Thursday, February 19, 2009

Bed bugs a-breedin'

From the Daily News:

New York's bedbug infestation is getting worse, with almost 10,000 complaints to the city last year - one-third higher than the year before.

"There are lots and lots of people who are having a devastating experience with bedbugs," said Renee Corea, who helped start the coalition New York vs. Bed Bugs after being bitten. "We are already regarded as the most highly infested city in the United States."

New Yorkers called 311 with 9,213 bedbug complaints in the last fiscal year, up 33.7% from the year before, according to records that Corea's group obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

That probably understates the problem, Corea said, because uncounted numbers of New Yorkers call exterminators instead of phoning 311.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, we also have them in Rego Park and Forest Hills. It's not helping that my landlord (Lefrak) is not doing proper exterminations.

Might even say they have turned it into a sideline business and another way to harrass Rent Stabilized tenants.

They refuse to let staff help the tenants to prepare for extermination saying "we don't want them where there are bedbugs".
But for $100 they will do the steaming and if you don't pay they tell you do it yourself.

Also they tell each tenant that it's their fault and if the tenant reports the problem to HPD they take you to Court claiming no access and then drop the case a minute before trial. I certainly call that retalitory.

People are struggling in this economy and it's costing them big time.

Anonymous said...

We had them in my building and my downstairs neighbor swore that the landlord intentionally introduced them.

The bugs drove at least one long-time elderly couple in our building out of their rent-stabilized home.

If they show up in my apartment, I'm mailing them back to the landlord with my rent check. (Alive, of course.)

Anonymous said...

there has been a serious bed bug infestation beginning in 2004 at
37-65 61 street in Woodside.

Landlord lies to the the tenants all the time,tries to claim they brought in the bed bugs, but they were there before anyone got there.

Anonymous said...

There are lawyers who are wondering if they are being introduced by landlords to get rid of Rent Stabilized tenants.

Anonymous said...

Flushing has a serious problem. Apartment buildings along Sanford Avenue are completely infested. Many tenants wont allow exterminators in to apartments, so tenants who do have their apartments sprayed just reduce the problem for a short time and then the bugs are back.

People bringing other people's used and discarded furniture back into their apartments just keep the problem going.

Any landlord that would introduce these bugs to their property to get rid of rent controlled tenants is an idiot, as they will probably never be able to get rid of the problem.

Anonymous said...

4242 colden st. in flushing has a serious bed bug problem. When this was brought to the attention of the super,he claims the building does not have a bed bug problem,and don't bother him.Do not rent or buy in that building.

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