Bed Bugs Movin' On Up To The East Side

After the relative lull in bed bug news since last fall, the bugs have resurfaced! But this year, the critters just aren't satisfied with the relative squalor of the outer boroughs. According to New York Magazine, they've made their debut in multimillion-dollar apartments on the Upper East Side. Hide the winter furs!

The story chronicles one "Margaret," who awoke one morning to find red welts on her son's back and chest. Upon inspecting his bed, she found the culprits. “I’m squeamish, but I reached out and squashed one. It was filled with my son’s blood. And they were all over. I turned the headboard around and saw all the eggs. At which point I screamed." However, folks without multiple thousands of square feet may rest easy knowing that in the case of a bed bug infestation, getting them out will be way easier than it was for Margaret. One exterminator just ended up scalding her silk-velvet sofa, and the family was soon forced to relocate to their weekend home. Quel domage! By the end of the fiasco, the family had spent nearly $70,000, $30,000 on dry cleaning alone.

Jeff Eisenberg of Pest Away says the neighborhood is currently "teeming" with bed bugs, despite what city studies say. He says the difference is that most renters call 311 in an effort to pressure their landlords, while those who own brownstones won't get the city involved. He also tells of one UES resident who had the bugs crawling around the inside of his hat when he came to exterminate. You know what's starting to look really fashionable right now? Hazmat suits.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jaya Saxena in News on May 3, 2010 2:30 PM

Comments [rss]

Steven Sanchez

Be Ye Not Afraid! If you were grossed out by reading this then you have to stop by exterminator new york quickly to either protect and prevent your house from becoming a breeding ground or to battle what has already invaded!

argh

The best site for accurate information on identification and extermination is www.bedbugger.com.

Jon R. Patrick

These guys are buggers. After a lifetime of only thinking of them as something my mom said (don't let them bite) - I had 2 infestations in 2 years. 1 when I moved into an apartment, and the other in my home after an overseas vacation.

They are a PAIN to get rid of, but there's good information with details on how to do it. I put together a blog on my experience:

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-get-rid-of-Bed-Bugs-at-Home

Tarrabyte

It took six months to get bed bugs out of my home. It wasn't quick or easy but it can be done. You can watch videos on how to inspect your own home at bedbugsnw.com. I would take ants and carpet beetles any day over bed bugs. They may be the most difficult pest to treat in your home as all they eat is blood, preferably human. Unlike other bugs that want your leftovers, these bugs seek you out while you are sleeping (they need you to be very still while they feed for five to ten minutes). The best way to get rid of bed bugs is with information.

King Kong

I understand that you don't have as much money as them but $100k for anyone is a sh*tload of money to spend on bedbugs. And to have your child eaten alive by them isn't a welcome inclusion in any family. Eventually these little dudes will live in all of our apartments.

John Clavis

@richie & jpeditor:

I wasn't talking about the people raising their kids in UES apartments; I was, believe it or not, including them in "the rest of us". (For once.)

Ritchie

I'm sorry-- maybe I'm missing your point -- but your comment still doesn't make any sense to me. Everyone, regardless of bank account levels, is vulnerable to bedbug bites. Even the "1% living like sci-fi royalty".

oofstar

the winter lull makes sense because bed bugs hibernate.

Nyctini11

no they don't. They may move a little slower in cold weather, but, that's about it. Also, they aren't just in your bed or only active at night.

oofstar

yes, they do. when the temperatures are below 60 degrees, they go into their dormant state. obviously, if you keep your house warm, it might not affect them, but it's cold enough in general that the number of reports would go down while the bed bugs wait for warmer temperatures.

Nyctini11

You keep on believing that... the only the BB wait for is Blood, so if they're "hibernating" it's because there is no one to feed on at the moment.

oofstar

i'm not sure what your point is. i'm not saying people should use cold weather as a way to get rid of bed bugs. i'm saying that it isn't that there are fewer infestations in the winter, there are just fewer bites. bed bugs go into a dormant mode when it is cold so they don't die. they also go into that dormant mode when they are full. they can lie dormant for many months, and then they come back.

just saying

Yes, they can hide in the baseboards or any cracks in your apt. and they can be transported from one location to another in luggage or on your clothing. In addition, bedbugs are very difficult (and expensive) to eradicate.

Bedbugs are actually not new on the UES. They've probably been there just as long as any other place in NYC.

http://bedbugregistry.com/metro/nyc

John Clavis

Just another sign of how America is becoming a class society, with the top 1% living like sci-fi royalty and the rest of us eaten to death by critters.