Manhattan is on its way to cutting the bedbug epidemic by more than a half, city records show.
According to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development, there have been 381 violations issued for bedbug infestations at rental buildings since October 2013, compared to 846 violations that were issued during the height of the epidemic during the 2010 fiscal year.
“As opposed to just a few years ago, people are now considerably more vigilant, and there is more and better information available to the general public regarding how to prevent and deal with infestations,” HPD spokesperson Eric Bederman told The Post.
In Manhattan, there were 775 violations in the 2011 fiscal year, 675 violations in the 2012 fiscal year and 520 violations in the 2013 fiscal year. The data reflects verified instances of bedbug infestations in multifamily residential rental buildings.
Lee Browning of Discovery Dogs — whose bedbug detection service exclusively caters to tony clients on the Upper West Side and Upper East Side — said the bedbug mania still exists but he barely finds the creepy crawlers.
“Go back to 2009, and it was not uncommon to get called back again and again,” Browning said. “The hysteria seems to be over.”
Another service, Bell Environmental, has also tackled the annoying critters, with “Roscoe the Bed Bug Dog” leading the charge.
“Roscoe is the chief detective with our Bed Bug K9 Force and the latest tool in our arsenal of bedbug control,” the firm’s Web site boasts.
There were only 16 violations issued at rental buildings on the Upper East Side and 36 violations issued on the Upper West Side since the beginning of the 2014 fiscal year.
“Whatever processes and chemicals they’ve been using have been working,” he said. “It’s a good thing.”
At this point, a big part of his work is helping his clients sleep better at night by assuring them that their beds are bug-free.
Citywide, there have been 2,268 bedbug violations since October 2013. There were 4,808 violations during the 2010 fiscal year.