© 2024 WRVO Public Media
NPR News for Central New York
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bedbug problem hits Syracuse again

Charles LeBlanc
/
Flickr

Bedbugs are out of control once again in Syracuse.

Sharon Sherman runs the Greater Syracuse Tenants Network. She says she thought a bedbug infestation that swept across the area a few years ago was under control, but now she says it is not.

“I can’t explain it," Sherman said. "I know even the housing authority was telling me that they got so backlogged, they had trained their employees, they were certified by DEC. They had to bring an outside exterminator to catch them up. I don’t know what the answer is.”  

Sherman says one thing is certain, it takes an exterminator to eliminate the pests, which feed on human blood and can be found not just in beds, but in living rooms and kitchens -- anywhere they can hide in a crevice.

“You have to really know what you’re doing," Sherman explained. "So there may be a million products in Lowe’s or Home Depot, and in ads, but it’s one of those things, I’d have to advise to get a professional.”

She says the Greater Syracuse Tenants Network suggests landlords fight the urge to try and eradicate the bugs themselves, noting that over-the-counter insecticides never work.

One reason bedbugs might be more apparent in the warmer weather, is that they can’t bite through clothes, so perhaps tenants are simply becoming more aware of them now.

Ellen produces news reports and features related to events that occur in the greater Syracuse area and throughout Onondaga County. Her reports are heard regularly in regional updates in Morning Edition and All Things Considered.