Gianaris' Bedbug Legislation should be looked at Nationwide!

Can you believe that in New York City in the past 3 months there has been 72 cases of bedbug problems in 43 schools! Right now the schools handle each case on a per case basis. Gianari's bill proposes into law that the schools in New York would be required to inform the parents of an infested school that there is a problem and offer information on prevention techniques. This goes hand in hand with a previous post of mine where i say that one of our best tools in the battle of bedbugs will be education and communication. We can't hide the problems and have to take action to inform the public! Silence is how the problem got out of hand int he first place!

A QUICK BED BUG FACT

A FEMALE BED BUG CAN LAY UP TO FIVE HUNDRED EGGS IN HER LIFETIME! NOW TIMES THAT BY TEN FEMALES. THAT IS FIFTY THOUSAND EGGS! THAT'S NO JOKE!

Avoiding Bed Bug Lawsuits

In 2003 a motel chain was successfully sued for 382,000 dollars because of bed bugs. It can happen and if you Google bed bug lawsuits you will see that there are a whole lot more out there. SO how can you decrease your chances of being sued if you are a landlord or a motel/hotel manager?

1. Train your employees on what to look for if it is brought to your attention that there are bed bugs in a unit. If your housekeeping or maintenance staff knows what to look for it will be better is you are proactive instead of reactive.
2. Don't take a complaint from a tenant or guest lightly. Treat it with urgency and attention.
3. Being proactive is important. Use mattress covers on your mattresses and box springs if you have a hotel/motel and maybe send out a flier to your tenants in an apartment building educating them on what to look for with regards to bed bugs and bed bug bites. It may spark a mass hysteria and you will need to inspect and investigate all calls, but at least you will be able to cross off the false alarms and maybe find units that really have the to get the ball rolling on eliminating the problem.
4. Don't handle it yourself and don't let your tenants handle it. Call a professional. You can wind up infesting the entire building by treating the problem incorrectly!
5. Don't delay. It will be expensive and time consuming to get treated but it will be cheaper that a lawsuit in the long run.

Bed Bug Bites or Flea Bites?

How do you know if you are getting bitten by bedbugs or fleas? Usually with flea bites the majority of the bites will be on the feet, ankle, and leg region. With bed bugs you are usually looking at bites on the torso and they may be clustered together in a line. Bed bug bites usually don't have a red area in the center of the bite like flea bites have. Bedbug bites are itchy and are commonly mistaken for flea bites. If you suspect you are being bitten by bedbugs it is important to go see your doctor to determine if they are and proceed from there. Here is a good resource to look at bites.

For a great resource for home owners to get rid of bed bugs and to learn more about these bugs..
Click Here!

Bedbugs and lawsuits

With the resurgence of bedbugs becoming such a hot topic, it is clear to see why their is so many lawsuits being filed with regards to bed bugs and hotel rooms and apartment buildings. Over the next few weeks I will be researching bedbugs and lawsuits and offering insight into the laws affecting bed bug problems and what recourse people have in dealing with land lords and businesses that are not doing their part in eliminating problems in their buildings.

Bed Bug Education is Key

One of the strongest tools we are going to have against the bedbug epidemic we are experiencing is education. We as consumers need to educate ourselves on everything there is to know about bed bugs. We can't count on government, we can't count on our pest control companies, we have to count on ourselves. We need to know that when we travel and walk into a hotel room that you must first check the room over. You need to know where to look and what to do if you find them. You need to know how to know the difference between flea bites and bedbug bites. We need to know to check out children's schoolbags to make sure we are not bringing them into our home from school. We need to be aware of laundry mats and the possibility of bringing them home from there. We need to know that even new mattresses can be plagued, after all these companies usually pick up your old mattress and chances are they might have picked up a mattress that was infested at one time. Educate yourselves because knowledge is power.

Where to look for bed bugs

Bedbugs hide in the smallest of areas. They will be found in the mattress areas in the creases and tufts of your bed. The cracks and crevices of the box spring. Your bed frame. End table. End table drawer. Table lamp. Alarm clocks. Under carpets. In areas as little as a screw head you will find them hiding. Hollow curtain rods. Popcorn ceiling nooks and crannies. Furniture. Closets. Luggage. Closet racks. Behind mirrors and picture frames. Behind peeling wallpaper. Behind the molding of your door frames and the wood trim of your walls. In keyholes. In electronic devices. In old boxes. The fact is. Bedbugs have more places to hide than we would ever expect to look