Walmart in Pennsylvania found evidence of attempted bedbug infestation: Police
Pennsylvania State Police are investigating what some believe to be an attempt to infest a Walmart with bedbugs.
WALMART TO TEST SELF-DRIVING VEHICLE GROCERY DELIVERY
File photo of people at a Walmart store.
Last Thursday, a manager discovered the blood-sucking insects inside a closed pill bottle that was stashed away in a boy’s jacket at the Edinboro store’s changing room, according to police. Later, a second pill bottle was found on the floor of the men’s department by a store associate. The bottle contained several dead bugs.
An employee from health safety company Ecolab visited the store on Friday and confirmed that the insects found in the men’s changing room were in fact bedbugs, but there was no widespread infestation. Walmart staff called police to the store to report the infestation attempt, according to WENY. Authorities took the bottle to check for fingerprints and are reviewing surveillance footage..
WALMART WILL CONTINUE ACCEPTING PAPER PRESCRIPTIONS IN 2020
“Our third-party pest management service has visited the store, and after conducting a thorough review found no evidence of an infestation. We believe this to be an isolated incident and are taking all the necessary steps to help ensure a safe environment for customers and associates,” a Walmart spokesperson told FOX Business. “We will continue working with law enforcement as they conduct their investigation.”
PHILADELPHIA HAS AN EXPENSIVE BED BUG PROBLEM, STUDY CLAIMS
Close up of a bedbug (cimex hemipterus) on corrugated recycle paper.
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Bedbugs are wingless parasitic insects that are red-brown in color and feed on human or animal blood at nighttime hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bugs can survive up to five months without feeding.
"Bedbug bites usually do not pose a serious medical threat," the CDC's website says. "The best way to treat a bite is to avoid scratching the area and apply antiseptic creams or lotions and take an antihistamine. Bedbug infestations are commonly treated by insecticide spraying.”