Good NYC Bed bug exterminator?

November 1, 2009 8:06 PM

Does anyone in New York City have any recommendations for a decent, reliable , honest bed bug exterminator?

I'm concerned that a lot of these places are either lazy or just do a poor job to keep themselves in business. If anyone has any leads I'd greatly appreciate it.

posted by Liquidwolf to home & garden (6 comments total)

Not an answer to your direct question, but FYI bed bugs are VERY VERY VERY difficult to get rid of, so if the exterminator is unsuccessful it may not be laziness or otherwise their fault. You may have to get rid of some of your furniture, possibly even move. Sorry. :(
posted by Jacqueline at 11:15 PM on November 1

When I had a bedbug scare, someone referred me to Ernie from Alternative Pest Control. He's in Brooklyn though. BUT if you're not, I suppose he might be able to point you in the right direction! I (luckily luckily) did NOT have bed bugs, but he helped me to be sure, urging me to check everything out on my own because it involved the same thing that he would have done for money.

The office number is [phone].

I wish you the best of luck. The situation sucks, and I'm really sorry you're going through it!
posted by iliketolaughalot at 4:58 AM on November 2

Before taking the plunge, look into steps you might take to rid yourself of your problem on your own, such as vacuuming and disposing of mattresses and linens. With the expansion of the bedbug plague in NY City and outlining areas, exterminators have been charging premium rates for a service that is often unnecessary. It's turned into a racket in some cases. Your best bet is to read up on bedbug exterminating online, and apply the measures vigilantly for as long as you can--for as long as it takes.
posted by Gordion Knott at 7:14 AM on November 2

Freedom Pest Control are the best around. They've got a great NESDCA-trained detection dog and the handler is very diligent with continuing the dog's training. They know exactly what they're doing and are very personable. I can't recommend them enough.
posted by nomad at 10:28 AM on November 2

I was very pleased with Metro Pest, ph. 718-803-0000. They charged $349.95 plus tax, which included the intial treatment plus a follow-up service after 3 weeks and a 60 day guarantee. They gave me a "Preparation for Bedbug Treatment" list which I followed to a tee.
posted by Majorita at 12:35 PM on November 2

I had them and I was able to (thus far) get rid of them. I found the people at Hill's Pest Control(http://www.bedbugking.com/) to be pretty on top of things. They also offer something of a guarantee in which for a flat fee they will come back to spray as many times as you need for two months, and then at half price after that. This way they have some incentive to actually get rid of them for you instead of continuing to hit you up for as many treatments as possible.

One note. Whoever you get, they MUST come back for a second treatment between 10 and 14 days after the first. This will break the development cycle. If any exterminator thinks this isn't necessary, they don't know what they are talking about. I did 3 treatments just to be safe.

Be aware that while exterminators help, you have to do a lot of work on your own. This includes laundering every piece of cloth in your home and throwing out furniture that is infested, especially the bed frame. There are a million posts on AskMefi about bed bugs where you can get more info on that.
posted by soy_renfield at 6:59 AM on November 3