"One" bed bug found in Schenectady school? VIDEO of bed bug sniffing dog added!

[C.Ann]

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/puts-1280405-school-elementary.html

Sounds like the migration from NYC has started.. Ewwwww!!!!

Is it actually possibly for there to be only "one" in a given area? Also read about a motel/hotel in Schenectady having them as well..

I've read posts here from people saying it could cost up to $5000 to rid a home of them, but another site quoted $400 - depending upon the size of the infestation..

Fortunately I never spend time in the Schenectady area anymore since moving (not even the hospital there the past few years) - but I suppose it's only a matter of time before they spread to other areas..

Does the weather have any impact on them - as in cold weather slowing down the spread?

Woke up very early this morning - and kind of wish I didn't turn on the news..

 

[Toad_Passenger]

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/puts-1280405-school-elementary.html

Sounds like the migration from NYC has started.. Ewwwww!!!!

Is it actually possibly for there to be only "one" in a given area? Also read about a motel/hotel in Schenectady having them as well..

I've read posts here from people saying it could cost up to $5000 to rid a home of them, but another site quoted $400 - depending upon the size of the infestation..

Fortunately I never spend time in the Schenectady area anymore since moving (not even the hospital there the past few years) - but I suppose it's only a matter of time before they spread to other areas..

Does the weather have any impact on them - as in cold weather slowing down the spread?

Woke up very early this morning - and kind of wish I didn't turn on the news..

Yes it is possible to have only one in a given area. If it was in the backpack of a child, and it was a male bug, then there would be no reason to suspect any others, as it would not have laid eggs in the building.

As to spreading? If you've followed the news they have already spread into all corners of the United States, and been reestablished in most Western countries. While the news has picked up on this within the past year, if you talk to a lot of exterminators you will find that they have actually been seeing this increase for about the past 10 years in major cities, and about 5 years in smaller cities.

I've said this in almost every bed bug thread. Arm yourself with information, not the mindless panic that the news sends out. There are a lot of good resources on the Intrawebs that can help you realize the situation is not dire, and getting rid of them (from your house) is certainly a plausible scenario.

The people who have spent $1000's of dollars are (A) more than likely living in apartments where the neighbors don't treat, (B) using a less than knowledgeable or less than credible exterminator, or (C) not doing the things they need to do to aid in the treatments, such as clearing their clutter, caulking the cracks in the room, etc.

 

[C.Ann]

Yes it is possible to have only one in a given area. If it was in the backpack of a child, and it was a male bug, then there would be no reason to suspect any others, as it would not have laid eggs in the building.

As to spreading? If you've followed the news they have already spread into all corners of the United States, and been reestablished in most Western countries. While the news has picked up on this within the past year, if you talk to a lot of exterminators you will find that they have actually been seeing this increase for about the past 10 years in major cities, and about 5 years in smaller cities..

Well - that's good to know.. But since the news has just started reporting on incidents in that area, I assumed it was new.. (Several of the articles I have read have stated it just that way - "Bed bugs migrating to upstate"..) Sounds like there was not much of an issue prior to this..

I actually think I may have had a run in with them on my last trip to WDW - in 2007.. Lots and lots of bites from an unknown source..

So does the cold weather have any impact on them or not?

 

[goodeats]

If you find one bedbug the presumption is there are many, many more hiding.

I heard a scary story on NPR. This lady's townhouse in NYC was infested with bedbugs. She put two in a sealed tupperware to see how long they could live without being able to feed. She checked on it a long time later (like over a month). Not only were those two little bedbugs still alive, but they had multiplied. Yuck!

I once thought we had fleas in our house and I went nuts. I can't imagine if we had bedbugs! Ack!

It does make traveling a scary prospect.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Well - that's good to know.. But since the news has just started reporting on incidents in that area, I assumed it was new.. (Several of the articles I have read have stated it just that way - "Bed bugs migrating to upstate"..) Sounds like there was not much of an issue prior to this..

I actually think I may have had a run in with them on my last trip to WDW - in 2007.. Lots and lots of bites from an unknown source..

So does the cold weather have any impact on them or not?

Cold weather will slow them down (making them easier to catch and kill), but in order to kill them, subfreezing temperatures would need to be maintained for an extended period of time. Temperatures about 120F have been the most effective tool, killing all stages of life & eggs in 30minutes to 1 hour. That's why putting all your clothes from vacation directly in the dryer on high heat for about an hour (before even washing them) is suggested upon arriving home.

She put two in a sealed tupperware to see how long they could live without being able to feed. She checked on it a long time later (like over a month). Not only were those two little bedbugs still alive, but they had multiplied.

Yes, it is widely believed they can survive, or go dormant for up to 18 months. In the case of the ones in the jar, though, I suspect they fed before being placed in the jar. A female adult only needs to feed once in order to start laying eggs.

 

[C.Ann]

If you find one bedbug the presumption is there are many, many more hiding.

I heard a scary story on NPR. This lady's townhouse in NYC was infested with bedbugs. She put two in a sealed tupperware to see how long they could live without being able to feed. She checked on it a long time later (like over a month). Not only were those two little bedbugs still alive, but they had multiplied. Yuck!.

Eeeeeew!

 

[MM27]

The costs you hear associated with getting rid of bedbugs depends on how they are treated. A friend of a friend had a college aged daughter that was getting bites. They have a ridiculously large house and hired a bedbug sniffing beagle to check their house so that they could see which rooms needed to be treated. The dog was expensive. The dog sniffed out bedbugs in the daughters room only, so they treated just that room.


As far as them just finding one. I could be that there only was one. Or it could mean that that's all they found .

 

[C.Ann]

They have a ridiculously large house and hired a bedbug sniffing beagle to check their house so that they could see which rooms needed to be treated. The dog was expensive. The dog sniffed out bedbugs in the daughters room only, so they treated just that room.


As far as them just finding one. I could be that there only was one. Or it could mean that that's all they found .

Seriously? There's such a thing as a "bed bug sniffing dog"????

I suppose "one" is possible - but I doubt it's likely..

Ick!!

 

[C.Ann]

http://rochester.ynn.com/content/top_stories/513126/bed-bug-problem-spreading-to-upstate-new-york/

This is an interesting video - and it shows a "bed bug sniffing dog"..

 

[DMRick]

If you find one bedbug the presumption is there are many, many more hiding..

Of course..and people from that school, will prob visit other areas of that county and outlying areas, and if their 'friends' are in a backpack, they may very well travel with them to other areas. One school plays another in a football game, changes in a locker area of another school, goes to stores, etc.

People stay all the time in hotels from other areas, with luggage, and have bug, will travel. Many people from the Albany area visit NYC, and it make sense that the bedbugs would hitch a ride. Heck, Schenectady will be hosting a large parade Friday with thousands and thousands of people, and relatives and friends will be at it from Saratoga..she could take one home with her!

I think it's more unusual that this is the first bedbug found, and I'd be willing to bet there are more all over the area. Already people doing reviews on Tripadvisor are reporting them in Albany and Saratoga (good old Google).

 

[RadioNate]

They are EVERYWHERE. Everywhere. My DS was bit at a hotel in GA. I'm paranoid and was able to prevent them coming home with us. I'm fairly certain that I brought them into my car from the hotel. We never saw a bug but I know they were there.

Living in Orlando we heard about them a lot. We also stayed at Disney a lot so I armed myself with tons of info before we encountered them. The last statistic I saw said that 10-11% of all hotel rooms are infested at any given time. According to the internet Disney has about 25,000 hotel rooms, so 2500 may be infested at any given time. That is a HUGE amount of rooms. After seeing bites on my DS I started noticing people all over WDW with bites. Once at BLT, I saw a guy who was just covered in them. On another trip there were 2 little girls who's legs were bloody & scabby from itching the welts.

A PP said this but yes the assumption is that if you see A bug, there are many more that you don't see. 1 bug is sufficient evidence for full treatment.

You couldn't pay me to go to NYC right now. I did ok at WDW but completely checked the rooms before bringing anything in and we kept luggage in bathrooms, zipped up and never on the floor or bed. We inspected and washed everything before bringing it into the house. That was without a known "encounter."

I detailed everything I did when we did encounter them in another bedbug thread.

 

[luvestodizz]

Three years ago my family went to Lancaster Pa.. One morning my 2 yo DS had bites on his back and I saw a black bug on the bed. I had heard about bedbugs so I started freaking out, naturally. We showed the manager, who said they would change the mattress. I took the critter home in a baggie. We took DS to his Ped who diagnosed the squished bug as a wood tick. I compared the bug to the internet pictures and it was definitely a bedbug. Thankfully no one else was bit and we did not take any home with us. So maybe there really can be only one. Now I take hotel beds apart and look everywhere for signs.

 

[C.Ann]

Well I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later..

Saratoga wouldn't surprise me in the least - considering that's where the track is and people come from all over the world to gamble at the race track.. Very, very likely they would carry them in their luggage..

Schools and hotels are bad - did some more checking and there are quite a few hotels in Albany and Schenectady.. There has to be some way of getting this under control..

Luckily, no traveling, no hotels, and no parades in our future.. LOL.. I guess that leaves the schools to be worried about - and probably Christmas shopping..

So why is it again that they can't do anything about this widely spreading infestation? Are people just supposed to dole out money left and right if they invade their homes?

Love the video of the bed bug sniffing dog though - never heard of that before.. LOL..

Ick!!!

 

[MM27]

Well I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later..

Saratoga wouldn't surprise me in the least - considering that's where the track is and people come from all over the world to gamble at the race track.. Very, very likely they would carry them in their luggage..

Schools and hotels are bad - did some more checking and there are quite a few hotels in Albany and Schenectady.. There has to be some way of getting this under control..

Luckily, no traveling, no hotels, and no parades in our future.. LOL.. I guess that leaves the schools to be worried about - and probably Christmas shopping..

So why is it again that they can't do anything about this widely spreading infestation? Are people just supposed to dole out money left and right if they invade their homes?
Love the video of the bed bug sniffing dog though - never heard of that before.. LOL..

Ick!!!

Because of the ban on DDT. Bedbugs were a problem in the past as well. In the 40s and 50s they almost all vanished in the US thanks to DDT.

My feeling is, if people are willing to take on any risks associated with it, it should be made available again. You have something that obviously works to get rid of bedbugs, yet people are spending a small fortune and hoping that other things work.

I have been doing a lot of reading about bedbugs recently because I had a student in one of my classes last year that came in with bites all over his arms and legs. He said they had bedbugs in his house. Nurse called home and sure enough, mom confirmed it. I started thinking about all the places in my classroom that could be a potential "host". Out of fear, I got rid of my carpet and a big chair that I had in my reading area. I also don't bring things home that have been in school. I change as soon as I walk in the door and keep my dirty clothes in black bags until I can wash them. I was everything in HOT water.

Might seem silly to change things because of the potential of getting them, but I really don't want to get them in my home and I'm going to be proactive to make sure I don't.

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Because of the ban on DDT. Bedbugs were a problem in the past as well. In the 40s and 50s they almost all vanished in the US thanks to DDT.

My feeling is, if people are willing to take on any risks associated with it, it should be made available again. You have something that obviously works to get rid of bedbugs, yet people are spending a small fortune and hoping that other things work.

I have been doing a lot of reading about bedbugs recently because I had a student in one of my classes last year that came in with bites all over his arms and legs. He said they had bedbugs in his house. Nurse called home and sure enough, mom confirmed it. I started thinking about all the places in my classroom that could be a potential "host". Out of fear, I got rid of my carpet and a big chair that I had in my reading area. I also don't bring things home that have been in school. I change as soon as I walk in the door and keep my dirty clothes in black bags until I can wash them. I was everything in HOT water.

Might seem silly to change things because of the potential of getting them, but I really don't want to get them in my home and I'm going to be proactive to make sure I don't.

The problem is that when the new "wave" of bed bugs started in the USA, they took samples and found that the bugs had already gained resistance to DDT. In fact there was evidence decades ago that it had already started.

That's the other issue at stake here. Many entomologists feel that bed bugs can adapt quickly, so a lot of people who are getting chemical treatments left and right are possibly creating a new resistance.

While it can take 1 or 2 months, it is possible to get rid of them with a minimal amount of chemicals, and some good old fashioned decluttering of your house.

I've had experience with this, and with all the resources available bed bugs can be nothing more than a temporary nuisance. Do I still take 5 to 10 minutes to inspect my hotel rooms? Heck, YES!

Do I worry about every little nook and cranny of the stores I shop in? No, because you would drive yourself crazy.

The truth is that they don't want to hitchhike. They have their nice, warm hiding places in your home. The chance of one actually wanting to leave a handbag/purse while out shopping is very minimal. Does it happen? Sure, but they don't want to be exposed to lights and/or elements.

Knowledge is power when it comes to stuff like this. Unnecessary panic won't help anyone. There are people living in infested apartment complexes in NYC who seem to carry on with their day-to-day business. That's because most of them have learned about what they're dealing with and know that with diligence they'll get through it.

 

[C.Ann]

The problem is that when the new "wave" of bed bugs started in the USA, they took samples and found that the bugs had already gained resistance to DDT. In fact there was evidence decades ago that it had already started.

That's the other issue at stake here. Many entomologists feel that bed bugs can adapt quickly, so a lot of people who are getting chemical treatments left and right are possibly creating a new resistance.

While it can take 1 or 2 months, it is possible to get rid of them with a minimal amount of chemicals, and some good old fashioned decluttering of your house.

I've had experience with this, and with all the resources available bed bugs can be nothing more than a temporary nuisance. Do I still take 5 to 10 minutes to inspect my hotel rooms? Heck, YES!

Do I worry about every little nook and cranny of the stores I shop in? No, because you would drive yourself crazy.

The truth is that they don't want to hitchhike. They have their nice, warm hiding places in your home. The chance of one actually wanting to leave a handbag/purse while out shopping is very minimal. Does it happen? Sure, but they don't want to be exposed to lights and/or elements.

Knowledge is power when it comes to stuff like this. Unnecessary panic won't help anyone. There are people living in infested apartment complexes in NYC who seem to carry on with their day-to-day business. That's because most of them have learned about what they're dealing with and know that with diligence they'll get through it.

Did you happen to watch that video that I added the link to? That poor man - all up and down his arms were an absolute mess!!!!

I forgot to ask before - do the bites itch? I think he said something about feeling the bites during the night - and them "stinging" - but I don't remember if he said they itched..

Whatever I came in contact with at Pop Century itched so bad I thought I would go out of my mind!!!!

 

[kimblebee]

If you find one bedbug the presumption is there are many, many more hiding.

I heard a scary story on NPR. This lady's townhouse in NYC was infested with bedbugs. She put two in a sealed tupperware to see how long they could live without being able to feed. She checked on it a long time later (like over a month). Not only were those two little bedbugs still alive, but they had multiplied. Yuck!
I once thought we had fleas in our house and I went nuts. I can't imagine if we had bedbugs! Ack!

It does make traveling a scary prospect.

Bedbugs can actually live up to 18 months without feeding.

I just had my own run in with the little critters and luckily it worked out in my favour. I live in a group of 7 townhouses and the house 2 down from me was grossly infested. Apparently it was a 18 year old kid who brought home an infected mattress and didn't tell anyone that he was infested. Our landlords were great and had everyone sprayed twice. Luckily I never had any bites or even signs that they had migrated to my place but it was such an ordeal to get ready to get sprayed.

 

[NotUrsula]

Living in Orlando we heard about them a lot. We also stayed at Disney a lot so I armed myself with tons of info before we encountered them. The last statistic I saw said that 10-11% of all hotel rooms are infested at any given time. According to the internet Disney has about 25,000 hotel rooms, so 2500 may be infested at any given time. That is a HUGE amount of rooms. After seeing bites on my DS I started noticing people all over WDW with bites. Once at BLT, I saw a guy who was just covered in them. On another trip there were 2 little girls who's legs were bloody & scabby from itching the welts.

Eh, I wouldn't be too sure that EVERY apparently bug-bitten person that you saw at WDW was a bedbug victim. There are other things that could cause that, including mosquitoes, chiggers and especially, biting yellow flies.

On our last visit (1st week in June) I got hit by yellow flies one afternoon at Epcot. I'm allergic to the stinkers, and I had welts all over my extemities for over a month before they faded, but it wasn't bedbugs. Disney has definite issues with yellow flies at certain times of the year, and there is no known pesticide or repellant that works against them. This past summer the infestation was at record levels, according to the Univ. of Florida.

I know that Disney resorts HAVE had issues with bedbugs being found, but depending on the time of year, it's fairly unlikely that the bites you saw were caused by bedbugs alone, or even mostly by bedbugs.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I wish I could get my husband to inspect hotel rooms for bed bugs. He travels alot and still won't do it.
I know he knows what to do and what to look for because I've showed him myself and showed him pictures so he can't use that as an excuse.

I've told him if he brings any home, he gets to deal with all the cleaning and washing involved.

 

[RadioNate]

Eh, I wouldn't be too sure that EVERY apparently bug-bitten person that you saw at WDW was a bedbug victim. There are other things that could cause that, including mosquitoes, chiggers and especially, biting yellow flies.

On our last visit (1st week in June) I got hit by yellow flies one afternoon at Epcot. I'm allergic to the stinkers, and I had welts all over my extemities for over a month before they faded, but it wasn't bedbugs. Disney has definite issues with yellow flies at certain times of the year, and there is no known pesticide or repellant that works against them. This past summer the infestation was at record levels, according to the Univ. of Florida.

I know that Disney resorts HAVE had issues with bedbugs being found, but depending on the time of year, it's fairly unlikely that the bites you saw were caused by bedbugs alone, or even mostly by bedbugs.

When I see people with bites in neat little rows, it's generally bedbugs. I'm not talking hundreds of people but I'd notice 1-2 in the course of weekend. Sometimes in a family you'd see 2 kids with them and no one else.

Like Toad_Passenger I've BTDT. I had a mysterious biting thing when I lived in Orlando. I worked with entomologists and PCOs who 1st assumed bed bugs. We never found any in my home but at the time I learned more than you could ever want to know about bed bugs. I have my own personal entomologist. I went through a similar process to bedbug eradication to fight what ever was biting me.

Due to that I learned everything I could in case we encountered them at WDW or elsewhere.

Then we moved from Orlando and my DS woke up with 38 bites after 1 night in the 1st hotel we stayed at! Pull out couch. I checked the beds.

I'm a former CM and know a few hotel managers at WDW. They get bed bugs. It is a problem facing ALL hotels. I think WDW does a great job of educating housekeeping on what to look for that a lot of time they catch the problem before guests do.

But I totally agree with Toad_Passenger. Panic is not the answer. Over using chemicals isn't either.