Tips to Whip Bed Bugs Biting Downtown Brooklyn

Bed bugs! Eww! We don't like to think about them. Our skin crawls. Yet, we must think, for human intelligence will save us from these instinctual insects.

Downtown Brooklyn is under serious siege from the mighty mites. They crept into the DA's office, Legal Aid Society and, most recently, National Grid. They've been on the "rampage for a month" at one Metrotech Center and attacked 1 in 15 residents, citywide, reports the NY Post.

So, what if the crawlers creep into your house?

The simple answer is: Get a professional exterminator. We've used our human intelligence to train bed-bug-sniffing dogs and create freezing, heating, green methods to combat bed bugs.

Extermination is not simple for everyone. It can cost upwards of $5,000, reports the NY Times. (Beware of crooked exterminators with low-ball pricing. Be sure an exterminator is licensed).

So, what if you don't have 5 G's in your pocket?

If you are a tenant, your landlord "should" exterminate. Check NY laws simplified here. If your landlord does not comply, you are faced with the daunting task to eradicate every last bed bug and egg on your own, on the cheap. Strapped homeowners are in the same jam.

It's a nightmare, I know. But you're not alone. Other people have used human intelligence to combat the instinctive blood lust of the bed bug and won. Find their free tips here.

On Sept. 1, bed bug patches hit the market. They use Thiamin B1 to mask the scent of the carbon dioxide humans emit. Bed bugs crave carbon dioxide. The patches "reduce or prevent" bites states My Bed Bug Patch. So, they are not 100% effective. Patches cost about $25/mo. How well this product of human intelligence over insect instinct works remains to be seen.

Watching out for you, Downtown B.

Sources:

Andy Campbell, "Today! Bed bug battle comes to our doorstep!," NY Post
Tara Parker-Pope, "The High Price of Bed Bugs," NY Times
Renee Corea, "Bed bugs and the law in New York City," New York vs Bed Bugs
"Getting Rid of Bed Bugs," Thrifty Fun
"The Bed Bug Patch Launches September 1st, 2010 to Combat Rising Epidemic," Red Orbit
"Purchase your Bed Bug Patches here:" My Bed Bug Patch