-heater system, Stacy said.
They've added two more units since then, and have ordered still more. They're one of a handful of companies nationally offering the service.
Sourced By Peggy O'Farrell
Friday, December 11, 2009
Suits seek receiver for apt. complexes
Complaints of bed bugs infestations, faulty plumbing and numerous notices threatening utility service disconnection have led hundreds of residents at three area apartment communities to ask a Hamilton County Common Pleas Court judge to appoint a receiver to take over the management of their complexes.
Tenants at Park Valley Apartments in Mount Airy, Williamsburg of Cincinnati in Hartwell and Woodbridge on the Lake Apartments in West Chester have filed separate lawsuits claiming that Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio-based Karam Managed Properties has failed pay utility bills on time and isn't keeping up with critical maintenance jobs.
Earlier this year, gas and electric services were cut off at each of the complexes for up to two weeks, because Karam had failed to pay its bills, according to the lawsuits. Park Valley and Williamsburg residents were also left without water, and trash collection services were stopped - leaving dumpsters overflowing, according to court documents papers.
Tenants also say Karam failed to properly exterminate apartments that had contained bed bugs and roaches, allowing the infestations to spread.
"We've been stating that there has been a problem with these properties since August, and since then nothing has changed substantially," said Susanna M. Meyer, a lawyer with Westwood-based Hyle & Mecklenborg, which represents tenants at each of the complexes.
"Karam has continued to say that the problems have been fixed, but clearly they have not," she said. "Building violations still exist and there are substantial balances" as of Wednesday due to the Cincinnati water works and Duke Energy.
Karam has denied many of the allegations in court filings, and opposes the assignment of a receiver at any of its properties, said the firm's lawyer, William Ellis of downtown-based Roetzel & Andress
Ellis said tenants are not in jeopardy of losing utility services and haven't been since the cut off earlier this year.
"By the time they filed the lawsuits, it was already taken care of," Ellis said. "Karam is doing everything they can do to make this work for the tenants and the only impediment to this are the plaintiff's filing the lawsuits - trying to reduce their rents and give (Karam) bad publicity."
Court documents state that Karam has invested more than $10 million in its properties since their purchase more than two years ago.
Meanwhile, the tenant's motions have been joined by an additional request for a receiver by Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding. The lender claims Williamsburg Acquisitions LLC, has defaulted on several provisions of its $52.5 million loan for the more than 1,000-unit Williamsburg complex, which was built in 1968.
Among other issues, Prudential claims the Williamsburg loan fell into default after several mechanics liens were filed by contractors who say they haven't been paid for work at the complex.
Separate lawsuits from vendors and contractors claim that more than $1.2 million in mechanics liens have been filed for work the Williamsburg property, more than $424,000 in liens for work at Park Valley (which was built in 1973) and 11 mechanics liens with an unknown total for jobs at Woodbridge.
In addition to the three communities engaged in the receivership battle, Karam manages the Ferncrest and Renata Apartments in Westwood and Bavarian Woods Apartments in Middletown.
Ellis said he was not engaged in negotiations involving Prudential.
"Karam has worked diligently to correct everything," he said. "They bought these properties and put a lot of their own money it and they have continued to do so throughout the course of all of this."
Tenants at Park Valley Apartments in Mount Airy, Williamsburg of Cincinnati in Hartwell and Woodbridge on the Lake Apartments in West Chester have filed separate lawsuits claiming that Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio-based Karam Managed Properties has failed pay utility bills on time and isn't keeping up with critical maintenance jobs.
Earlier this year, gas and electric services were cut off at each of the complexes for up to two weeks, because Karam had failed to pay its bills, according to the lawsuits. Park Valley and Williamsburg residents were also left without water, and trash collection services were stopped - leaving dumpsters overflowing, according to court documents papers.
Tenants also say Karam failed to properly exterminate apartments that had contained bed bugs and roaches, allowing the infestations to spread.
"We've been stating that there has been a problem with these properties since August, and since then nothing has changed substantially," said Susanna M. Meyer, a lawyer with Westwood-based Hyle & Mecklenborg, which represents tenants at each of the complexes.
"Karam has continued to say that the problems have been fixed, but clearly they have not," she said. "Building violations still exist and there are substantial balances" as of Wednesday due to the Cincinnati water works and Duke Energy.
Karam has denied many of the allegations in court filings, and opposes the assignment of a receiver at any of its properties, said the firm's lawyer, William Ellis of downtown-based Roetzel & Andress
Ellis said tenants are not in jeopardy of losing utility services and haven't been since the cut off earlier this year.
"By the time they filed the lawsuits, it was already taken care of," Ellis said. "Karam is doing everything they can do to make this work for the tenants and the only impediment to this are the plaintiff's filing the lawsuits - trying to reduce their rents and give (Karam) bad publicity."
Court documents state that Karam has invested more than $10 million in its properties since their purchase more than two years ago.
Meanwhile, the tenant's motions have been joined by an additional request for a receiver by Prudential Mortgage Capital Funding. The lender claims Williamsburg Acquisitions LLC, has defaulted on several provisions of its $52.5 million loan for the more than 1,000-unit Williamsburg complex, which was built in 1968.
Among other issues, Prudential claims the Williamsburg loan fell into default after several mechanics liens were filed by contractors who say they haven't been paid for work at the complex.
Separate lawsuits from vendors and contractors claim that more than $1.2 million in mechanics liens have been filed for work the Williamsburg property, more than $424,000 in liens for work at Park Valley (which was built in 1973) and 11 mechanics liens with an unknown total for jobs at Woodbridge.
In addition to the three communities engaged in the receivership battle, Karam manages the Ferncrest and Renata Apartments in Westwood and Bavarian Woods Apartments in Middletown.
Ellis said he was not engaged in negotiations involving Prudential.
"Karam has worked diligently to correct everything," he said. "They bought these properties and put a lot of their own money it and they have continued to do so throughout the course of all of this."
Most people when they travel
Most people when they travel on holidays or vacations who stay at hotels and resorts never think of it, but they may have some uninvited guests. Bed bugs definitely don’t make good hotel or resort roommates when you’re on a vacation or holiday. Once thoughts to be eradicated from North America, the legendary little pests known as bed bugs have been making an unwelcome comeback in hotels and homes. Bed bugs are easy to transport in luggage and very hard to get rid of. For this reason they have become an especial nuisance for hotels, who are not eager to publicize their infestations. Until a reliable, safe pesticide becomes available, the credit in avoiding bedbug encounters will be the only reliable way to ensure they don't spread into your own home.
Sourcer by: by Raphael
Sourcer by: by Raphael
Hey bed bugs, now's your chance
Kansas will no longer conduct safety and health inspections of hotels thanks to cuts to the state budget.
According to the Associated Press, Kansas Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty made the call after his agency lost $303,000 in another round of spending cuts announced last week.
The Ag Department licenses and inspects hotels throughout the state to ensure they're safe and clean.
All currently licensed hotels have been inspected; but new inspections will have to wait until the funding is restored.
Source: Submitted by David Klepper
According to the Associated Press, Kansas Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty made the call after his agency lost $303,000 in another round of spending cuts announced last week.
The Ag Department licenses and inspects hotels throughout the state to ensure they're safe and clean.
All currently licensed hotels have been inspected; but new inspections will have to wait until the funding is restored.
Source: Submitted by David Klepper
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Bedbug attacks New York City
A bedbug epidemic has exploded in every corner of New York City - striking even upper East Side luxury apartments owned by Gov. Spitzer's father, the Daily News has learned.
The blood-sucking nocturnal creatures have infested a Park Ave. penthouse, an artist's colony in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a $25 million Central Park West duplex and a theater on Broadway, according to victims, exterminators and elected officials.
Once linked to flophouses and fleabags, bedbug outbreaks victimize the rich and poor alike and are spreading panic in some of the city's hottest neighborhoods.
"In the last six months, I've treated maternity wards, five-star hotels, movie theaters, taxi garages, investment banks, private schools, white-shoe law firms, Brooklyn apartments in Greenpoint, DUMBO and Cobble Hill, even the chambers of a federal judge," said Jeff Eisenberg, owner of Pest Away Exterminating on the upper West Side.
The numbers are off the charts: In 2004, New Yorkers placed 537 calls to 311 about bedbugs in their homes; the city slapped 82 landlords with bedbug violations, data show.
In the fiscal year that ended in June, 6,889 infestation complaints were logged and 2,008 building owners were hit with summonses.
They must get rid of the pests within 30 days or face possible action in Housing Court, the city Department of Housing, Preservation & Development says.
The scourge has left no section of the city untouched: Complaints and enforcement actions soared in 57 of the 59 community boards.
In the most bedbug-riddled district, Bushwick in Brooklyn, HPD issued 172 violations this year, up from four in 2004; it responded to 476 complaints, up from 47.
Central Harlem chalked up 269 complaints, up from nine. Williamsburg and Greenpoint, home to the city's hippest galleries, racked up 148, up from 11 in 2004. Astoria and Long Island City saw the tally climb to 345 from 41.
Bedbugs come out of the woodwork at night to feed on human blood, biting people in their sleep and leaving large, itchy skin welts that can be painful. They are not believed to carry or transmit diseases.
A surge in global travel and mobility in all socioeconomic classes, combined with less toxic urban pesticides and the banning of DDT created a perfect storm for reviving the critters, which had been virtually dormant since World War II, experts say.
Prolific reproducers and hardy survivors, they can thrive in penthouses, flophouses or any environment where they can locate warm-blooded hosts, said Louis Sorkin, an entomologist at the Museum of Natural History who keeps a colony of 1,000 bedbugs in his office and lets them feed on his arm.
BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
The blood-sucking nocturnal creatures have infested a Park Ave. penthouse, an artist's colony in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a $25 million Central Park West duplex and a theater on Broadway, according to victims, exterminators and elected officials.
Once linked to flophouses and fleabags, bedbug outbreaks victimize the rich and poor alike and are spreading panic in some of the city's hottest neighborhoods.
"In the last six months, I've treated maternity wards, five-star hotels, movie theaters, taxi garages, investment banks, private schools, white-shoe law firms, Brooklyn apartments in Greenpoint, DUMBO and Cobble Hill, even the chambers of a federal judge," said Jeff Eisenberg, owner of Pest Away Exterminating on the upper West Side.
The numbers are off the charts: In 2004, New Yorkers placed 537 calls to 311 about bedbugs in their homes; the city slapped 82 landlords with bedbug violations, data show.
In the fiscal year that ended in June, 6,889 infestation complaints were logged and 2,008 building owners were hit with summonses.
They must get rid of the pests within 30 days or face possible action in Housing Court, the city Department of Housing, Preservation & Development says.
The scourge has left no section of the city untouched: Complaints and enforcement actions soared in 57 of the 59 community boards.
In the most bedbug-riddled district, Bushwick in Brooklyn, HPD issued 172 violations this year, up from four in 2004; it responded to 476 complaints, up from 47.
Central Harlem chalked up 269 complaints, up from nine. Williamsburg and Greenpoint, home to the city's hippest galleries, racked up 148, up from 11 in 2004. Astoria and Long Island City saw the tally climb to 345 from 41.
Bedbugs come out of the woodwork at night to feed on human blood, biting people in their sleep and leaving large, itchy skin welts that can be painful. They are not believed to carry or transmit diseases.
A surge in global travel and mobility in all socioeconomic classes, combined with less toxic urban pesticides and the banning of DDT created a perfect storm for reviving the critters, which had been virtually dormant since World War II, experts say.
Prolific reproducers and hardy survivors, they can thrive in penthouses, flophouses or any environment where they can locate warm-blooded hosts, said Louis Sorkin, an entomologist at the Museum of Natural History who keeps a colony of 1,000 bedbugs in his office and lets them feed on his arm.
BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
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