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KINGSTON – Cimex lectularius, also known as the dreaded bedbug,
is invading mattresses, box springs, and many other cracks and crevasses
throughout Kingston. In fact, the blood-sucking varmint has become so
prevalent throughout urban neighborhoods, that one of the little critters
might be hiding nearby, waiting to feast on you.
A representative of the Bedbug Coalition, an ad-hoc awareness group, appeared before the City of Kingston Common Council’s Law and Rules Committee, seeking stricter guidelines regulating landlords.
“There is no law about bedbugs in Kingston right now,” said coalition speaker Francesca Portolano. “It’s very generic; tenants have to be responsible for treating an infestation of any kind, if the landlord claims there was no previous infestation prior to the tenant moving in,” she noted.
Portolano said bedbugs have been found in a computer, buses, a movie
theater, police station and hospital. She said the situation has reached
epidemic proportions.
“This is a parasite, so mice, roaches, water bugs – they don’t live off the host; the host is you and I. So we are all at risk. If you speak to the health department, we are all at risk in the city,” she said. “So, if you go to Marshall’s and try on clothes, you can sit at a booth in a diner or in a chair at a doctor’s office – we are all susceptible. The health department feels that they don’t want to get involved because this is not a parasite that transmits disease like ticks that transmit Lyme disease.”
Dan Gartenstein, assistant corporation counsel, advised the committee that he can prosecute landlords under the existing “unsafe condition” clause of the building code.
“Changing the legislation isn’t going to do it. It’s not a matter of legislation, it’s a matter of enforcement and communication,” Garenstein said.
The coalition was instructed to advise affected tenants and report bedbug infestation to the city’s building department, which will then issue the landlord an order to remedy. The coalition was invited to return to the committee at a later date and report progress eradicating the scourge.
Health Department officials have made an informative pamphlet available, which was published by New York City. They do not address bedbugs specifically because unlike ticks, the insects are not considered likely to spread disease. However, recent studies have confirmed that bedbugs may harbor T. cruzi in their feces, which causes Changas, an illness responsible for 50,000 annual deaths in Latin America.
Other important facts about bedbugs:
The pesky parasites can survive over a year without food
Heat kills them at 120 F. degrees after 20 minutes; 90 minutes for the eggs
Washing laundry in hot water kills the bugs; clothes dryer finishes off eggs
Mattress and box spring covers keep new bugs out, and old bugs trapped inside
CimeXa is a cheap non-toxic powder that kills 85 percent of bedbugs, lasts 10 years
Bugs hide in mattress seams, electrical outlets, any crack wider than a credit card
Usually live within six feet of your bed, can be detected with DIY CO2 trap.
For more – info, visit http://bedbugger.com
