Apple's temporary Fifth Avenue store coping with bed bug infestation
Apple's Fifth Avenue temp store -- handling traffic during renovations at its iconic New York City cube -- has reportedly been dealing with a bed bug problem for weeks.
Trouble started about 3 to 4 weeks ago, when overnight staff cordoned off a table on the second floor after discovering the first bug, the New York Post said. The New York Post speculated that the bug may have arrived with one of the homeless visitors the location regularly receives, but the city has a high rate of infestation across all social spectra.
Regardless, both workers and shoppers were allowed in the store and even around the table without any warnings, one source claimed.
Management later brought in an exterminator and said the situation was safe, only for another overnight worker to find a bed bug on their sweater. Video of that incident was circulated among hundreds of staff and led to a second round of spraying.
Last week the store closed for 6 hours one weekday night, allegedly because of a water leak. Some staff are said to have shown up without having been told their shift was canceled.
This past Friday a bug was spotted in a manager's office, creating "mayhem" among workers, one person said. People were ordered to double-bag possessions in plastic, and a sniffing beagle was brought in, which ultimately detected bugs in two lockers.
Store management is said to have called employees over the weekend insisting that the danger was "isolated" and resolved.
Bed bugs don't carry infectious diseases and rarely cause anything worse than a rash or fever when they bite. They are however notoriously difficult to get rid of, often requiring multiple washings and pesticide treatments to end an infestation. It can sometimes be simpler to destroy clothing and linen rather than clean it properly.
Trouble started about 3 to 4 weeks ago, when overnight staff cordoned off a table on the second floor after discovering the first bug, the New York Post said. The New York Post speculated that the bug may have arrived with one of the homeless visitors the location regularly receives, but the city has a high rate of infestation across all social spectra.
Regardless, both workers and shoppers were allowed in the store and even around the table without any warnings, one source claimed.
Management later brought in an exterminator and said the situation was safe, only for another overnight worker to find a bed bug on their sweater. Video of that incident was circulated among hundreds of staff and led to a second round of spraying.
Last week the store closed for 6 hours one weekday night, allegedly because of a water leak. Some staff are said to have shown up without having been told their shift was canceled.
This past Friday a bug was spotted in a manager's office, creating "mayhem" among workers, one person said. People were ordered to double-bag possessions in plastic, and a sniffing beagle was brought in, which ultimately detected bugs in two lockers.
Store management is said to have called employees over the weekend insisting that the danger was "isolated" and resolved.
Bed bugs don't carry infectious diseases and rarely cause anything worse than a rash or fever when they bite. They are however notoriously difficult to get rid of, often requiring multiple washings and pesticide treatments to end an infestation. It can sometimes be simpler to destroy clothing and linen rather than clean it properly.
Comments
Some NYC movie theaters had problems with bed bugs for awhile.
And I wonder why the "real" store next door is taking so long to rebuild. It feels like it's already several years. Entire office buildings get built in that time.
Seriously though, bedbugs are having a resurgence due to the banning of DDT.
Most big cities have chronic issues with bedbug infestations. New York is one of the many hotspots. Offices, Businesses, and Hotels have all had bedbug outbreaks that are difficult to eliminate due to the bedbugs being able to recede into the structure of the building or the furniture and fixtures, and hibernate until they are lured to our carbon dioxide emissions.
Heat kills them and there are many cedar based non toxic treatments that can eliminate them over a short period of time. The problem is getting all of them without having to partially demolish the dwelling they reside in. Plus, they can “hitch” a ride on you by getting on your clothes and causing a re-infestation.
It has gotten so bad that hotels panic if you mention you have seen a bedbug in your room.
Please educate yourselves on this problem before it ends up following you home. You don’t want to have the throw out your belongings in order to rid yourself of these nasty pests.
Forget NYC squads of exterminators. Bring on bug-proof iOS 13
A few years ago I was sitting next to a somewhat disheveled guy on a New a York subway, and when he got up I glanced down and saw a big swollen bedbug on the bench seat crawling toward me. I jumped up, squished it with my shoe, and the blood squirted out. And of course, since it was New York, none of the many people around me seemed to notice anything at all.
The only thing that I tried that worked was have the exterminator heat the apartment to 122 degrees for an extended period and it has to cover everywhere.
Anything that might be damaged by heat must be removed including most technology. I would then use dogs to inspect the space to help insure they’re dead. Later, they may want to follow up with a chemical spray.
They might not cause disease, but they are a huge headache. I wish Apple well.
(Cue “Miserlou”...)