Bed Bugs

They've emerged from the seats of darkened Times Square movie theaters, shut down clothing stores and infested cubicles.
With all the recent stories about bedbugs taking over Manhattan, some may worry that the critters are just biding their time before hitching a ride on Metro-North up to Greenwich.
Don't worry. They're already here.
The invasive pests, once relegated to a popular bedtime saying, have been a problem in the area for the past few years.
Steve Altarescu, vice president of Bliss Pest Control, which has an office in Greenwich and covers the tri-state area, said the company has dealt with the critters in private homes of all sizes, as well as offices in Greenwich and Stamford. They even recently completed an all-night bedbug treatment at a movie theater -- Altarescu couldn't say which one -- between New Haven and Hartford counties.
"Bedbugs are so crazy now, predominantly because of traveling," said Altarescu, an associate certified entomologist, meaning he studies insects. "They hitchhike in people's bags, whether they're work bags, trip bags, school bags. We do a tremendous amount of work in Greenwich, Stamford and Westport."
Altarescu said that though Greenwich commuters could possibly bring New York bedbugs home with them, the nocturnal insects are more likely to come inside a briefcase or bag than be found crawling around the three-seater of a train. However, it's not out of the question.
"Bedbugs tend to hide in cracks and crevices," Altarescu said. "Any kind of old seat is going to have a gap. Bedbugs don't need a really big gap."
Metro-North spokesman Dan Brucker said he has not heard of bedbugs being an issue on trains, and said there is no prevention plan in place to specifically target the insects.
"We haven't seen anything, and we would see it because we actually take our trains apart and clean them," Brucker said.
Altarescu said he doesn't recommend using chemicals to prevent an infestation if there is not already a bedbug problem. Businesses can keep track of bedbugs by utilizing dogs, mostly beagles, trained to sniff out the critters. Companies such as Bliss use dogs to check for an infestation and determine how extensive it is. A dog inspection costs around $500.
Jim Cameron, chairman of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, said he has not heard of commuters complaining.
"I don't think there's any reason to believe Metro-North would be carrying bedbugs any more than (people's) private cars," Cameron said.
International travel is believed to be the main culprit behind the resurgence of bedbugs. While DDT was banned by the U.S. in 1972, it's still used in other countries, but bedbugs have become resistant.
"How many people in Greenwich do international travel?" Altarescu said.
The Greenwich Housing Authority has dealt with infestations in its housing complexes in recent years, though Anthony Johnson, the agency's director.
"It's actually still very rare for us to encounter them, and we attack them aggressively," Johnson said. "We've been lucky."
Bedbugs -- which are flat, brown and wingless, and leave a series of itchy bites in a straight line -- are equal-opportunity pests.
"It doesn't have to do with income," Altarescu.
Getting rid of the bugs can be pricey. While exterminators use a chemical method to treat infested homes, Bliss Pest Control and other companies offer a newer heat treatment. Huge, 250-pound heaters are set up in homes, and heat rooms to 130 degrees, which kills the bedbugs. The advantage is that homeowners don't have to launder or dry clean their clothes, or get rid of some items, but the heat treatments are pricier than chemicals, starting at $3,500 to $4,000 per day.
Altarescu thinks it's a good idea to arrange a bedbug inspection if a child has just come home from camp or college. He also advises people to place suitcases on the luggage racks in hotel rooms instead of on the floor, and to perhaps take a look at the bed's headboard, where bedbugs are predominately found.
"It's very hard to totally protect yourself," Altarescu said. "You're not going to hibernate. All you are going to do is check to see if you have any bite marks. The best thing is to catch the problem early."
Trains are at least mopped once a day, Brucker said, and go through a major cleaning every few weeks, in which seats are taken apart and everything is washed thoroughly. Grand Central Terminal also has an exterminator. Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/They-re-here-Bedbugs-not-just-NYC-problem-639654.php#ixzz1C4MKqkMd