Official: NY not prepared against bedbugs in city schools

When it comes to booting bedbugs from city schools, the Department of Education and City Hall need a lesson in action, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer said Sunday.

Stringer reprimanded the DOE at a news conference for taking up to two weeks to respond to suspected infestations. He wants the city to rehire inspectors and for the DOE to ensure it takes no more than 24 hours from when a bedbug complaint is made to exterminators visiting the school.

“Slashing the number of bedbug inspectors and pest control aids ... is akin to laying out the welcome mat for bedbugs at our city schools,” Stringer said in a statement.

The mayor’s office said the city exterminators that Stringer wants rehired are not used to combat bedbugs. A spokeswoman said the city hires private businesses for bedbug cases, while city inspectors are used to exterminate rodents.

Bedbug complaints totaled 336 in the first two months of this school year, up from 135 a year ago, according to the DOE.