(Illustration: Robert Meganck)

You’ve seen the bedbug reports out of New York. But that kind of thing couldn’t happen in pristine Arlington, right?

Well, you already know the answer to that. Bedbugs know no bounds, especially those of cleanliness, social status or location. And there have been incidents of bedbugs in the county already, according to Arlington’s Department of Human Services spokesperson Kurt Larrick. The county struggled with bedbugs at some of its transitional housing facilities last year, and had a hard time getting rid of them until it found the right exterminator. The facilities are now bedbug-free, according to the county. For now.

"It’s a vigilant kind of thing," Larrick says. "We’ve managed to get rid of them, but if someone comes in and they’re re-introduced, we’d have to start all over again."

As for other appearances of the nocturnal nibblers in Arlington, Larrick’s somewhat evasive. He points out that no one is required to report bedbugs to the county’s health division. In an email, though, he adds: "our environmental health bureau responds to hotel complaints with room inspections and expert advice." Also, "In our experience, hotels appreciate the technical assistance provided and make good use of it."

Given this "experience," the department has obviously responded to bedbug complaints in the area. Larrick couldn’t provide numbers; in fact, he wouldn’t even acknowledge records of complaints. Sounds like a job for FOIA.

The case he does talk about, at the shelter, was resolved by what has become the county’s go-to exterminator for bedbugs, Protech Pest Control. Protech used to receive one or two calls per year about bedbugs, according to President Brian Delaney. Now it’s one or two calls per week. Protech has two full-time bedbugs crews, and is likely to add a third by this spring, Delaney says.

"I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years," he says. "I’ve never seen an explosion like this of any pest."

Bedbug removal is a "labor-intensive" process that requires a two-man crew at the outset, and several follow-up visits to determine whether the problem has actually been eradicated, Delaney says. Treating a single apartment can cost around $1,000 or more.

We’ll have more from Delaney on the ins and outs of bedbug control — and some stats on the cases he’s responded to in the D.C. Metro area — in a later post. Until then, you might want to travel with a flash light.