Feast Your Eyes

Bed Bugs and Lincoln Center

   The scourge of the summer - bed bugs - have made their way into the hallowed confines of Lincoln Center. According to a New York Times article published today:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/14/cue-the-exterminators-bedbugs-at-lincoln-center/?partner=rss&emc=rss
   The pests were sighted in the dressing room of the David H. Koch Theater, the New York City Opera confirmed on Wednesday, and at the Metropolitan Opera. City Opera, whose fall season opens Oct. 27, shares the theater with the New York City Ballet, whose season ended on Sunday. The outbreak was reported online on Wednesday by The New York Observer, which quoted from an Oct. 8 e-mail from Mark Heiser, the theater’s managing director, who said treatment was under way. “Please understand that this is an epidemic,” Mr. Heiser wrote. “Any signs of bedbug activity should not be considered a sign of an untidy house.”

   I beg to differ with Mr. Heiser. You got some dirty ass people working there and I'm of the opinion that attendance for the upcoming performances might be a tad off.

I'm going to burn in hell but I laughed out loud when I saw this

New Zealand attacked by bed bugs

   The stuff.co.nz website has posted an article about the bed bug assault on New Zealand. The writer Kristy Johnson says:

"The bug outbreak has been labelled as verging "on the threshold of a pandemic" by the National Pest Management Association of America and has struck countries around the globe this year.
The bloodsucking creepy crawlies are worst in New York, where they have been found in major retail stores, theatres and on public transport."

   I live in New York City and I don't know anyone in my social circle who's had a problem with bed bugs. It is true that I associate with Clean People (CP) instead of Dirty Ass People (DAP) so maybe that makes a difference. I suppose the local media hysteria over bed bugs has infected the perception of New York and New Zealanders now think that bed bugs are in every nook and cranny of the City. A few years ago, I entertained visitors from England who wanted to visit the usual tourist traps and I took them around town. Before coming to New York, they mentioned that their perception of New York City was borrowed entirely from the movies and the occasionally story about Gotham on the BBC.

Bed Bugs and Motel Rooms

   I've been spending at least one night a week at motels over the past few months. The motel that I go to is generally clean and I've searched the rooms that I stay in for bed bugs - checked the headboard, beneath the mattress, the curtains, and even the carpeting underneath the bed with a flashlight. I did find a roach once and a ladybug that had flown indoors but no bed bugs. It's a small local motel that's sleepy and I'm probably their only frequent customer. Well, me and this other guy I've seen from time to time who looks like a serial killer but that's a story for another day.

   That absence of the little buggers in motels can't be the norm however. Motels that see a lot of traffic from travelers near and far are almost certain to encounter at least some bed bugs. Think about it - dirty ass people travel around and spread the contagion of bed bugs everywhere they stay. Motels would never publicize this fact however because it wouldn't exactly be good for business. How can travelers find out if a motel or hotel has had reports of bed bugs? Check out the Bed Bug Registry http://bedbugregistry.com/ which allows visitors to punch in the name and address of a hotel and search for any reports of bed bugs sightings. I checked my motel and they're clean. Good to know.

Bed Bugs = Big Business?

   Two articles were posted today on the business of bed bugs. One from the Daily News titled "Broadway to bedbugs: Stage manager quits job for lucrative bug gig" and another from MSNBC which reads "Bedbug invasion is turning into big business."
   As more of these stories hit the newswires, serial entrepreneurs and "me too" businessmen are probably going to get into the bed bug business. Eventually, there'll be a saturation point where there's more bed bug killers than clients and the whole damn thing will collapse under its own weight. Well, that's my opinion anyway. No, I don't think the bed bug problem is going away anytime soon but this type of social ill can't go on forever into perpetuity. Of course, bed bug exterminators can always propagate the problem by releasing bed bugs into the wild themselves to cause a problem and offer a solution. Yes, that's evil but I wouldn't put it past the greed of man to further a problem for the sake of profit especially when business hits a speed bump. The term "Bed Bug Sabotage" is on my mind.

 

The Washington Post tackles Bed Bugs

   The WPO website has a 3-page article on bed bugs titled "Don't let the bedbugs bite" today. The writer is Andrea Sachs and she starts the piece off with the following:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/07/AR2010100706855.html
If evolution really worked in our favor, bedbugs would be as large as melons, with neon carapaces and a courteous deportment, announcing their presence every time a newcomer entered a hotel room. Alas, the vampirish insects are neither obvious nor polite: They're tiny and reddish-brown like freckles, and masters of subterfuge.

   I like that first paragraph and the article runs the gamut from bed bug history, how they're public enemy #1, and tips on preventing bed bug infection. Read it.