Bedbugs Continue Campaign of Shock and Ew, Employing Guerrilla Tactics at Google, 311

By Jen Doll Fri., Sep. 3 2010 at 11:35 AM

Categories: Bugs, Dumb Ways to Spend Money, Infestations, Jen Doll, WTF?

Bedbugs have reportedly now encroached upon Google's offices in Chelsea and -- isn't it ironic -- New York City's own 311 offices, right where you're supposed to call if you think you have a bedbug infestation. Meta. Per NY1, the call center in Lower Manhattan was fumigated Tuesday night after a bedbug was found there on Friday.

Meanwhile, certain detractors think all this bedbug hysteria is just a bunch of hooey and nonsense (how Freudian): Hence, this amusing video that almost makes bedbugs cute in an attempt to get us to "psychologically reappraise" the blood-suckingness of the situation. Not that bad? That's a bug, eating you while you sleep. Yum yum.

And then, as always, there are those trying to capitalize on the problem with "solutions." We asked entomologist (and Bloomberg Bedbug Advisory Board Member) Gil Bloom what he thought about the promises of an intriguing new product called the Bed Bug Patch, which looks kind of like a joke but purports to "safeguard you and your loved ones" from bedbugs by reducing and offsetting the levels of CO2 emitted out through your skin and using Vitamin B1 to mask the "bedbug attracting scent." (Is that, like, a Twilight reference?). Commercial here:

Bloom was not impressed.

"I guess the fact that people exhale CO2 every time they breathe has escaped these folks, not to mention that if you take any kind of daily vitamin you are already getting thiamine, a/k/a B1. In addition, bedbugs use heat as a targeting mechanism as well as carbon dioxide. I also notice there is 0 efficacy or even safety data. One might surmise they will be relying on a caveat emptor defense down the road."

We've contacted the Patch people for a response and will update when they do. In the meantime, maybe hold onto that $9.95 to put toward a new mattress?

[JDoll][Twitter]

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