A Brief (And Thankfully, Reassuring) NYC Bed Bug Update

Okay, so we don't really like to talk about bed bugs. It makes us feel itchy and squeamish, and, considering the bed-bug outbreak/saga/call for action, a bit paranoid. However, this is a piece of pretty good bed bug news, so we'll tough it out.

In case you haven't noticed a lack of news reports on the pesky bed hoppers, it seems as though we may be able to breathe a small sigh of relief. While the once-rampant and fast-traveling pests seemed to target everyone from Brooklyn hipsters to the Juicy Couture flagship store, according to a statement from a private exterminator to New York Magazine, calls for bed bug exterminations are now half as common as they once were. Furthermore NY Mag cites that the Department of Housing, Preservation and Development claims that "bedbug-related violations are tracking downward in Manhattan, falling seven percent between 2010 and 2011."

While all of this makes us feel much better, we have to wonder if this lower statistic is a result of New Yorkers' immediate reaction to the scare, or if it's possible that the severity of the initial beg-bug cry was overly sensationalized.

In the mean time, as long as you didn't find your mattress on a Brooklyn sidewalk with a big bug drawn on top, feel free to sleep a little more sound, a little less itchy, and hopefully, a little more wise about the most unwelcome guest in your home. (NY Mag)