Big Bed Bug Debunked

   The description for this video reads, "found a big bed bug" but that's not a bed bug in the video. They don't get that facking big. If bed bugs got that big, a bunch of them would be sucking out serious amounts of blood from their victims every night. The video quality is horrible but that's a beetle of some sort with a hard outer shell and wings. It can be seen flying at one point towards the end of the video. Bed Bugs don't fly. If they did, we'd all be in a lot of trouble.

Bed Bug Inspection Process

This video is hilarious because the "lady" that is referenced by the inspectors is so clueless and oblivious to the massive bed bug infestation that's she's been sleeping upon. I don't know why there's porno-ish music playing in the background however.

Barnaby the Bedbug

A bed bug in a Ziploc bag travels the world, meets a dinosaur, and even hovers over a pregnant lady.

Lola the Bed Bug Sniffer Dog

The UK's first bed bug sniffer dog. Rejoice!

Bed bugs plague Bloomington elementary again

Keeping in the theme of yesterday's school bed bug news, here's another school-related story that was reported yesterday. Again, one student caused the panic, fear... and loathing. Can you imagine the panic when the zombie invasion begins?

Bedbug Infestation at Prestigious High School

   An example of how one single person can create fear, panic, and loathing. It's getting ridiculous already but hey, welcome to the Republic.

Bed Bug Summit in Buffalo, NY

Remember that big summit a couple of months ago? A smaller summit was held in Buffalo, New York to address the bed bug contagion.

AP Interviews Bed Bug Expert

   Some common sense suggestions from a "bed bug expert" named  Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann on keeping bed bug free when staying at a hotel. I've pasted two snippets from the AP interview below:

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/10/22/2010-10-22_tips_for_travelers_worried_about_getting_bedbugs_from_hotels.html

 

AP: How do you inspect a hotel room for bedbugs?
JGK: Experts say that inspection of the mattress under the sheets is good, but you're even more likely to find bedbugs in less disturbed places like the box spring and the headboard, so I make some effort to inspect these areas. I'm not especially paranoid so I don't go crazy inspecting. But even rooms that appear clean have been found to harbor bedbugs behind the headboard. And most headboards are mounted on the wall with hooks and can be lifted off and removed or replaced. Places where the box spring meets the frame are good; crevices are favorite hiding spots. And I always look between the mattress and box spring by lifting the mattress. The fecal stains are what to look for primarily, although they could be old. If those are found, it's a strong indication to either do a very thorough inspection or change rooms.

 

AP: A number of products claim to repel bedbugs. Has any product been found to be effective?
JGK: The only thing that was studied and published in a peer-reviewed journal was standard insect repellents versus bedbugs. They found evidence that DEET is repellent to bedbugs. It makes sense that other botanicals might be repellant as well, but none is foolproof because you can't possibly cover your whole body or your entire environment with an even layer of the scent. Plus given a no-choice situation, bedbugs will likely brave it and get their meal. Also all these repellents wear off over time, so by 4 a.m., you might no longer be protected, and that's usually when they like to feed anyway.

  

   I stay at a motel about once a week and I've inspected my rooms carefully when I'm there. I've mentioned the motel before on this blog and it's clean, has cable tv, and they make an okay sandwich. I've never seen bed bugs in that establishment but it's a sleepy little motel that doesn't see many visitors and I'm puzzled as to how they stay in business. Maybe they're dealing drugs in the basement.

Bed Bug Intruder Song!! Official Parody

Bed Bug Dogs

Bedbugs Suspected Inside Wall Street Journal’s Office

   Remember what I said about Dirty Ass People being the originating vector for bed bugs right? Right? Well, a story from the Wall Street Journal provides evidence that I'm right. And I quote:

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/10/04/bedbugs-strike-inside-wall-street-journals-office/
   A spokeswoman for the company traced the suspected bedbug outbreak to a staff member for Barron’s, a weekly financial newspaper that, like The Journal, is a part of News Corp.’s Dow Jones subsidiary. “After a Barron’s staffer…informed us of bed bugs inside his apartment building, we arranged to test the area around his desk,” the spokeswoman explained. “We found no bugs. Nor could we find any physical sign of bugs.”
   But as a further precaution, the company brought in a bedbug-sniffing dog, which have become increasingly common tools in the fight against infestations. The sniffer dog “did signal concerns,” the spokesperson added. “So even though we can’t find any specific evidence of any bugs, we will steam clean and treat the area to make sure no problem manifests itself.
   The WSJ employs at least one DAP working there who's spreading bed bugs and contributing to the current malaise. Great.

Renee Zellweger, Bradley Cooper face bed bug attack

   You know the bed bugs have won when even the royalty of Hollywood can't fend them off. From sify movies:

http://sify.com/movies/hollywood/fullstory.php?id=14957658
   "Hollywood couple Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper have reportedly been forced to throw out their mattress after it was attacked by bed bugs.

The pair, who started dating last year, have reportedly had to fork out a huge sum on a new Tempur-Pedic mattress after tiny parasites started living in their bedding, reports contactmusic.com."

   A King-Size Tempur-Pedic mattress will set you back $3,699 while a Queen is $3,299. The Sify writer deems this a "huge sum" and yes, it is a lot of money but Renee earns at least $10-15 million a film and I think she'll be alright.

Aspects To Consider When Buying Bed Bugs Sprays

A directory-sourced article which I thought was acceptable -JSonoma:
   Once we are confronted with the issue of moving pests during the night along with bite marks in the morning, the most effective solution would be to buy bed bugs spray. Currently, there are lots of bug sprayers on the market that you could choose as well as pick from. They’re each showing just how reliable their particular items are and what they can perform in turn.

As a customer, you’re faced immediately with the question of getting the better bed bug sprays between a varied selection. You certainly need to be confident and successful on your decision. Is a fact that a non indicated spray may pose a risk for pets and even humans, if they contain poison. To help you consider this situation properly let me provide you with a few tips you should consider when buying bed bugs sprays.

Question One: Is it the safest ? This is perhaps the most important question you must ask, and you have to decide this upfront. The safety of your home is something you don’t want to gamble with. Certainly, you do want to chase for the best and most safe bug spray solution that you can find on your store or local market. Be careful, sometimes the effectiveness comes with harmfulness. Then, that is the reason why you should take a careful look into the ingredients of the spray to be able to select those are mostly organic. You don’t want active chemicals or other poisons on it. That’s why those sprays that are naturally produced are the preferred ones. It is obvious that cushions, mattress and covers will receive the sprayed solution, so you don’t want to play with the health of your beloved ones.

Question Two: Does it do its job ? The other obvious but no so useless problem is if the spray in question does it job and actually kills the bugs, the undesired ones. It can be a very heavy thing to deal with to purchase one after other product that may claim are 100% organic but that fails catastrophically to kill the bed bugs. The internet is a great tool to help you decide if one or another of this bugs sprays are really what they claim by reading customer evaluations and comments. Essentially the very first reason why you bought a bed bugs spray is to kill those pests, so if the article you get does not do that, choose another.

Third Question: The price is ok? We’re all the time in search for better price tags, specially for this kind of recurrent buying products. So, as a consumer, the right decision on choosing a bug spray must also be dictated by its price. As said before, this kind of sprays are very likely to be bought several times in the course of a month. If it is costly, you will probably end with nothing in your pockets. So, pay attention and make a balance on finding the right one. It does not true that the more expensive are the betters. There are generic drugs and unknown laboratories that manufacture good quality and cheap bed bug sprays.

   These are generally just a few of the queries you have to ask before even checking out a bed bugs spray or even two. As such, these should be thoroughly regarded to acquire the best possible spray deals that are inexpensive, efficient as well as harmless. Meeting these conditions doesn’t only help you save money in the process but in addition encouraging yourself that the product you get in inside your home is safe to use and contact.

Bedbug Experts at Summit in Chicago for Second Day

   They're still there. All of them. The smartest and greatest experts in the field of bed bugs all in one hotel. If the bed bugs were smart, they'd launch a nuclear strike on that hotel and wipe everyone out. The human population would then be helpless before the might of the bed bug onslaught.

   Anyway, it's unlikely that there'll be any great revelations or news to come out of the Bed Bug Summit. It's just a way for folks to gather together, exchange ideas, trade stories, and enjoy a couple of days off from the rigors of bed bug extermination. Trying the beat the little buggers tends to drain the soul so the Summit is a working vacation of sorts.

Google and Bed Bugs

   Somewhere amongst the orange-colored balls, the ping pong tables, and the flat-screen LCDs of Google's Chelsea offices, bed bugs are apparently lurking.

Snippet from the Wall Street Journal:

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2010/09/03/bedbugs-infest-googles-new-york-office/
   A spokeswoman for Google confirmed Friday that bedbugs had found their way into the search-engine giant’s sprawling space in Chelsea. “Like several other businesses in New York City, we’ve discovered bedbugs in a small area of our office,” the spokeswoman said. “We have notified employees and are taking steps to treat the affected area.”

Where do bed bugs come from?

   I'm not going to speak for anywhere else in the world but here in New York City, bed bugs definitely come from dirty ass people. No, not the bums on the street but inhabitants of apartments which are filthy and have become breeding grounds for mold, mice, roaches, fleas that live on the mice, and bed bugs that feed on the dirty ass person. It's like a dirty ass ecosystem where all the elements are brewing for a bed bug population explosion. I'll outline one day in the ecosystem below and how bed bugs spread:

01) Dirty ass person (aka DAP) eats a ham and swiss sandwich and drops at least two crumbs and a small slice of ham on the floor.
02) A rat on his daily food foraging excursion finds one of the crumbs and scurries back to his rathole to feed. He'll come back later for the ham if it's still there.
03) Two roaches find the second crumb and start eating. They see the DAP sitting there but they don't care.
04) After the DAP is finished eating, it's time for a nap.
05) Upon hitting the mattress and scratching for a few seconds, DAP is snoring. Loudly.
06) An army of ravenous bed bugs detect the DAP's presence and start marching towards him.
07) As the bed bugs feed like a bunch of vampires, DAP shuffles around in bed and scratches but he's no match for the sheer number of bed bugs that are feeding en masse.
08) DAP wakes up and notices the welts on his body but he's used to it. Time for a donut run at the local DD or KK where his favorite is the glazed.
09) DAP enters the local DD and three bed bugs scurry from his jacket and into the establishment
10) One of the bed bugs climbs up a cop's sleeve and will hitch a hide home with him.
11) The other two bed bugs are a couple and very much in love. They're going home with a family man who dropped by DD to pick up a dozen for his kids. The bed bugs will have lots of kids. Three thousand of them.

   The above is not conjecture. It is an outline of the bed bug infection vector - namely, the DAP. How does one avoid bringing unwanted visitors home? Avoid DAP. If you see one, scold him or her for being a DAP. Offer to buy him some soap and a loofah. You can visit the donut shop but be on the lookout for creepy crawly bugs that are hankering for your blood. In conclusion, be vigilant. If you see something, say something. That's the only way we're going to stop the bed bug invasion.

Bed Bug Brouhaha

   New York City has gone bed bug crazy. Not that bed bugs haven't always been around but with all the blogs, twitters, and news articles mentioning bed bugs, Gotham's mind space is being owned by the little buggers. So, are they really that much more widespread or are we just hearing about it more because of the information overload that we're immersed in everyday?

   I'd prefer the second explanation as to why bed bugs seem to be mounting an invasion rather than the fact that they're really multiplying faster than Mother Nature ever intended. Sure they've got uncanny survival skills such as being able to survive without food or water for a year but c'mon now.

   In conclusion, the bed bug population hasn't exploded. It's just that people are talking about them more so they've infested the thoughts of the city. If you're unfortunate enough to be the host of a bed bug colony, you might have to hire a professional extermination service to eliminate the infestation but costs can and do go up to a few thousand dollars for a thorough cleaning. New York Magazine featured an article a few months ago where a family spent nearly $100,000 to clean their UES apartment.