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Today's Poll: Are you worried about bed bugs?

By Howard B. Owens
Jason Crater

It's an epidemic in larger cities. Brought by travelers from hotel to hotel.

Niketown in NYC just closed because of an outbreak in their store.

Sep 22, 2010, 8:45am Permalink
Julie A Pappalardo

A&F in SoHo had to close thier flagship store a few moths ago due to an infestation. So did Victoria's Secret.........

(Shudder)

Sep 22, 2010, 11:01am Permalink
Doug Yeomans

scratch....scratch.....scratch....

Beth, you can actually request that a room be turned out completely before you occupy it. Tell the hotel that you want the beds stripped with new linens and you want the carpets sprinkled with some kind of parasite powder and then vacuumed. Don't forget the chair that's always in the room, too!

Sep 22, 2010, 3:38pm Permalink
Robert Tretter

I have read when you go into a hotel room don't leave your luggage on the bed to unpack because you will be bringing them home with you. They will crawl into the suit case on the bed or on the floor.

Sep 22, 2010, 3:54pm Permalink
Tim Howe

Sleep tight,
Dont let the bedbugs bite.
If they do, hit them with a shoe,
And they will turn black and blue.

Some friends and I went to NYC about a month and a half ago for about 5 days to catch a couple yankee games and do some "touristy" things, and this story was on EVERY news channel EVERY night. Thank God the Best Western we stayed in was really clean (at least as far as we knew) but the news said that the empire state building was infested along with "usual" places you would expect like hotels/motels. They also said it was not a problem just concentrated to NYC but it was (at the time, i dont know the present situation) the entire east coast that had major problems. They had pest control "experts" on that said they were losing the battle, and they were hard at work trying to devolop new pesticides to fight them. Appearently the ones they were using were not working.

Imagine hearing all of this as you lay on top of your motel bed every night...LOL

Sep 22, 2010, 4:40pm Permalink
Shannon Mellander

My family and I are off to a wedding in Cincinnati in a week. I am so nervous to bring bed bugs home. I read that Cincinnati is #4 on the list of the most infested cities (NYC being #1) and they have even had the Dept. of Defense in on the issue. Apparently back in the 70s they used to use DDT to banish the guys, but not available today for indoor use.

Sep 22, 2010, 5:11pm Permalink
Bryant Tyson

Shannon you might want to edit your post. Useing your full name and posting when your family won't be at home may not be a good idea.

Sep 22, 2010, 6:56pm Permalink
Dave Olsen

They're taking a world view drawn from the dreams of their fathers who wished for retribution for ill-gotten clean beds by the oppression of hotel maids.

Sep 22, 2010, 6:57pm Permalink
Shannon Laurer

The best thing you can do is check in with out your luggage, go to the room, check underneath the mattress on the box spring(for stains) and behind the head boards, that's where they stay til lights out. If you see anything that looks like it might be a bed bug or signs of, check back out and find another hotel!

Sep 22, 2010, 7:53pm Permalink

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