Yesterday was not-so-fun.
I spotted a small, reddish brown bug in our apartment.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As most of you probably know, NYC is undergoing a bedbug epidemic of massive proportions and I am somewhat obsessed with avoiding the pest.
I trapped the bug, put him in a jar, inspected the whole bed for others (There were none.) and then gave him a good hard look.
I trapped the bug, put him in a jar, inspected the whole bed for others (There were none.) and then gave him a good hard look.
He was bedbug color, and a tad smaller than what I believed to be bedbug size. But compared to the many, many photos I was able to find on the internet, he was decidedly NOT bedbug shape. And we had no bites.
Still terrified, I called a pest control company in Manhattan to see if I could bring the bug in. They said they did a "verification housecall"... FOR $300!!!!!
Was $300 going to be what I had to pay for certain peace of mind?
Over the course of the day, I did obsessive web research and also scoured Yelp for exterminator companies.
That was when I found M&M Pest Control:
M&M is located on the Lower East Side and happily accepts "walk-ins." You can bring your "sample" to them in a sealed jar, and they will tell you what you've got. COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE.
I should add that they get rave reviews on Yelp, AND that they specialize in eco-friendly, pet-friendly, child-friendly pest control. Oh, and they are incredibly nice and cool people who clearly are used to dealing with freaked out New Yorkers.
After work, I zipped down to Orchard Street.
The instant verdict: JOY OH JOY IT WAS NOT A BED BUG!
This little guy was some form of garden bug that found his way inside from our deck.
In a gesture of happiness, I gave him his freedom in a garbage can so he could live long and prosper in a dump somewhere.
I happily recommend M&M for all your Freebie Fauna Freak-Out needs!
Having suffered 2 bouts of bedbugs in Nairobi and a false alarm here in DC, I understand your terror. I thought my bed had them at the beginning of the school year and FREAKED. OUT. My freak-out doubled in intensity when I called a couple extermination companies and they told me it would cost $600-700 to get rid of them. Good lord.
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