Bed Bug Found at Bloomingdale's in Manhattan

MYFOXNY.COM - New York's bed bug problem has struck one of the most famous department stores in the city: Bloomingdale's. The retailer released a statement Friday saying that one single bed bug was found inside its flagship store on East 59th Street in Manhattan.

"We identified it and removed it promptly. We conducted a thorough search of the area, including the use of dogs trained to spot bed bug locations. We are confident that we have thoroughly addressed the problem," the statement read.

The company said it would do more "examinations and random checks of all offices and common spaces" to look for more bed bugs.

"It is unlikely in the middle of New York's bed bug epidemic with one in 15 New Yorkers fighting bed bugs that there is a single bed bug in the store," said Glenn Waldorf of Bell Environmental Services . "When you consider the thousands of shoppers and employees coming in and out of retailers every day, it's easy to see how bed bugs can infiltrate stores."

Waldorf said that bed bugs typically infiltrate retail stores by coming in on people's clothes or in their bags. He said once inside a store or a home, bed bugs feed and multiply.

A number of retail locations in New York have dealt with bed bug infestations, including Niketown, Victoria's Secret, and Hollister.

Bed bugs have seen a phenomenal resurgence in New York in recent years. Once uncommon in industrialized nations, the bugs have become such a problem that the City Council created an Advisory Board to figure out how to deal with the critters.

In recent years, bed bugs infestations have hit John Jay College , Manhattan College , movie theaters , and even offices of the city's Health Department and at least two district attorneys.

Bed bugs, which feed on human blood, are not known to transmit disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

>BED BUG FACTS AND RESOURCES