Bedbugs On The Rise In NYC -- Michael

Maybe this is why Ace left town. Let's see if the infestation hits Boston next.

By SEWELL CHAN

Published: September 19, 2006

New York City is experiencing a dramatic resurgence in bedbugs — those pesky oval insects that hide in the crevices of furniture and feast on human blood at night — and officials are confounded about how best to respond.

Moreover, city officials revealed yesterday that state regulators had failed to publish standards for sanitizing used mattresses and box springs before they can be resold — even though such standards were supposed to be developed years ago. The proliferation of secondhand furniture is believed to be one factor in the rise in bedbug infestations.

Although bedbugs are not considered a major health threat because they do not transmit disease, they can cause itchy welts and often require expensive exterminations. In the last fiscal year, the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development received 4,638 complaints about bedbugs in rental housing — nearly five times as many as in the previous year.

Gotta love the New York Times. They can't even report on bedbugs without immediately assuming that this illustrates the need for more government regulations. Why not just let the bedbugs bite until people get wise about buying used mattresses?

Another Reason City Never Sleeps: More Bedbugs

posted by Ace at 02:08 PM

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