|
|
|
Bed bugs are once again nibbling on tenants in the Hamilton and Dulle Towers.
The buildings were treated last summer, but the insects have returned.
Residents say they are at their wits end.
The housing authority says they'll try a different strategy.
Monday afternoon we talked to a very stressed out Aleisa Brown, “I want to get a little sleep", she said.
But Brown can't sleep because she said she'll get bitten by bed bugs. Last night, her sister slept at the dining room table because the bed bugs are so bad in the bed and on the sofa.
Brown's sister Carmelita said, "It doesn't matter where you're at in this apartment. They're going to get you when you go to sleep".
Brown said her calls to the housing authority for help have fallen on deaf ears, "He's not returning my calls. I call maintenance, and I called Sandy, the manager of the apartments. I ain't seen her in two weeks".
When we went to the housing authority to get answers, they said they've been battling the problem for months. They first brought in exterminators, and then dogs, now they've moved on to heat.
James Jenkins, Deputy Director of the Jefferson City Housing Authority said, "We went out for bids for heat treatments, and we now have a contractor, they just started over there today and they'll probably be running for the next two weeks".
The downside for the Browns: Their apartment could be one of the last ones exterminated because of the specific way the building has to be de-bugged.
The housing authority has confirmed bed bugs in 37 of the 200 apartments in the towers.
However, it's possible that other units are infested and the residents have not reported it.
They want to hear from anyone with an insect problem.
While many people believe bed bugs are the result of dirty living conditions, experts say that's a myth.
They say international travel has had much more to do with it, along with the outlawing of the DDT insecticide in 1972.
Popular Stories
|
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKRCG