Stubborn bed bugs could lead to eviction of Ypsilanti woman from her apartment
A bed bug.
Bed bugs in an elderly Ypsilanti resident’s apartment might put the woman out of her home.
Evelyn Ronders, 82, lives at Town Center Place, a senior high-rise at 401 W. Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti that includes some federally subsidized housing.
Several months ago, the property manager called in a pest control company to take care of bed bugs found in her mother's apartment, said Ronders’ daughter, Gail Buhro. Three extermination treatments have not worked, Buhro said.
“The last time, they found bed bugs and eggs behind the couch,” Buhro said.
Grene Hill, the assistant manager at Town Center Place, said Ronders’ family needs to further clear the apartment of clutter to help make extermination treatments effective. The company doesn’t want to evict Ronders, she said - but it might have to.
Bed bugs are here - and hard to get rid of, local pest control experts say.
In 2010, the Washtenaw County Public Health Department received more than 20 calls over bed bugs, Parsons said, mostly from tenants who wanted their landlord to move faster or more aggressively to eliminate the pests. Health Department officials first tracked calls about disputes over the bugs in 2008, when they received two.
After a decades-long hiatus, the pests have made a comeback.
Why?
“The current national problem with bed bugs is likely due to the convergence of three human behaviors: lack of awareness of the historical and biological link humans have with bed bugs, increased international travel, and past over-reliance on pesticides,” according to a joint statement by the Centers for Disease Control of Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency issued in 2010.
Bed bugs are wingless, blood-sucking insects that feed on the warm-blooded. The nest creatures like humans, but also birds and bats. Bed bugs like the bed, but hide in wooden furniture, floors and walls. They are not known to spread disease, although secondary infections from scratching itchy bites or allergic reactions can develop. They like to hitchhike on clothing, luggage, bedding and furniture, according to the Health Department.
Most of the time, the Health Department facilitates communication between landlords and tenants after hearing complaints, Parsons said.
She said cleanliness has nothing to do with thebed bug habitat.
“Anyone can get bed bugs,” she said “They don’t discriminate based on affluence or socioeconomic status.”
The first sign of a bed bug infestation might be bite marks resembling those from a flea or mosquito on the hands, neck, arms or other body parts. Other signs might be exoskeletons bed bugs leave after molting or rusty-colored blood spots from their fecal material on the mattress or other furniture.
Once a bed bug infestation is identified, tenants and property owners will probably need to cooperate take labor-intensive and possibly costly steps to help the eradication of the bugs.
Those steps include washing all sheets and clothing in the hottest water the fabric can stand; encasing the mattress and box spring with a special cover and leaving it sealed for a year to kill off the bugs; and scouring, vacuuming and sealing small spaces where bed bugs can hide and infested rooms. Furniture might need to be thrown out - sealed in plastic and clearly marked that it’s infested.
Ronders’ daughters have taken a number of those said, Buhro and Hill said. They will be cleaning more this weekend. “They can be really difficult to eradicate,” Parsons said.
Terry Bradford, a service supervisor with Rose Pest Solutions, called bed bugs “an epidemic.”
“It’s a problem everywhere,” he said.
The Dearborn office where Bradford works fields calls every day about bed bugs, he said, including inquiries from Ann Arbor. Most bed bug calls involve apartment buildings and senior living facilities, he said, but they take calls from individual homeowners and places such as doctors offices, too. The calls started coming in about five years ago.
Tactics exterminators use to rid homes of bed bugs include fumigation, chemical treatment, steaming or heat treatment. Rose Pest Solution even keeps a couple of beagles on staff to sniff out the bugs and their eggs.
According to the CDC, while the bugs don’t spread disease, they take an economic and mental toll.
Buhro can attest to that.
“I just don’t know what to do, other than take my mother out of there in a blanket and bring her home,” she said.
Hill said Ronders’ daughters have agreed to come in Saturday and continue to clean their mothers’ apartment. A few other tenants in the building also are dealing with the issue, she said, but it is not a widespread problem.
Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Comments
newsreader
Sun, Apr 3, 2011 : 6:16 p.m.
Someone please help this woman to discard of her couch, bed, mattresses, & any other items which are known to harbor bed bugs. Take it from me, this is not easy. Took over me over 100 hours to help one woman, plus her family's help, & 10 hours from a professional company who could bag and trash items for her. She is still dealing with the ramifications of having to replace 75% of her belongings. I don't even know how much it cost for all the plastic bags, tape, and trash disposal -- probably close to $1000. It is hard to get rid of almost everything but what the bed bugs do (no matter how many chemicals the company uses) is crawl into another spot & hang out until the coast is clear again. They can go without food (blood is what they feed on so that is why they are attracted to couches and beds) for up to 8 months no matter what the climate, so they could have been there before this woman moved in, or could have come thru the common walls from another apartment. As far as eviction it increases risk because eventually the apartment complex says "enough is enough" and gets tired of paying for repeated treatments and then wants the person to completely vacate the whole apartment so that even the carpet can be stripped out. If this apartment complex hasn't already started doing monthly inspections floor by floor to look for signs of bed bugs, they should. Many older people can't see the signs that bed bugs leave as they are often small spots. (With darker sheets there is no contrast). Bed Bugs love warm places like fans, computer monitors, cable boxes & TV's. This could happen to anyone. It's not just about dirt and clutter, but unfortunately clutter makes it easier for pests to get by. I do hope this woman's family can help her to call Friends InDeed in Ypsilanti - 484-HELP-- furniture assistance program which can help replace her furniture (once the apartment has been certified bug-free for a few weeks). Do referrals for replacement cl
Tony
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 12:20 p.m.
Unfortunately bedbug treatment is very costly and time consuming and as a result of this landlords are unwilling to pay for this. To treat a premises the residents have to prepare the property and this means emptying out cupboards, clothes and other items and if this is not done properly the treatment is not as effective and you cannot get rid of the bedbugs. I do pest control north in london and know only too well how landlords view bedbugs. We would normally issue a bedbug info preparation sheet and if this is not adhered to we would not do the treatment as this is unfair for the landlord to pay out this money and not get it done right
glottic
Thu, Mar 31, 2011 : 5:08 p.m.
So the Landlord evicts this little old lady, ... and she moves into another apartment, ... and the bedbugs have a new home. And they infect that place.
bamwow
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 4:57 p.m.
This is news because I know the same situation happened to other people in Ypsi more than a year ago. Landlords need to be responsive and treat this problem fast without casting blame. It's a huge expense for everyone involved between time spent cleaning/moving items and the cost of replacing beds& furniture. plus thousands of dollars for treatment. I feel bad for this woman. At 82 years old, she shouldn't be faced with eviction. She needs help.
Lovaduck
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
Does no one in Ann Arbor have bedbugs? What fun to diss Ypsilanti every chance you get. The bedbug information was helpful, but the rest of the article seems spiteful and hateful. How humiliating to the family concerned!
sailor67
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 2:17 p.m.
I say we give this lady the benefit of the doubt. Unlike us, bed bugs don't observe social or economic boundries. Bedbug infestations have been found in high-class hotels and on cruise ships around the world and brought back to the US in our luggage and on our clothing. In fact, a swanky clothing store in Manhatten was recently closed due to an infestation. Roach infestation? Sure let's throw this old lady out in the snow. Bed bugs? Sorry, someone brought them into her house. Lastly, be suspicious of (and carefully inspect) any furniture, bedding or luggage that you bring into your home.
Garrett
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 2:15 p.m.
Bedbugs are no fun. From what I've heard.
Dog Guy
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 1:59 p.m.
Have the vermin developed resistance to "If they do, take a shoe and beat them 'til they're black and blue"?
amazonwarrior
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 1:48 p.m.
I know of several foreign students who have found bedbugs in their cell phones and laptop computers upon returning from a trip home. So, it isn't just the "hotel industry", as a commentor stated. The little buggers are everywhere and will hitch a ride in everything.
quetzalcoatl
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 1:25 p.m.
I blame Obamacare. Or maybe Al-Queda. I'm really not sure. I will check back in after Bill O'Reilly's show and let you know for sure.
whatsupwithMI
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:36 p.m.
This is really another( if you read news elsewhere) about increasing chemical resistance of a common pest, minus information about why all the former chemical controls of the pest are almost useless (that missing piece is really the most interesting part of the untold story). Add to it headline of "Ypsilanti" when you are in doubt of what to write-- I guess since aa.com thinks that the way to boost positive feelings of ann arborites is to report about how bad things are outside of the AA city limits? "thank god we have no bedbugs here" (you do).
TrappedinMI
Fri, Apr 1, 2011 : 2:57 p.m.
Thank you Tom! :)
Tom Teague
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 8:28 p.m.
@Trapped - there are a number of portable heaters that could do the trick. Depending on where the apartment is located, a Salamander -- a kerosene-powered heater -- directed into the room from a patio or balcony would do the trick.
TrappedinMI
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 1:43 p.m.
@Krono: This may sound stupid, but exactly how do you heat a room to 120 degrees? Propane heater or something to that nature?
Kronoberger
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:53 p.m.
JI have owned a multi unit SRO for almost 35 years and never saw a bedbug until about 5 years ago. They are a terrible problem. Among other things they can live for a year without eating. Meanwhile, available sprays have limited residual impact. Indeed, pest control companies will not warranty bedbug treatments. The best solution I have found is heating the room up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit and maintaining that temperature for a half hour. This desiccates the bugs. And yes clutter is a real problem in controlling the infestation. Eliminating the problem requires dedication on the part of both landlord and tenant. If the landlord has sent in an exterminator and the tenant will not do their part by reducing clutter, the property owner of a muti-unit has little choice but to evict the tenant.
rrt911
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:36 p.m.
Why do peoeple insist on griping about whether something is news or not? If it doesn't interest you; don't read it! Get over yourself.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:25 p.m.
I wonder how bad that "clutter" is? As long as we are going to have a story on it, I think a picture of the apartment and it's clutter or lack of would be quite a bit more informative than a stock photo of a bed bug from a summer or two ago.
Jafo04
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 4:55 p.m.
Yep they are so embarrassed, that they gave their names and talked to the reporter. -Jafo
Ignatz
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 3:24 p.m.
I'm sure the woman and her family are already embarrased enough without a picture of the situation.
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:14 p.m.
Bedbugs are parasites. The reason we have an increase in parasites in and around human habitats is because people are generally filthy; we shed an amazing amount of dander, we spread our saliva over everything, we are sloppy eaters, and some of us are too lazy to clean up properly. In addition, if you don't bath at least once every few days or do your laundry or vacuum regularly, the problem can quickly spiral out of control. Want to blame the bedbugs on someone? Blame yourself and the Hotel industry trying to save money and spreading the joy.
newsreader
Sun, Apr 3, 2011 : 6:21 p.m.
About the vacuuming part -- if you vacuum and then don't take the bag out right away (or don't empty the canister and hoses right away) then bed bugs can live inside your vacuum cleaner and crawl out as soon as the coast is clear. If you've had pests it is best to replace your vacuum cleaner and keep emptying it right away. Masking tape also works good to catch the little buggers.
Ann English
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 11:23 p.m.
Someone should include the consequences of bedbug infestation in a commercial about a pest control business, like someone did with cockroaches (asthma knocking at the door), mice (Lyme disease knocking at the door), and termites (millions of dollars in property damage every year, requesting entrance to a home).
dextermom
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:09 p.m.
I don't get it. If 1)other people in the building are also struggling with this issue, and 2)cleanliness has nothing to do with the infestation, why is eviction a possibility? And I do have to agree with the previous comments, why is this woman's situation news.
Wolf's Bane
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 12:16 p.m.
Hygiene has everything to do with this. I believe you are thinking about roaches and termites.
donderop
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 11:42 a.m.
So she could be evicted because of clutter in which the bedbugs are hiding?
Neal Elyakin
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 11:09 a.m.
Please have someone at annarbor.com look over these 'articles' prior to posting them. The arguments made about the lowering of journalistic professionalism at annarbor.com are verified when a poorly constructed article is posted.
Bluefire
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 8:36 p.m.
No kidding. This article was one of the worst I've seen.
Alan Goldsmith
Wed, Mar 30, 2011 : 10:15 a.m.
Wow, Fox News Detroit, Channel 7 Action News and now Ann Arbor dot com. Cutting edge journalism!