Bed Bugs In The Big Apple

by Ade Pranata

Unlike the struggling Mets and Knicks, bed bugs have again made headlines in New York City. In 2004, bed bug violations in New York City totaled 377 in 2004, up sharply from only two in 2002 and 16 in 2003. Reports of bed bug infestations continuously come from different parts of the US but those coming from New York are seemingly the most disturbing.

Hordes of bed bugs were found in a duplex apartment in Park Avenue, while residents of a Riverside Drive co-op spent $20,000 to get rid of these pesky insects. The comeback of bed bugs has been attributed by entomologists and pest control groups to the continued entry of immigrant settlers coming from third world countries, increased travel activity and use of less effective insecticides.

Battling the Distribution of Bed Bugs

by Ade Pranata

Bed bugs are insects that do not have wings. They are roughly shaped oval. They measure, once fully grown, from four to five millimeters long. You might find the next piece of information unexpected, but bed bugs are fast runners.

There are easy to see on white linoleum or marble floors, but very difficult to spot on brown wooden floors. This is so because bed bugs are rust brown in color and they even change into a deeper red brown when they finish a blood meal.

The fact that bed bugs are dorsoventrally flat assists their distribution. Since they are so thin, they can squeeze in and fit in very narrow cracks and crevices, oftenly ones that may be found on the floor. Because of their great skillful hiding, bed bugs are very hard to detect.