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Community Corner

Harold E. Mertz Building Tackles Bed Bugs

Two of three locations in the building already given the all-clear.

Just when you thought you could sleep tight, the minuscule pests known as bed bugs are biting again.

Bed bugs were discovered Tuesday, May 17, at the Harold E. Mertz Building, where the , Residents for a More Beautiful Port Washington, the Port Washington Community Action Council and the Port Washington Family Development Center have offices, and where the is located.

The building is at 382 Main St., across from the town dock. The bed bugs were discovered “during a routine inspection by a dog trained and certified by the National Entomology Scent Detection Canine Association and handled by a fully licensed pest control contractor,” according to Julie Meer Harnick, Community Chest executive director.

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Bed bugs were found in three locations – two locations on the ground floor and one on the first floor, Harnick said.

“Affected offices were closed and have been treated with judicious use of effective non-toxic chemical pesticides. Follow-up inspections and treatment will be performed as needed,” Harnick said Monday in an emailed statement.

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“Each of [the three affected locations] was sealed and treated or is in the process of same. Two of the three locations have been determined to be clear of bed bugs and are open,” she said today, Tuesday, via email. “Treatment in the third space is ongoing.”

The Community Chest does not know where the bed bugs came from, Harnick said.

All offices in the building were notified, she added, and the Community Chest offices are open.

There has been a resurgence of bed bugs in the past 10 years, according to the Nassau County Bed Bug Task Force. The bugs like to hide in bed sheet creases; mattress folds; under chairs, couches and beds; behind cushions, under rugs, and in cracks in bed frames and headboards, according to the task force.

Physical signs of bed bugs include bites on your skin, blood spots on the bed, fecal stains, dead or live bed bugs, visible eggs or a distinct smell, in areas of high infestation, according to the task force.

If people find or suspect bed bugs, the task force recommends that they do not panic. Rather, they should contact a pest control professional.

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