Bronx New York Bed Bugs
Of all the New York boroughs you’ll be surprised to know that Staten Island and the Bronx rank last in terms of bed bug complaints. Staten Island is so low as to be categorized “statistically insignificant” and the Bronx is not too far behind with the second-lowest number of bed bug complaints since 2007. When city officials began issuing seminars and workshops for educating residents and building owners on how to treat bed bug infestations the Bronx was being excluded and many saw it as another in the city’s long history of ignoring it’s borough to the north.
Actually, the oversight was a form of compliment since the city had come to find out the majority of complaints were originating in the more tony neighborhoods of Park Avenue, Cobble Hill and Williamsburg. When it came to the Bronx residents weren’t reporting bed bug sightings either because there were none or they simply didn’t care enough to call it in.
Meanwhile the rest of New York is in a near panic over the rapid resurgence of bed bugs. Complaints to city officials have sky-rocketed in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens while the Bronx has remained comparatively silent regarding this problem. Some cynics will argue that the Bronx has plenty of bed bugs but when compared to guns, drugs and gang violence it’s the least of a resident’s worries. Still, the lack of complaints combined with very little physical evidence of bed bugs leads some officials to believe the Bronx may be safer when it comes to pest control than its wealthier borough neighbors.
However, the layout and development of the Bronx still makes this borough an at-risk area for bed bug infestations. With its project buildings, large tenement apartments, industrial warehouses and cramped office space the Bronx provides ideal hiding spots for bed bugs. Dark, dank and cool spots, such as the space between floorboards and where wires cut through walls and ceilings, is where you are most likely to find bed bugs, in addition to bed frames, cushions and mattresses. Because of the congested living conditions in many Bronx buildings and apartments public officials are wary of saying the Bronx is bed bug-free simply because the complaints are down.
Residents and building owners in the Bronx are advised to be aware that there is a growing bed bug problem in New York City and that detection is the first step towards a final solution to bed bug infestations. Doing spot-checks on beds, bed frames, mattresses, sofas and old furniture cushions can indicate if bed bugs are present or were present in the recent past.