Bed bugs are officially on the rampage not just in New York, but throughout the country, with department stores like Macy's and Bloomingdale's now falling under the pests' sway.
In Macy's case, Gothamist reports that officials notified employees that a bedbug had been found in "a workstation," not on a shopping floor, and was "removed from the premises." At Bloomingdale's, the situation was the same: One bedbug found, and promptly removed, but even if the store wasn't shut down, it seems anxiety among shoppers will likely continue.
New York isn't the only city with the problem--pest control companies in Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and elsewhere have all reported significant increases in business since last year. While NYC tops the list of cities with the most critters released by Terminix, it seems to be a nationwide problem. Some theorize that the insect may be popping up because of the decrease in the use of pesticides to wipe them out.
To make matters worse, retail locations are natural resting places for bed bugs, which are spread most effectively by travelers. Take Macy's in Herald Square, which sees tens of thousands of such shoppers every day.
