Bed Bugs in New York City
There are so many things to do when planning to go on a trip. Many people write a list and check things off as they get the task done or pack what needs to be packed. It never occurred to most people to add “make sure the hotel I’m staying at doesn’t have bed bugs.” If you are going to be staying in a hotel, especially in New York or large metropolitan cities, you’ll want to add this task on you “to-do list.”
There are sites on the internet that will inform you if there have been any recent reports of bed bugs. Some popular sites are Hotel Chatter, Bed Bug Registry, and Trip Advisor. At Bed Bug Registry, recent reports are displayed on their home page of bed bug reports all across the country. All you have to do is plug in the name of the hotel you are staying at, and the zip code or city and state. The site will inform you if there have been reports and will also give you nearby reports at other hotels and apartment complexes. I clicked on a hotel in New York City that was reported as having bed bug, The Lucentiout, and was horrified when I saw all the nearby additional findings. The city map had red marks all over it. Among the reports was one from the International Student Center in New York City.
One area of the country that is reporting a steady rise in bed bugs is New York City and surrounding neighborhoods. Some of them include Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. New York alone made almost ten thousand complaints concerning bed bugs in 2008. New York City even has a Bed Bug Advisory Board! They are even trying to ban the sale of used mattresses. One reason for so many bed bug cases may be due to overpopulated buildings and inappropriate exterminations. Can you believe New York City uses trained dogs to sniff out bed bugs?
If those infested with bed bugs do not get rid of them the right way, all they are really doing is pushing them into nearby apartments. If you do have a bed bug infestation, you should immediately dispose of all infested clothing, mattresses, and furniture. The thought of buying all of this stuff new may be hard for some of us to manage, but it must be done.
DDT, before it was banned in the United States, practically got rid of bed bugs, but due to international travel bed bugs have returned with a vengeance. Now, there are natural products on the market geared just for killing bed bugs. Some of these products contain a powerful natural substance called diatomaceous earth. In short, it dehydrates bed bugs after their exoskeleton are cut up as they travel through the fine, white powder.
Hotel bed bugs can be transported to every region of the United States. Big, popular cities, like New York City are reporting increased bed bug infestations. So, the next time you have an itch to visit the Big Apple, check a reputable site to see if your hotel is safe.
By: Bradley Skierkowski
