One of the ubiquitous ads in the subway now competing with the Dr. Z empire is a bed bug exterminating service. For years bed bugs had been reduced to living among a few mole people in the subway tunnels, but they are making a comeback above ground. In 2008 reports of bed bug inf
estations doubled in New York City to more than 9000 incidents. And those are just the cases reported.
Why the resurgence? In short, it’s the economic downturn. (Can’t we blame everything on that?) More specifically, it’s because many folks have changed their lifestyle. I don’t mean they are living in the subway tunnels. They are trying to save a few bucks. Take the dude who got on the subway this morning with a twin mattress. Now, you all know I’ve carried my fair share of strange things on the train, but I can honestly say I’d never go so far as this.
The guy looked a bit disheveled – understandable after dragging that behemoth of a thing to the station and then down a few flights of stairs. He gave me an apologetic look and explained that the car service he’d called refused to take him and the mattress home.
“I’d already paid for it so I’m getting it home one way or another,” he said.
“The store wouldn’t deliver it?” I asked. Here again, I’m somewhat of an unfortunate expert in the wily ways of delivery persons who refuse to do their jobs, despite the fact that I’ve been very clear that I live on the fifth floor.
He shook his head. “Got it off of Craigslist. I can’t afford those stores.”
This is one of the primary ways bed bugs are transported around the city. Bed bugs like to nestle themselves in anything soft and fibrous, like donated clothing, pre-owned sofas and, of course, used mattresses. Mattress guy, if you’re reading this, I’m sure yours is fine. Coincidentally above his head was another one of those bed bug ads. Just like the police use bomb-sniffing dogs, this company uses dogs trained to find bed bugs. Because once the critters get in, they’ll multiply like, uh, bed bugs and chow down on all sorts of materials around your place, including you.
About a year ago, two of my coworkers suffered from bed bug infestations. The expense of dry cleaning all of their clothes and linens and hiring carpet cleaners was a strain, but the worst of all was that one of them would come to work in the morning looking a bit like this:
estations doubled in New York City to more than 9000 incidents. And those are just the cases reported.Why the resurgence? In short, it’s the economic downturn. (Can’t we blame everything on that?) More specifically, it’s because many folks have changed their lifestyle. I don’t mean they are living in the subway tunnels. They are trying to save a few bucks. Take the dude who got on the subway this morning with a twin mattress. Now, you all know I’ve carried my fair share of strange things on the train, but I can honestly say I’d never go so far as this.
The guy looked a bit disheveled – understandable after dragging that behemoth of a thing to the station and then down a few flights of stairs. He gave me an apologetic look and explained that the car service he’d called refused to take him and the mattress home.
“I’d already paid for it so I’m getting it home one way or another,” he said.
“The store wouldn’t deliver it?” I asked. Here again, I’m somewhat of an unfortunate expert in the wily ways of delivery persons who refuse to do their jobs, despite the fact that I’ve been very clear that I live on the fifth floor.
He shook his head. “Got it off of Craigslist. I can’t afford those stores.”
This is one of the primary ways bed bugs are transported around the city. Bed bugs like to nestle themselves in anything soft and fibrous, like donated clothing, pre-owned sofas and, of course, used mattresses. Mattress guy, if you’re reading this, I’m sure yours is fine. Coincidentally above his head was another one of those bed bug ads. Just like the police use bomb-sniffing dogs, this company uses dogs trained to find bed bugs. Because once the critters get in, they’ll multiply like, uh, bed bugs and chow down on all sorts of materials around your place, including you.
About a year ago, two of my coworkers suffered from bed bug infestations. The expense of dry cleaning all of their clothes and linens and hiring carpet cleaners was a strain, but the worst of all was that one of them would come to work in the morning looking a bit like this:
If you’re sitting in your 3/2 ranch-style house in the suburbs and think, “Whew, glad I don’t have to worry about that since I don’t live in a place that’s as population-dense as New York City,” I’ll leave you with this video from Clearwater, Florida, showcasing what Abby, bed bug sniffing dog extraordinaire, can do. And now, I feel like I need to head over to the dry cleaners.
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1 comments:
I had bedbugs in my apartment last summer. It was the worst! I called the landlord who called a man to first inspect the place for bed bugs and then had to come back days later to treat it. He informed me that the apartment below had been treated for bed bugs weeks earlier! Why they had to confirm bed bugs when they were known in the building is beyond me, i had to sleep with deep woods bug spray on just to prevent getting another 20 bites a night! I also spent about $200 and 3 trips to the laundromat in order to get everything clean- also had a bunch of stuff i was going to donate but had to just throw away cause i couldn't afford to wash it all too!
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