RI, MA EHS Pest Control Blog

City thoroughly cleans cars to stop possible contamination after an investigation uncovered bed bugs.

Bethlehem police had to take four vehicles out of service for a few days for a possible bedbug contamination, an official said.

The vehicles were parked after officers were called to a death investigation shortly after midnight Friday in the 1000 block of Carlisle Street, said police Capt. David Kravatz.

The woman's death is not suspicious, police said. While inside her home, officers saw bedbugs, Kravatz said.

Four vehicles used by officers on the call were taken out of service until they could be treated for a possible bedbug contamination. By Monday afternoon, the vehicles had been decontaminated and thoroughly washed before they were put back on the road.

"It was a precautionary measure and a courtesy to our officers to take those vehicles out of service to make sure that if there are bedbugs, they don't spread anywhere else," Kravatz said.

A handful of vehicles have been taken out of service before to be treated for possible bedbug infestations, and that problem could increase due to recent record-high temperatures, Kravatz said.

But dirty police vehicles are hardly unusual and are a less-than-glamorous aspect of police work that the public may not often see, he said.

Officers are often subjected to unsanitary conditions including garbage, fleas, roaches and ticks.

Any call involving a skunk may take a police vehicle out of commission for a few days, Kravatz said.

Skunks spotted during the day are often put down by police officers, for fear the animals may be rabid. But he said some officers may be willing to remove a smelly skunk carcass to help a distressed resident.

"I've had new officers even double-bag the skunk, thinking that would contain the smell," he said. "That never works. Even though the car is scrubbed clean, it seems like that smell lingers for days."

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

Saying she was traumatized after suffering 25 bedbug bites in the fall at a Holiday Inn in North Carolina, a Spring Valley woman has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the company that operates the hotel chain.

Yvonne Rollins, 56, is suing InterContinental Hotels Group, seeking more than $7 million, alleging negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in White Plains, Rollins says that the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites in Laurinburg, N.C., had a duty to provide her a “vermin-free” room during her two-night stay in October as she visited the area for a family reunion.

According to the suit, Rollins awoke to her cell phone ringing on Oct. 19, turned on a light and saw “something run across her pillow.” That’s when she noticed welts on her left wrist, arm, and hand, as well as a “huge hickey” on her forehead.

When she pulled back the seam of the pillow case, “hundreds of bedbugs scurried out,” the suit says. Rollins, who was staying in the room with her aunt, screamed and ran to tell a man working at the front desk, who agreed to check it out.

“Yeah they’re bugs all right,” he told her, scooping them into a cup and photographing them, as he planned to take them to a manager. With no other rooms available, he offered Rollins sheets to change the bed, but she declined, staying on the second-floor with a relative.

“This isn’t a case about whether the hotel exterminated,” Alice T. Crowe, a lawyer for Rollins, said today. “This is a case about a hotel’s failing housekeeping practices.”

Rollins, who sought medical attention after the attack and was prescribed medication to treat anxiety, also suffered a “persistent nervous cough” because of the episode, the lawsuit filing says, adding that doctors also told her that her condition might compromise her recovery from breast cancer, since bedbugs are known to carry some pathogens.

“It becomes a concern to know that,” Crowe said.

Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University, said when contacted by The Journal News/LoHud.com that such suits are usually about negotiating a settlement, rather than hoping to collect full damages — in this case more than $7 million.

But Crowe bristled at any such suggestion.

“What price would you put on someone’s dignity?” Crowe said.

Rollins, who works part time as a nurse, said in an interview today that she has mostly recovered from the incident.

“I’m hanging in there,” she said. “It happened in October so most of that has worn off, the effects.”

Rollins filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2000 but said her financial affairs are in order and the lawsuit isn’t about money.

Officials at InterContinental Hotels Group could not immediately be reached for comment.

A picture is worth a thousand words! This is a massive infestation that spanned 8+ months. The person did not report bedbugs despite being eaten alive! As a result the job got significantly more complex and thus expensive as a result because one unit affected four! INSPECT….INSPECT…INSPECT!!! What you don’t know can hurt you, especially with bedbugs!

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

The picture literally does tell the whole story! Scary but true!

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Local Man Burns Mattress, Claims Bed Bug Infestation

Health inspectors found no evidence of bed bugs in rooms at the Franklin Motel even after an alleged infestation caused a local man to burn a mattress.

The man, Fred Fehrmann, 48, of Marshalltown, burned the mattress after a coworker called him to the motel for assistance, and he and his wife discovered the mattress was rife with bed bugs.

Tuesday's incident marks the third accusation of bed bugs at the motel, 1108 Iowa Ave. W., since May 31, according to Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Inspectors found no evidence of bed bugs in any of the three inspections.

Still, Laura Fehrmann, Fred's wife, tells a different story.

When she and her husband went over to aid the coworker, she said, she couldn't believe how bad the parasitic infestation was.

"I was so dumbfounded. I was at a loss for words," she said.

Even after her husband got home from burning the mattress, she made him take his clothes off outside their home and leave them in a bucket of oil, she said.

David Werning, a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, said his department treats every complaint as if it were legitimate and requires the owner to show proof that he or she has called in an exterminator, something Franklin Motel owner, James Hostetter, had not done for the two previous complaints.

After the Thursday inspection, Inspections and Appeals required the owner to provide monthly invoices from a pest control agency showing that he is taking the appropriate measures.

"We aren't taking anyone's word for it," Werning said.

Although the inspector found no evidence of bed bugs, Werning acknowledged that the insects are nocturnal and hard to spot during the day.

Fehrmann said she put her husband up to burning the mattress because she was concerned for the welfare of the residents' 2-year-old child.

"The manager didn't care at all," she said. "He said 'you guys brought them in and you need to take care of them.'"

Franklin Motel's manager declined to comment for this story.

An incident report at the Marshalltown Police Department confirms Fehrmann's husband, Fred, started the fire, which, according to the report, could land him a reckless use of fire charge, a simple misdemeanor.

"It's not legal to burn a mattress," said Fire Marshal Deb Lundgren.

The fire was relatively small, Lundgren said, and only took firefighters a few minutes to extinguish.

As of Friday morning, MPD reports do not indicate police have arrested Fred Fehrmann.

Fehrmann said she and her husband will deal with any consequences. In fact, she was the one who called the police and fire departments. Whatever the fallout it will be a far shot better than letting the family sleep on the floor, which is what she said they had been doing for some time.

"People need to know how bad the situation is," Fehrmann said of the numerous complaints about bed bugs at the motel.

The mattress belonged to the owner of the motel, who is in the process of evicting the couple, Werning said.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA

This is happening more and more! The company below is linked to the Massachusetts company that did the same exact illegal actions. They broke the law by using a product inconsistent with its labeling. They used an agricultural-exterior product indoors plus not labeled to be used for bedbugs!!! They also used undocumented citizens (illegal aliens) for the labor.

Bottom line is that if you choose a company based soley on the cheapest price you get what you deserve! Bedbugs require expertise and a company with experience + integrity. That plus you should always check their licenses, references, web site, member of local and national pest management associations, etc. YOU GET THAT PLUS SO MUCH MORE WITH EHS….the industry leader in bedbug elimination.

DEP Fines Newark Company $860K for Using Hazardous Chemicals While Spraying for Bedbugs

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has levied a $860,000 fine against Newark-based TVF Pest Control for “misapplication of hazardous pesticides in residences to control bedbugs” during work done in Jersey City and other locations.

The fine comes on the heels of a DEP investigation last summer that found TVF used chemicals not appropriate for indoor use in at least 50 residences and apartments in Hudson, Essex, Hudson and Union counties between January and June 2010.

In addition to the main fine, the DEP is looking to permanently revoke TVF’s pesticide business license and the individual applicator licenses for owner Josimar Ferreira and employee Javier Godoy. The DEP also has charged TVF $10,625 for the cost of the department’s chemical sampling in this matter, and levied a $10,000 penalty against TVF corporate officer Marta Braga for an applicator licensing violation. TVF and the individuals may continue to operate pending the outcome of an administrative hearing, provided a request for a hearing is filed with DEP within 35 days.

“This is an issue of public health and welfare,” DEP commissioner Bob Martin says in a statement. “The DEP is sending a strong and clear message in this case that when companies put residents at risk by intentionally misusing pesticides in dealing with bedbugs they will be dealt with severely.”

The DEP’s investigation, which began after Massachusetts officials told DEP officials that TVF was the subject of a federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) probe in that state, found that the company was spraying Malathion and Carbaryl inside homes and apartments, both of which are hazardous chemicals not approved for indoor use.

“We want pest control companies and individuals to address the bedbug problem in a safe, responsible manner,” Martin says. “They should use only registered pesticides and employing smart, approved housekeeping practices and non-pesticide techniques to control the troubling insects.”

In announcing the fines, the DEP points out that New Jersey residents have the right to obtain notification information from companies to identify chemicals used to control pests in their residences.

“The DEP urges residents to arm themselves with information about pesticides used in their homes,” DEP assistant commissioner for compliance and enforcement Wolf Skacel says in a statement. “Also, we are cautioning that pesticides can only be used in strict accordance with the product label. Persistent bedbug problems sometimes prompt companies or desperate residents to use substances that can create hazardous situations, leading to potential health problems that are far more serious than bedbug bites.”

If TVF has applied liquid spray to control bedbugs in your residence prior to July 2010 and no one has contacted you yet, the DEP wants to hear from you immediately at 609-984-6513 (or 609-984-6914 for Spanish speakers).

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA 

Stabbing Follows Spraying for Bedbugs and Attack with 2 Vacuums and a Stool

A Lafayette man stabbed his roommate Saturday evening after an argument escalated into a physical fight while they were spraying for bedbugs, court documents allege.

Jeffrey Hale Ringen, 50, was charged Monday in Tippecanoe Circuit Court with battery by means of a deadly weapon, a Class C felony; criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon, a Class D felony; and misdemeanor battery.

He was being held Monday afternoon in the Tippecanoe County Jail on a $10,000 surety bond, jail staff confirmed.

The victim, Timothy Murry, suffered stab wounds to his left hand and forearm, along with minor injuries to his lip and elbows.

He was treated at St. Elizabeth Central hospital and released, a hospital spokeswoman said Monday.

The incident took place about 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the 1400 block of Elizabeth Street.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Murry told officers that he and Ringen were spraying pesticides to kill bedbugs in their home.

But Murry refused to continue after Ringen cut himself and got blood on the sprayer while trying to remove a plastic piece from it.

This led to a fight in which Murry claimed that Ringen attacked him with two vacuums and a stool, then retrieved a hunting knife. Murry said the knife was aimed at his abdomen, but he managed to block the knife with his arm.

Ringen, however, claimed it was Murry who “jumped” on him, so he reciprocated. He admitted to grabbing a baseball bat to chase Murry from the home but denied stabbing him.

Officers found a knife, with what appeared to be spots of blood on the blade and handle, in a drawer. Ringen said he “might have” put the knife there.

George Williams,
General Manager - Staff Entomologist

Pest Control, RI, Pest Control, MA