Council authorizes money for bedbug problem

From Crains:

City Council in $500K counter-attack on bedbugs The pleas of bedbug-plagued businesses across New York City have been answered. On Wednesday, the City Council announced it would make available $500,000 for a new website and specialized staff dedicated to helping Big Apple residents and businesses manage the bedbug epidemic. These resources came as a result of a recent report commissioned by the city.

Last year, the city formed a bedbug advisory board, comprised of entomologists, industry experts and representatives from city agencies, to examine the issue. Their findings, as reported on Wednesday, have led to the Bed Bug Portal, a website where the public can access instructions on preventing, confirming and dealing with an infestation. Property owners can also contact enforcement teams from the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene and Housing Preservation, though it is still up to the businesses and landlords, not the city, to pay for extermination.