Recently, the New York Daily News reported the removal of three N-line trains from service after a bed bug infestation was found on several of the cars. Although it’s not clear whether bedbugs were discovered in cars that provide seating for passengers, the NYD news does state that bed bugs had infiltrated seat cushions in cabs operated by conductors.

MTA spokesmen stated that trains in which bed bugs were found have been fumigated while spot-checking of other passenger and crew areas revealed no evidence of bed bugs. MTA says it is treating these bedbug problems as “isolated events” and claim they have resolved the issue. But many news sources are reporting that bedbugs on the subway are a bigger problem than we may know and more have been found on a number of other subway lines throughout NYC.

Unfortunately, a bedbug infestation is never an “isolated event”. Nearly invisible to the naked eye, incredibly hardy and resistant to simple fumigation treatments, bed bugs crawling all over subway trains means these little blood-sucking bugs will have 24/7 access to hundreds of thousands of commuters to call home. Unfortunately subway riders who unwittingly provide transportation for bedbugs back to their homes will quickly find themselves suffering a bedbug infestation of their own.

Although bed bugs are not considered a public or medical health hazard, they cause intense itching, scratching, allergic skin reactions that are sometimes severe and loss of sleep. Over the counter products will not eliminate a bed bug infestation and neither will a one-time fumigation treatment. Moreover, if the MTA does not take further action in working out an overarching bed bug treatment plan, the potential for riders taking them to court for neglecting to address the problem professionally is a very real possibility.

Don’t mess with bed bugs! Finding just a few bedbugs means taking immediate action by hiring pest infestation industry experts like Assured Environments to guarantee a bed bug infestation is completely eliminated.