hbor (2nd-floor rear). The landlord brought in someone who threw around lots of poison dust and spray, but this elderly neighbor could not do the cleaning-and bagging protocols, and the rest of us didn’t have a way to help him.

However that neighbor moved out in mid-April 2010, and the apartment will soon be up for rent. The landlord has had that place exterminated, as well as mine and the one downstairs (though not the one directly downstairs from mine, 2nd-floor front), but in terms of long-term maintenance he seems to be treating it like a roach problem, having his guy come in once a month and spray. There has been no evidence of bedbug activity (i.e. no bites) since Easter weekend, but I don’t know if this method is a feasible and effective long-term strategy.

I’m posting this to give anyone investigating the apartment an idea of what they may be getting into. As of 4/20/10, there may or may not still be bedbugs in this building. The exterminator is not a legit bedbug specialist, though he claims to have done a number of bedbug jobs. He is moonlighting from his job at a larger pest-control firm and plays softball with my landlord. So it’s a step above a DIY effort as far as I can tell.

Only time will tell if this has worked.