November 16, 2009

Bed Bug Question

I have an important question related to bedbugs. First, I've never had bedbugs in my life. Never seen one, never had a bite. The other day I found a very small bug crawling on my couch and caught it. Took it to an exterminator because it looked suspicious and it turns out that it is indeed a bedbug. I've thoroughly searched the couch and surrounding area and not seen anymore bugs, or any of the other signs of them (blood stains, shedded skins, etc.). Also no one that lives in my apartment has any bites, or has ever had any bites. We found the bug last week and have been on alert for any new signs, but nothing.

So my question is this. Should I go ahead and do the treatment anyway, or risk it and not do anything? The treatment is very thorough and time consuming (not to mention expensive) and involves basically ripping apart my whole apartment, spending hours and hours cleaning, doing laundry, etc. If I don't have anymore bugs, it seems crazy to do all that. But then, I also definitely do not want to end up with an infestation.

I searched alot online, but can't seem to find any information about what to do if you find a bug, but no bites. Usually it's the other way around. The exterminator had no opinion either way, he said it's up to us. Thoughts?

Animal Living in the Wall

Help! For the past 4 nights my husband and I have heard scratching coming from one of our bedroom walls. Over the past couple of days it has gotten worse...we now have to sleep in the living room. The sound is almost like a scratching followed by a swirling sound (I know, weird). Does anyone have any idea what type of animal this is? We live in a co-op and the management company told us "dont worry it will get bored and leave after a while". I don't think that is going to be the case. Anyone have this problem before..if so, what type of animal was it and how did you remedy it.
THANKS!

November 5, 2009

Mouse Infestation - Help!

We rent the top two floors of an old wood frame house. We moved in in August and, in the last month or so, have discovered that we have a mouse problem. Initially we thought it was just one mouse, but, after capturing 3 so far (and finding another dead one behind the fridge), we're realizing that we have a much bigger problem.

We're taking all the appropriate steps -- plugging up all holes with steel wool, putting down traps, having an exterminator come by -- so I guess my question is: is it possible to win this battle? Or are mice just too resourceful (and too quick to reproduce) to be successful? Any advice? Thanks!

November 3, 2009

Bed Bug Early Detection

I recently signed a lease on an apartment. After signing the lease, I discovered that the building has bed bugs (I checked the wrong address before signing the lease). From the posting on the bed bug registry, it seems that the complaint is about the specific apartment that I will be moving into.

I will be moving in 3 weeks, and I am thinking perhaps cleaning, while the apartment is empty, is the best option. I am worried though that no matter what I do to the individual apartment, it won't be enough. Money is always a consideration, so I will probably be doing the cleaning myself.

Should I mop the floors (hardwood) and walls with rubbing alcohol?
Should I demand the landlord repaint the entire apartment?
Should I buy plastic covers for my bed and couch? (ugh $150 for a quality cover)

Since there is only one complaint on the registry, all of this is somewhat hearsay. I will try to inspect and find bedbugs in the floor boards, but not sure I would be able to find them even if they are there. I think the apartment has been vacant for about 4-5 months. Any other places I should check?

Any advice that people can offer would be greatly appreciated.

October 30, 2009

Mice in Bed-Stuy

We've been renting a floor-thru in a brownstone for a year and a half. We saw a mouse when we first moved in, but after plugging in some holes we went an entire year before seeing another one. Five months ago, we started seeing a mouse and/or droppings almost everyday. We suspect it is because the next building over had construction work done. We've plugged more holes. Our landlord had a handyman come in to plug additional holes.

We have used glue traps and poison, but neither have worked. We keep the kitchen super clean and throw out the garbage regularly. The only thing that was effective was peppermint oil but only for about a week.

Our landlord does not want to hire an exterminator. She doesn't seem to think mice are that big of a deal. "This is NYC" she says. Also, she thinks an exterminator will just lay down poison which she could do herself.

Any other suggestions for things we can do? Is it worth us hiring an exterminator to just work on our floor or is it only effective if the whole building is done?

October 27, 2009

Pest Control Necessary?

How necessary is regular pest control? We just bought and moved into a 2-family brownstone. The sellers had been getting Orkin's anti-roach gel treatment 4x/year and say they never saw bugs. We've also seen nothing in the weeks we've been there. We'd been planning to continue the quarterly treatments, but when we asked the Orkin guy how often he treats his own home, he chuckled and said, "Never." I appreciate his honesty and am now wondering about the necessity of preventative treatments. I may scale back to 2x/year or eliminate the treatments altogether, calling an exterminator in the event I see a roach. Are preventative treatments really necessary?

October 5, 2009

Unusual Bug Infestation

After having nearly any bug problems in the many, many years I've been in my home...new tenants who JUST moved in on the top floor alerted me last night to an infestation they seemed to have in their bedroom (top floor, rear window where there IS a good deal of ivy hanging).

I've never seen anything like this...brownish/black insects about 1/2 - 3/4 long with legs and wings. They seem to be coming in droves. They appear to me to be more of an "outdoor" bug...maybe in the beetle family, but I really don't know.

Our plan is to cut back the ivy today, but I wonder if anyone has had a similar problem, might know what this bug is, and most importantly....can anyone recommend a good exterminator???!!!

Many thanks.

September 1, 2009

Exterminator Rec Needed

Anyone know a good exterminator? Someone that uses organic materials would be great.

thanks.

August 24, 2009

Bedbug alert

I just read that if you take a backpack to work & put it on the floor, you should launder it the minute you get home - esp. if you work in publishing.

Exterminator in Park Slope

I just had an offer accepted on an apartment that has a cockroach problem. I think the problem is caused by a) current messy owners and b) apts on either side recently underwent renovations, which in my experience, has been known to cause bug/rodent problems in neighboring apartments. Can anyone recommend an exterminator? We need to get rid of the critters before we move in.

Forum: Exterminator