LANSING — State officials now have “a high degree of confidence” that a bedbug infestation at a state government building in downtown Lansing has been contained.
A Lansing pest control company this morning used dogs that are specially trained to sniff out insects — dead or alive — or their eggs and found no evidence of bedbugs at Constitution Hall, 525 W. Allegan St., Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget spokesman Caleb Buhs said. The dogs have a 97% success rate, Buhs said.
He added that officials believe one employee at the facility was responsible for bringing bedbugs into the building and officials have taken steps to ensure that employee did not bring the insects back. The bugs can spread easily because they can hide in clothing, furniture, bedding and luggage, and can live several months without feeding.
Though there was some chatter on social media about state employees finding additional critters, Buhs said early Wednesday afternoon that officials were unaware of any new findings and, “At this point, we are pretty confident that we have the problem eradicated.”
Buhs declined to say which department the employee came from because he wanted to avoid any stigma. The state departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Quality and Agriculture & Rural Development have offices there.
An insect was first spotted on Dec. 22. Exterminators from Rose Pest Solutions, of Lansing, determined the insect was a bedbug, then swept the building with the dogs and found two infected chairs. Both chairs “were bagged and removed from the building,” Buhs said.
On Friday, a bug was spotted on a laptop in the same area of the building, Buhs said, and Rose determined it was a bedbug. That laptop belonged to the one employee.
He said four employees had been relocated and the infested area had been cordoned off.
Bedbugs are not known to carry disease but can bite and cause itchiness, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.The EPA says it’s a myth that bedbugs are attracted to filth; they are drawn to blood, warmth and carbon dioxide.
source:http://www.freep.com