Do you have insect bites you can’t explain?
The health department in one Hudson County town recently sent out informational packets to residents to educate them on how to prevent and deal with a public enemy – bedbugs! “Bedbugs are not just an issue in Union City; they are countywide,” said Richard Censullo, health officer for Union City and North Bergen.
Censullo added, “We’ve had some isolated cases in Union City. We may have had probably about a dozen complaints since January, and we’re finding that a lot of the problems originate in the recycled mattress.” According to Censullo, the problem with recycled mattresses is that sometimes the bedbug eggs are in fibers. “Now the State Health Association is reporting it as a statewide infestation,” said Censullo. “I would say the bedbug problem has shown its head in the past two years.”
He added, “We’re seeing reports of these bedbugs in people’s homes, but we are also hearing of problems in the finest hotels, so it’s really not a reflection on a person’s housekeeping. It’s just getting to be a problem, which has been manifesting itself, and the only real way to deal with it is to put out an educational packet and to-do list.”
What are bedbugs?
According to www.hsph.harvard.edu, bedbugs are small wingless insects that feed solely upon the blood of warm-blooded animals. These parasites have been found to inhabit bird nests and bat roosts, while others have adapted well to living in the people’s homes, seeking shelter in cracks and crevices.
Bedbugs are oval in shape but are flat from top to bottom, and range in color from nearly white (after molting) or a light tan to a deep brown or burnt orange. Hatchling bedbugs are about the size of a poppy seed.
Last November, the New York Times reported that the epidemic was sweeping New York City, as bedbugs started to emerge in even the cleanest and most expensive apartments and neighborhoods, as well as in area hotels, private schools, and hospital maternity wards.
Current steps taken
The information packets from the local Health Department include steps to be taken prior to technicians coming into people’s dwellings to treat an infestation.
“We made up those packets about three months ago and distributed them to buildings where we are getting complaints,” said Censullo. “The city also passed an ordinance this past December that gave the Health Department the right to [inspect] the homes and provide extermination for these bedbugs. So what we do is in coordination with the exterminator so we don’t have a re-infestation.”
Carpets and floors must be vacuumed prior to any treatment. When vacuuming, pay particular attention to seams, tufts, and edges of mattresses and box springs, and the perimeter edge of wall-to-wall carpets. Afterward, dispose of the vacuum contents in a sealed trash bag. Mattresses should be removed from the bed frames and placed along the walls, and all sheets, blankets, and clothing should be removed and cleaned. All electrical plates should be removed as well, so that the technician can access the wall voids. And all personal items should be removed from the floor and furniture, away from the walls.
“Tenants have to pack bedding and certain clothes in plastic bags because they may contain eggs,” said Censullo. “They must have them laundered in very hot water before using it again. I also need to stress that although [bedbugs] are a nuisance and they bite, they are not a public health issue and have not been identified to transmit diseases.”
‘Don’t let the bedbugs bite’
How do you know if you have bedbugs?
Unfortunately, bedbugs are very hard to detect, and to properly diagnose the situation, professionals need to be brought in.
“Here’s the trick if you think they are on the bed,” said Censullo. “Get double sided tape, or one sided, and run the strip of tape in the bed at night. In the morning you will almost definitely see the guys stuck on the bed, and I can send somebody there to identify them. I like to use cellophane tape for a clearer picture.” Other signs of infestation include seeing bedbugs on the wall, their molted skins, or rusty or reddish stains on the bed sheets, mattresses, or walls.
Also, bites, which usually occur on any exposed bare skin, appear as itchy red welts, and people can often have swelling in the area of a bite a day or two after being bitten.
“Bedbugs bite, walk, and bite again – that is the pattern,” said Censullo. For more information or for assistance with an infestation, call the Union City Health Department at (201) 348-5608.