| Bedbugs, stealthy and fast-moving
nocturnal creatures that were all but eradicated by DDT after World War Ⅱ, have
recently been found in hospital maternity wards, private schools and even a
plastic surgeon's waiting room. Bedbugs are back and spreading like a swarm of
locusts on a lush field of wheat. "It's becoming an epidemic," said Jeffrey
Eisenberg, the owner of Pest Away Exterminating, a business that receives about
125 bedbug calls a week, compared with just a handful five years ago. Last year
the city logged 377 bedbug violations, up from just 2 in 2002 and 16 in 2003.
Since July, there have been 449. "It's definitely a fast-emerging problem," said
Carol Abrams, spokeswoman for the city housing agency. In the bedbug resurgence, entomologists and exterminators blame increased immigration from the developing world, the advent of cheap international travel and the recent banning of powerful pesticides. Other culprits include the recycled mattress industry and those thrifty citizens who revel in the discovery of a free sofa on the sidewalk. Unlike mice and roaches, which are abetted by filthy surroundings, bedbugs do just fine in a well-scrubbed home. And they don't dwell just in mattresses and box springs: any wall or floor crack--the thickness of a playing card--can accommodate a bedbug. The modern bedbug is immune to insecticides, and setting off a cockroach bomb in the bedroom will only scatter them farther afield. And because they are active only at night, many people don't discover them until their population has grown into the hundreds, or even thousands. Exterminators recommend bagging and washing every bit of clothing and fabric in the room and taking apart bureau drawers and bed frames in preparation for the application of four kinds of chemicals. The process often needs to be repeated. Worst of all, bedbug sufferers say, is the stigma of living with an insect that feeds on blood--though it does not transmit disease--and leaves behind a trail of red bumps. In interviews with more than a dozen bedbug sufferers, only a handful would speak on the record, saying they feared the condemning glares of neighbors or the shunning of co-workers. A bedbug infestation, many say, puts a strain on relationships, all but ruling out staying the night. Kellianne Scanlan, 30, a hairstylist who lives in Washington Heights, has been living like a nomad since last month. "My life has become all about bedbugs." she said. To calm her friends and to ensure that she does not spread the bugs, she takes an extra set of clothing and changes when she arrives at their homes for overnight visits. |