MEMPHIS, TN –

(WMC-TV) – Bed bugs are back and this time they shut down a Memphis dorm.

The Shelby County Health Department had to close the Ben Hooks Job Corps dorm because of the bed bug infestation.

Students staying in the Ben Hooks Job Corps Center dorms suffered welts all over their bodies following a bed bug infestation that some say has plagued the center for two years.

Photos of the students show their arms, stomachs, and legs covered it painful red bite marks. The students learned “Good night, don’t let the bed bugs bite” is not just a bedtime rhyme.

“We have students sleeping in chairs, sleeping on the floors because they’re tired of being bitten by bed bugs,” said former Job Corps board member Albert Robinson.

Robinson mentors students at the Ben Hooks Job Corps Center.

He said a pesky problem is shedding a dim light on Memphis and the State of Tennessee because students trained here come from all the country.

“We want it to be addressed and addressed properly so that the children can feel safe at the center,” said Robinson.

After a series of complaints, the Shelby County Health Department went in for an inspection and found bed bugs behind the beds, in mattresses, on sheets, and along the baseboards.

Link:
Bed bugs close Memphis dormitory

Bed bugs closed a school in Luzerne County Friday for the second time in a month.

Officials with the Wyoming Area School District said an office at J.F.Kennedy Elementary School in Exeter must be retreated for bed bugs.

The school was closed for a day late last month when the parasites first showed up.

Exterminators treated the school but not the bugs are back.

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Bed Bugs Back in School

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., May 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ –Cimex Exterminating Corp, a bed bug pest control company, has announced that it now offers financing. It is the only exterminating company in Virginia that offers this service for its customers.

“When you have a bed bug infestation, you don’t want to wait. You want to have the problem fixed as soon as possible,” said Kevin Campbell, co-founder of Cimex Exterminating Corp. “Our new financing program makes treatment possible for customers who would otherwise have to wait until their bed bug problem gets much worse before they could do anything about it.”

Campbell and co-founder Mark Drexler started the bed-bug-exclusive exterminating company because many general practice pest control companies in Virginia don’t treat bed bugs or don’t treat bed bugs successfully. Over the past few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of bed bug cases throughout the country, and especially in the central and southeastern portions of Virginia. While businesses, homeowners and landlords all need the services, some of them need financing, as well.

“Like I often tell my customers, no one keeps that proverbial jar on top of the fridge labeled ‘bed bug treatment,’” said Campbell. “Now that we have teamed up with Kristin Gerlach at Infiniquest, we’re able to offer our clients financing with same-day approval. Everybody qualifies.”

The small reddish-brown insects that feed on blood are known by the scientific name of Cimex lectularius Linnaeus. They are very difficult to eradicate, do not respond to traditional exterminating methods and may take two or more treatments before they are completely gone.

About Cimex Exterminating Corp: Cimex Exterminating Corp (http://www.cimexbedbug.com) is a bed bug removal company. With nearly 40 years of pest control experience, the Virginia-based business offers bed bug extermination through heat treatments and other eco-friendly methods. Cimex Exterminating is a member of the National Pest Management Association, Virginia Pest Management Association and the Tidewater Pest Control Association. It is the only exterminating company in southeastern Virginia that holds membership with the National Bed Bug Association.

The rest is here:
Cimex Exterminating Now Offers Financing Program

A couple from Nashville, Tennessee is suing an OFallon hotel for more than $250,000 following an alleged infestation of bed bugs during their stay. The hotels attorneys are fighting to dismiss the case and the hotel manager says bed bugs are not a problem.

Antwaine and Woodrow Ross allege the Days Inn OFallon hotel knew the critters Cinex lectularius, commonly known as bed bugs due to their tendency to be found in bedding, infested their rooms. The suit claims hotel employees did not warn guests of the bugs before they stayed in the hotel from March 19, 2010 through May 21, 2010, according to court documents.

The Rosses seek more than $50,000 from each of five counts, which include claims the hotel violated the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act by concealing the infestation. Days Inn attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss four of the five counts claiming in part that the Rosses misapprehend what constitutes a nuisance and a concurrent suit to stop an alleged nuisance and they fail to show the Days Inn acted with deliberate intention to harm.

Current hotel manager David Boan said the company has a different owner since the Rosses stayed at the hotel, located at 1320 Park Plaza Drive. He said bed bugs have not been an issue since he began employment with the company in November 2011, but noted the nuisance can be commonly treated.

Bed bugs feed off the blood of sleeping humans, causing itching and bumps to their victims. The lawsuit was filed against the hotels owner group, Caseyville Hotel Investors LLC, on March 21 in St. Clair County court. The manager of the owner group is Sanjay T. Patel, according to a database hosted on the website of the Illinos Secretary of State. Patel did not respond to a request to be interviewed.

The Rosses allege the bed bugs hitched a ride in their luggage from the hotel to their home in Tennessee. The couple claims the infestation forced them to destroy clothing, furniture, bedding, a mattress, and to fumigate the home. Along with reimbursement for those alleged losses, the couple also claims the infestation caused extensive emotional distress and loss of sleep and seek compensation for medical treatment and residual scarring from the bugs.

When the couple complained to the hotel, they claim the property manager at the time and other employees confirmed some rooms in the hotel had bed bugs, according to court documents.

The Better Business Burea has rated the hotel a C+, mostly due to three allegations of bed bug-related issues since 2010. The complaints stem from stays in October 2011, November 2011, and March 2012.

In the October 2011-related complaint, representatives with Days Inn OFallon say the company takes complaints of bed bugs very seriously since it could destroy us in a very short period and point to a national epidemic of the pests in 2010.

To prevent bed bug issues, the hotel states a program was instituted in 2010 that included:

Link:
Days Inn O'Fallon sued following alleged bed bug infestation

Good night, sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite. The well-known nursery rhyme is more of a reality than you might think or hope. On Thursday the Sioux Falls Health Department held a bed bug panel to raise awareness about the pests.

If your skin isn’t crawling yet it will be soon. You also may want to double check your bed sheets tonight. Bed bugs are on the rise across the country, South Dakota is no exception.

“We have seen a steady increase of bed bug samples being sent in to our clinic.” Said Buyung Hadi, an entomologist with SDSU.

In the pastfour months theSDSU entomology clinic has identifiedfive bed bug samples. A yearly total of three is considered abnormally high.

“Our message today would be for tenants to talk with landlords, heyI got a problem here can you take a look.” Said Kevin Smith, director of building services for Sioux Falls.

Afew Sioux Falls hotels and apartments have seen bed bug cases and the city health department wants people to be aware.

Tim Nicolai was just one of the landlord’s who stopped by for more information on the pests.

“The main reasonI came down today is to see what our next step is in controlling the issue we have before it gets out of hand in Sioux Falls.” Said Nicolai.

The health department says the first step is finding them.

“The bed bugs themselves will congregate in areas close to their host, which is mainly a bed, you’re stationary, not moving, you’re easy to get to and they have nice little corners and tucks in your mattress where they can hide.” Saidhealth program director Denise Patton.

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Sioux Falls raising awareness to bed bugs