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Obviously, you never had any, and you don't work with people who may have them.
For your information, I know one social worker who does dump her clothes at the door.
I suggest you stay out of a few government offices and some libraries I can think of off hand or you may get the experience you obviously need.
And, by the way, I looked into your DDT a little more. Some authorities think modern day bed bugs have developed a resistance to it and it's ineffective.
I'm in Dayton. I mentioned NY because someone said something about the region.
DDT - the pesticide choice for conspiracy theorists
As for smaller heaters for mattresses - if they are everywhere, behind baseboards etc. - thats why they need to develop an entire apt/house heating treatment.
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It is the State that pays her rent through a voucher. I may not be getting the whole story you are right but I worked in our state Corrections department for ten years so I do have a little bit of understanding about how the system works. The landlord is fighting the State to evict this tenant. He may not have lost rent from this tenant but she has been a direct cause for the loss of three other tenants plus treatment costs of the infestation in the complex. Those expenses have to be recouped somehow or this landlord will have to sell his property.
GL2
So, okay, what you see is a building getting empty (which isn't the safest situation to be in), and if more people clear out with little likelihood of people moving in, you may have to get out of the place, too. (Probably?)
In addition, the bed bugs are going to be looking for something to eat, so even if you get out of the place, you are going to have to be on high alert in the meantime.
Lastly, the rent may go up some maybe extra-ordinary way (e.g., trash fee) making it more difficult for you to stay there and hampering any prospect of going elsewhere.
Get out the telephone book -- yellow pages -- and start calling motels within range to get their weekly rates. Skip the big names; they're expensive. Earmark a couple, three or four is best. At least you will have a place to go if you have to clear out sooner than you would like.
Still in the yellow pages, look under "Social Services." It should list all sorts of things from referral services (United Way or Community Chest) to very specialized services. Note (and locate) any that you think might be useful.
Lastly, if the thing has a city map and you don't have one, tear it out, tape it together and put it in a safe place. Phone books can be found a lot of places but maps aren't that handy.
Look over your stuff and mentally assess what can be hauled in a car and what can't. If you can get it in a car, you can move it even to a motel room unless you have an overwhelming amount. You may have to junk and replace other stuff.
You don't say if you have a family. If you have kids with you, it's much the same except you have to take the children into consideration, including things like getting them to school.
If your problem is your landlord v. the state over another resident, there isn't a thing you can do about the situation, as you know.
As for a state voucher system, I know of no such system around where I am, so I can't say anything there -- but, I certainly don't know everything. The nearest thing I can imagine is that to the best of my knowledge the City of Cincinnati did subsidize one great big place because it included some public things like a swimming pool that membership people wanted to use. And, I don't know how it worked.
Carpathian,
I do not live in the KY/OH area. I live in Nebraska and like many areas in the country Bed Bugs have been a problem here. I posted in this forum to pass along the information about Oil of Cedar being an effective treatment against Bed Bugs. The unit I rent is one of eight in the complex. The source of the problem is the renter I have mentioned in my earlier posts. I am fairly well off financially so all of this stuff will not affect me greatly. I could move everything to one of the grain bins on the family farm and turn the grain dryer up to 150 degrees F for 48 hours. That would kill every Bed Bug or insect in existence. My neighbors are not so fortunate. I passed on what I know about the Oil of Cedar treatment because I have heard of people spending a ton of money on other treatments with poor results. My O.O.C treatment cost about $30 for the stuff needed for ten treatments on a 900 sq/ft apartment.
A lot of people think a Bed Bug problem is isolated to just poor neighborhoods--- it isn't. The Waldorf in NYC had an infestation a few weeks ago and the last I heard that was one of the highest priced hotels in NYC.
I'm in Dayton. I mentioned NY because someone said something about the region.
DDT - the pesticide choice for conspiracy theorists
As for smaller heaters for mattresses - if they are everywhere, behind baseboards etc. - thats why they need to develop an entire apt/house heating treatment.
Ah! You're in Dayton. The one in Kentucky and like me sitting on this riverbank maybe looking at a bridge across the river....
Okay, in regard to "tenting," it may not be necessary. In the other Dayton, the big one in Ohio, there is a hotel-sized senior citizens' building almost at the center of the town that was gassed a year or so ago. Evidently it was successful.
They moved everyone out for the necessary time and ran the gas through the place. The residents were reportedly happy afterwards. It was acknowledged that it only lasts for a while because sooner or later some more bugs can be carried in; but, for the time being, it was okay. It was no doubt expensive.
Also, there is at least one pest control company on the southbank that is working with Dr. Potter at the University of Kentucky and trying other methods.
The Montgomery County Health Department put a relatively good assessment of the creatures online; but, you don't really have to go that far. Last year, the Ludlow Community Connection monthly newspaper, mindful of the airport next door, did a very good write up on the creatures. One thing missing with the article is pictures.
The Ludlow Community Connection has it online and I don't have the online address handy, but I think it's listed as "org." Try November, 2009. And, that's a good place for reference and to start.
Also call the local city offices and ask about code enforcement. The only two places that I know of that have such an office are Covington and Newport. Ludlow may have a code enforcement officer. If a landlord doesn't want to tackle the matter (you handle it), you may get nowhere but at least you know where you might go. Also, if needed, Adult Protective Services in Covington covers the region. I don't know how far it goes, but, it covers more than Kenton County.
Hope that helps if you have a problem. New York is different. They have different laws.
Carpathian,
I do not live in the KY/OH area. I live in Nebraska and like many areas in the country Bed Bugs have been a problem here. I posted in this forum to pass along the information about Oil of Cedar being an effective treatment against Bed Bugs. The unit I rent is one of eight in the complex. The source of the problem is the renter I have mentioned in my earlier posts. I am fairly well off financially so all of this stuff will not affect me greatly. I could move everything to one of the grain bins on the family farm and turn the grain dryer up to 150 degrees F for 48 hours. That would kill every Bed Bug or insect in existence. My neighbors are not so fortunate. I passed on what I know about the Oil of Cedar treatment because I have heard of people spending a ton of money on other treatments with poor results. My O.O.C treatment cost about $30 for the stuff needed for ten treatments on a 900 sq/ft apartment.
A lot of people think a Bed Bug problem is isolated to just poor neighborhoods--- it isn't. The Waldorf in NYC had an infestation a few weeks ago and the last I heard that was one of the highest priced hotels in NYC.
GL2
Gunluvver2,
Your location is listed in the upper right corner of every message you post.
Finding something to use is not the point of the thread. To quote my opening statement:
"...some advice passed around is fit for Cincinnati but is no good in Kentucky because the laws are different."
You might also recheck item 3.
I'm well aware the over-all problem is not limited to a ten-mile stretch of the banks of the Ohio River. A site in Australia is where I picked the the most useful bed bug picture I have. Your suggestion of Cedar oil has been noted; I even dug around a little for more information. Some consider it in line with a repellent.
Again, if the matter you know about can ultimately be reduced to the landlord v. a state backed tenant, there is nothing you can do about it. Furthermore, logically the state would most likely just be in a holding action until the woman can be relocated. Do they need a test case against the landlord?
It's good you already have your alternatives lined up; and, it's commendable that you would be concerned about your less fortunate neighbors. You might pass on what I said to them, since it is a general appoach for someone who might have to get out of a place fast. You might add they would need cash up front for a motel, so having some to draw on is important.
I guess everything is okay now for me to start posting what I have from the closed message board. Can't do much at the moment; but, this much I can get in:
A superb site for information (things like products, too) is the FORUM here:
There are regulars there who read and sometimes comment. If there's an inquiry it's best to run a search, especially if you don't particularly want an account there. The threads turn over by the minute. However, it's to remember that the site is based in New York. Something like a law may not be applicable locally.
Last edited by CarpathianPeasant; 12-20-2010 at 05:19 PM..
Reason: link correction.
Your right about the Cincy area being infested. I've gone to meeting on bedbugs and they did say that Cincy and up north is having issues. The landlord is "suppose" to be responsible enough to do something about that issue. Pest control company do an excellent job by drilling around buildings and inserting the sealed chemical they use around the property. It is costly, and the landlord may not want to go to that expense. Also, the pest control company does yearly inspections. The chemical is suppose to last 10 years. Apparently, the landlords that don't get a pest control company to inspect isn't such a good landlord. Every state has an apartment association which have governed rules. The tenant has right as a renter. If the landlord doesn't take care of the place, the tenant has rights to contact the apartment association to see what the next step is for them. The money you pay as rent should go for the expenses to keep the property up, such as the bug issues. Landlords who don't, most likely aren't good landlords taking care of what they should be.
I do know from the meetings I've been to, that they have told us not to buy a mattress from "Craigslist" or if someone is throwing one out to get that for ourselves. Even a consignment store or antique store may sell mattresses, but you don't know what they may contain. You just don't know what your in for when you get bedbugs. The best place to get a mattress is at a reliable place that sells them.
Your right about the Cincy area being infested. I've gone to meeting on bedbugs and they did say that Cincy and up north is having issues. The landlord is "suppose" to be responsible enough to do something about that issue. Pest control company do an excellent job by drilling around buildings and inserting the sealed chemical they use around the property. It is costly, and the landlord may not want to go to that expense. Also, the pest control company does yearly inspections. The chemical is suppose to last 10 years. Apparently, the landlords that don't get a pest control company to inspect isn't such a good landlord. Every state has an apartment association which have governed rules. The tenant has right as a renter. If the landlord doesn't take care of the place, the tenant has rights to contact the apartment association to see what the next step is for them. The money you pay as rent should go for the expenses to keep the property up, such as the bug issues. Landlords who don't, most likely aren't good landlords taking care of what they should be.
I do know from the meetings I've been to, that they have told us not to buy a mattress from "Craigslist" or if someone is throwing one out to get that for ourselves. Even a consignment store or antique store may sell mattresses, but you don't know what they may contain. You just don't know what your in for when you get bedbugs. The best place to get a mattress is at a reliable place that sells them.
Thanks for the compliment and the input, veggienut.
As for landlords being "responsible," the rent supposedly paying for the upkeep and all that, even landlords that have latched onto a government contract (better guarantee of tenants) don't necessarily come up "responsible," while they may be highly interested in keeping the contract. Should a resident complain, such a landlord sees the contract in jeopardy (which it might be) and they become even less considerate of any tenants' rights.
If I remember correctly, the drilling procedure is for termites and maybe some other critters, not particularly bed bugs. Back around 1960 my folks had a drilling process done around the house as the place had acquired termites. And, yes there is a long term guarantee on that. I doubt that it is too expensive unless the price went up considerably, as my family was anything but wealthy.
Bed bugs get carried into places by people who have been some place that has them. Reportedly, they can, indeed, migrate into a place from outside sources and some distance at that; but, picking them up somewhere is how many people get them.
While it's good to know that one can contact the apartment association, I suspect that's not viable for a couple of reasons, one is that the landlord probably belongs to it.
As for mattresses, I wouldn't consider anything but an air bed. They often don't last more than a few months; but, they aren't expensive to replace while the opportunities for getting a load of bugs in a big apartment building are high.
The thing with an air bed is that the chances of bugs nesting INSIDE of them are extremely low. If they do get inside, there's not much chance of them getting out again.
I keep to late of hours lately and apparently, I goofed. It is termites that they drill the grounds for. Well, I have gone to so many meetings of everything and keep up with stuff like this, so I am informed otherwise.
You sleep on an air mattress~? You should invest in a good mattress from a local retail store that sells them. I don't know if they are comfortable, but you should have comfort when you sleep.
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Good Post CP :)
Your Right C P
