Posted on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 8:51 a.m.
Detroit No. 3 on list of most bed-bug-infested cities; New York No. 1
By Cindy Heflin
Detroit comes in third on a list of most bed-bug-infested cities compiled by the extermination company Terminix, Reuters reports.
New York was No. 1, Philadelphia was second and Cincinnati and Chicago came in fourth and fifth.
The company said bedbug infestations are on the rise all across the country, and it suspects a rise in international travel is to blame.
Comments
Kyrie
Fri, Aug 27, 2010 : 3:40 p.m.
I find it crazy all the recent reports about bed bugs. Unfortunately this past month we found out we have them!!! Talk about a nightmare. Thankfully our landlord paid the 500$ terminix bill and we paid 70$ for a mattress cover. The problem we had wasn't as bad as it could have been but they sprayed over two weeks ago and I still can't sleep tight because of the mind games it plays with you. This is such a scary situation to deal with I don't think enough people know about it and how hard they really are to get rid of. They can go 9 months with out eating and they have a numbing agent in their saliva so when they bite you you don't notice. Bites only effect 50% of people as well which makes it harder to find. This situation is so scary. The other day on the news the report said if something doesn't happen soon this could be everyones problem. The terminix guy told me 1 in 10 houses in NYC have them!!!! Also there was just a recent article about bed bugs infesting work places and people bringing them home that way.
krc
Fri, Aug 27, 2010 : 11:28 a.m.
Mikey 2u: They are, starting from Exodus 20 vs 2, You must not have any other gods against my face. Do not make or worship idols. Do not use the name of God in a worthless way. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it sacred. Honor your father and mother. You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not lie. You must not covet. Bedbugs ain't one of them.
TinyArtist
Thu, Aug 26, 2010 : 6:46 a.m.
Waterbeds do not encourage these critters, either. Have been using one (OK, several) for over 40 years now with nary a bedbug in sight.
jgold47
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 9:55 p.m.
as I scratch a bed bug bite I got last night at a hotel in Pittsburgh, I travel a ton and have had a few encounters. I have taken to keeping my bags on the desk or table (or even the bathroom). I always tear apart the bed before getting into it (these housekeeping staff are so lazy, they never check). since I am pretty sure I will, at some point by virtue of dumb luck be a carrier, I have been checking into this. A lot of people have recommended diamatecious (spell check please) earth as a people friendly method. Also, using a clothes steamer on your mattress and seams has been recommended as the heat kills the bugs and eggs.
stunhsif
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 6:18 p.m.
@yeahyouknow, I bought spray containing "pyrethrins" which are chemical compounds made from the flower petals of the chrysanthemum plant. They are not toxic to humans and used over several days will kill juvenille's, adult and the eggs of bedbugs. Terminex wanted almost 1200 bucks, I did it for around 60 bucks but I was very persistent and spent around 10 hours that week cleaning,spraying etc.
treetowncartel
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 4:07 p.m.
Just sleep tight....whatever that means
yeahyouknow
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 3:26 p.m.
www.bedbugger.com is a great resource.
Mikey2u
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 3:24 p.m.
Can anyone name the Ten Plagues mentioned in the Bible?
dextermom
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 2:55 p.m.
Where did you find the double sided tape info? I tried Lifehacker...
Susan Cerniglia
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 2:31 p.m.
Bedbugs was this morning's topic on Issues of the Environment (89.1 WEMU). Listen at http://bit.ly/aU0ddj. The Michigan Department of Community Health also has a resource page at www.michigan.gov/bedbugs.
Pam Blauvelt
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 2:27 p.m.
5 years ago, I didn't know what a bedbug looked like, today, we are receiving more calls from bed bugs than carpenter ants or bees. I've worked for Griffin Pest Solutions, a large family-owned pest control company covering Michigan's LP, for 20 years. The speed of this spreading infestation is unbelievable, even to those of us in the industry.
Marvin Face
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 12:53 p.m.
That's what you get when you stop using DDT.
yeahyouknow
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 12:50 p.m.
stunhsif - I'm so sorry to hear you had them! What did you use? I've had a recent scare with them (never saw any, or any physical evidence of them, but did recently stay in some hotels and had little bites that looked like textbook entries of bed bug bites) and I've been cleaning my place nonstop. I've done the double sided tape and DIY bed bug trap, put all my clothes into plastic bags. I've read that Diatomaceous earth is good to use, but I'm wondering if I should take any other precautions.
Top Cat
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 12:01 p.m.
I'm just not comfortable with any story in AA.com where we can't blame Obama or Bush or AA.com's writer.
stunhsif
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 11:55 a.m.
We brought home bedbugs from a nice inclusive hotel in Puerto Vallarta. Two days after getting home I found three adult bedbugs in my master bathroom. Immediately went to the internet and researched. Purchased safe chemcials and sprayed daily for a week throughout the house, washed sheets on all beds daily in hot water and put double sided tape around all the bottom of the beds. Also had Terminex come for a quote which was 1200 dollars making my decision to do it myself that much easier. Did it myself and never saw any more bedbugs. I like others here am very nervous about staying in hotels, don't care where I am going. Keep luggage and clothes off the floor and bedding and check the bed for blood spots and live buds under the box springs! YUCK!
Craig Lounsbury
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 11:14 a.m.
@yeahyouknow "Not to sound silly, but it really seems like only a matter of time until Ann Arbor will be hit hard by bed bugs. With students coming in from all over, frequent travelers, etc... " I was thinking the same thing
A2K
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 10:52 a.m.
er, it's actually the really posh hotels that were the epicenters of bedbug infestation...started around 6-7 years ago and spread from there.
yeahyouknow
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 10:46 a.m.
Completely understandable. I've read that as long as you're very careful (inspect your hotel/motel room thoroughly, put your bags up high, away from carpet, you can even buy deterrent sprays, I believe), you'll probably be fine, but it certainly does take the fun out of traveling. There really should be more awareness about this, especially in Ann Arbor, but I'm sure a large part of avoiding addressing this growing problem is the stigma associated along with them. You can live in the cleanest place ever and you could still have a massive infestation. They aren't attracted to dirtiness, they're attracted to blood. With so many students coming back into town, people traveling throughout the year... there are probably several cases around town. It would be helpful it annarbor.com could provide the names of pest control operators who are knowledgeable about bed bugs, as I've noticed previous stories about this make no mention of any PCOs near the area.
Dirtgrain
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 10:36 a.m.
^ There's your relevance. I'm scared--to the point that I don't want to stay in any hotels.
yeahyouknow
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 10:13 a.m.
Not to sound silly, but it really seems like only a matter of time until Ann Arbor will be hit hard by bed bugs. With students coming in from all over, frequent travelers, etc...
suswhit
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 9:29 a.m.
Perhaps a few calls could have been made to local pest control agencies making this story more relevant to Ann Arbor?
WLD1
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 8:56 a.m.
After 40 years of electing mayors that don't care (Young, Kilpatrick...) you can't expect much.
Mr. Tibbs
Wed, Aug 25, 2010 : 8:24 a.m.
funny that they are all sacntuary cities as well.....