Bed bugs are back.
"This affects everyone, including high-end hotels and homes," Nassau County Legis. Dave Mejias told a news conference yesterday to pass the word about the tiny bugs he believes may be spreading east from New York City.
The city saw a one-third increase in complaints about infestations last year, especially in eastern Queens, he said.
Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, an expert in bed bugs for Cornell Cooperative Extension at , said "it is kind of incorrect" to blame the city: already has bed bugs, but she agrees they're on the rise. Ten years ago, bed bugs on the Island were considered "a strange nuisance, and now it's a major issue."
Bed bugs can infest homes, offices, dorms, apartment buildings and hotels, the rich and the poor, the clean and dirty. Used furniture, particularly mattresses, can harbor them.
Gangloff-Kaufmann said it is unclear why there has been an increase in infestations, which for decades all but disappeared in this country. One theory is that the pesticide DDT, no longer used, kept them under control.
Arthur Katz, owner of Knockout Pest Control in Uniondale, said that in the last three years he has seen a "doubling in the amount of requests" from people whose homes are infested.
Jim Skinner, owner of A&C Exterminating in East Meadow, said 40 percent of his business these days is getting rid of bed bugs. In fact, Skinner recently acquired Scout, a 9-month-old beagle trained and certified to sniff out the critters.
Adult bed bugs have six legs, are reddish, flat and about a quarter-inch long. Over a lifetime, one female bed bug can produce up to 500 offspring, which can wedge themselves in any crack or crevice. Bed bugs are nocturnal and crawl; they can't jump or fly.
Although they don't transmit disease, they can leave sores, which if scratched can lead to an infection, said Dr. Abby Greenberg of the Nassau County Department of Health. Greenberg said the department has not seen a dramatic increase in complaints about the bugs, which are not a reportable disease.
A licensed exterminator is required to get rid of bed bugs. Skinner said it costs about $500 a room and several visits. He said they use nontoxic methods, such as special vacuums, steam, freezing and drying the bugs out.
DON'T LET THE BED BUGS BITE
Inspect your hotel room. Pack a flashlight and gloves. Inspect the headboard, including its back. Check sheets and pillows for blood spots. Check the piping of the mattress and box spring. Look in and under the drawer of the bedside table. Keep luggage closed and use luggage racks away from the wall.
Wash clothes as soon as possible, if you suspect your accommodation was infested. Unpack onto a bare, light-colored floor that will reveal bed bugs. Unpack into plastic bags. Put things that can be heated in a hot dryer for an hour. Put things that can't be heated in a freezer for two weeks. Suitcases, backpacks and briefcases should be inspected and vacuumed or frozen if possible.
Avoid used furniture, and items left on the curb.
Choose light-colored bedding. It is easier to see insects and blood spots.
Don't store things under beds. Get rid of clutter anywhere near a bed.
Seal your mattress. Use tightly fitting, zippered mattress and box spring covers.
Vacuum regularly. Use an attachment to get in cracks and crevices.
Isolate your furniture. Maintain a gap between the walls and your furniture. Keep bedding and dust ruffles from touching the floor or remove the ruffles.
Seal your home. Fix cracks in wooden floors. Repair peeling wallpaper.
For more information go to nysipm.cornell.edu
SOURCE: CORNELL UNIVERSITY NEW YORK STATE INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
