Bed bugs have been discovered in a New York City theater, office buildings, stores, and posh apartments. The Niketown store in New York City was closed for four days to rid it of bed bugs, and the city has launched an information and outreach campaign to help people understand how the bugs are spread and how to get rid of them. Information on the epidemic has become so popular that a two-day national conference held this week in Chicago sold out with 400 attendees – at a price tag of $399 a pop.

Michael F. Potter, a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky and a friend of the Massey Services family, provides the following insight on the subject:

It’s safe to say that probably every state has a bed bug problem. And as history has shown, we’re not talking only about infestations among the poor; we’re talking about the middle class and the wealthy. You’ll find bed bugs not just in hotels, but in apartment buildings, offices, summer camps, movie theaters, college dormitories, buses, even waiting rooms in major hospitals.

So what should we do? For starters, we need to improve public awareness. People don’t tend to think about bed bugs until they’ve been affected by them — even doctors have been known to misdiagnose the bites. People should inspect their beds (especially near the headboard area), not just at home, but wherever they sleep on vacation or at college. Don’t even think of picking up used items left on the curb. The public needs to put the prospect of bed bugs on their radar screen.

Second, public health departments and other government agencies need to take the problem seriously. Because bed bugs are not deemed disease transmitters like cockroaches, rodents or flies, they tend to be ignored in health budgets. This needs to change. While they might not carry disease, they are a huge emotional and economic nuisance and can lead to allergic reactions and infections.

In the 1940s, 50s and 6Os, DDT was responsible for the virtual eradication of bedbugs. I’m not advocating for DDT — research indicates that today’s bed bugs have developed a resistance to it anyway — but I do think chemical companies, if there were incentives, could develop affordable, 21st century versions to help win this battle. Otherwise, we are in for quite a ride.

Read the full article here.

Research shows that you can gain about two hours of life for every hour of regular vigorous exercise you do. I challenge you to find a better two-for-one deal!

Massey has enthusiastically joined the American Heart Association’s Start! movement as one of the key event sponsors of the Greater Orlando Start! Heart Walk. As the signature fundraising event for the AHA since 1994, the Heart Walk raises funds to fight heart disease and stroke, the No. 1 and No. 3 killers of our community and all Americans.

More than 1 million walkers participate each year in more than 350 events across the country, raising funds to save lives. Over 100 companies in Central Florida have already formed Heart Walk teams including Massey Services! We’ve put the word out on our team members in Florida, Georgia and Louisiana and have set a hefty goal of raising $10,000 for the AHA. I know we can do it!

Registration is now open for Greater Orlando residents to take steps to improve their heart health at 8 a.m. on October 2, when the 5K (3.1 mile) walk will be held at Loch Haven Park. Teams from local companies, along with friends and family members of all ages, will participate in the non-competitive walk, following a program emceed by Dave Collins & Leslye Gale of Magic 107.7. A one-mile route is also available for survivors.

Walkers can plan to visit three communities set-up throughout the park that morning with festivities kicking off at 7 a.m. The communities, Create Hope, Inspire Change and Celebrate Success, provide family fun and education. Everything from health screenings, kid’s activities, healthy snacks, survivor celebrations, massages, company photos and more will be available. Be sure to stop by Massey Services’ tent at the company photo booth!

To learn more, join a team or to form your own team, visit GreaterOrlandoHeartWalk.org

In an article by USA Today, Tripadvisor reports that reviews of hotels that mention bed bugs has risen 11% in 2010 over 2009. Travelers across the U.S., and arguably around the world, have taken notice of the massive resurgence of bed bugs and are taking precautions when traveling.

Pop singer Lauren Hildebrandt recently joined the bed bug headlines as she claims she was “attacked by bed bugs” in a luxury hotel in New York City.  She’s concerned that people need to be aware of the dangers and wants to spread the word so travelers take precautions.

What can you do as a traveler? Be thorough in checking your hotel room as soon as you get to your room:

• Pull off the sheets to the bed and look around and behind headboards for evidence of the insects, including small rust-colored stains.
• Check any furniture in the room – bed bugs are hitchhikers and have also been found in couches and dressers.
• Don’t put your suitcase on the bed or any furniture before inspecting the area.

As always, if you have any questions about bed bugs, treatment methods or need advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  We have experts on staff who can help.

J. Howard Miller's Poster

Certainly, one of the more readily recognizable icons of labor is “Rosie the Riveter,” the indefatigable World War II-era woman who rolled up her sleeves, flexed her arm muscles and said, “We Can Do It!” But, truth be told, this isn’t the original Rosie.

In 1942, as World War II raged in Europe and the Pacific and the song “Rosie the Riveter” filled radio waves across the home front, manufacturing giant Westinghouse commissioned artist J. Howard Miller to make a series of posters to promote the war effort. One such poster featured the image of a woman with her hair wrapped up in a red polka-dot scarf, rolling up her sleeve and flexing her bicep. To many people, this image is “the” Rosie the Riveter. But it was never the intention to make this image “Rosie,” nor did many Americans think of her as “Rosie.” The connection of Miller’s image and “Rosie” is a recent phenomenon.

The “Rosie” image popular during the war was created by illustrator Norman Rockwell for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post on May 29, 1943 — the Memorial Day issue. The image depicts a muscular woman wearing overalls, goggles and pins of honor on her lapel. She sports a leather wrist band and rolled-up sleeves. She sits with a riveting tool in her lap, eating a sandwich, and “Rosie” is inscribed on her lunch pail.

Norman Rockwell's Rosie the Riveter

The magazine cover exemplified the American can-do spirit and illustrated the notion of women working in previously male-dominated manufacturing jobs, an ever-growing reality, to help the United States fight the war while the men fought over seas.

The cover was an enormous success and soon stories about real life “Rosies” began appearing in newspapers across the country. The government took advantage of the popularity of Rosie the Riveter and embarked on a recruiting campaign of the same name. The campaign brought millions of women out of the home and into the workforce. To this day, Rosie the Riveter is still considered the most successful government advertising campaign in history.

Since then, the J. Howard Miller “We Can Do It!” image has replaced Norman Rockwell’s illustration as “Rosie the Riveter” in the minds of many people. Miller’s Rosie has been imprinted on coffee mugs, mouse pads, and countless other items, making her and not the original “Rosie” the most famous of all labor icons.

Article courtesy of the US Dept. of Labor. For more info, click here.

While normally there’s not much in common with these two topics, today there is!  According to The New York Times, New York’s latest laws deal with online dating and requiring landlords to come clean about bed bugs.

New York City’s bed bug epidemic will be attacked in two ways:  one law requires schools to report bed bug infestations to families and the other requires landlords to report a history of bed bug infestations before leasing properties.

Bed bugs have made a massive resurgence in the US and are making headlines daily!  If you have any questions about bed bugs, treatment methods or perhaps need advice, we have an expert on staff that you can speak with.  Contact Us and we’ll be happy to help!

As we move closer to fall, families often find themselves spending more time together outdoors. Below are a few suggestions for outdoor activities the whole family will love!

Make family dinner an outdoor event – Have a picnic or grill out for dinner one night during the school/work week for unexpected outdoor fun.

Go for a walk or a hike – Find a trail through the woods, at a local park or around the neighborhood. Be sure to allow ample time for children to explore and observe nature along the way.

Go camping in the backyard – Pitch a tent, create a backyard “campfire” to sing songs around, tell stories by flashlight and sleep in sleeping bags under the stars. (Just make sure that rain isn’t in the forecast!)

Go on an insect exploration – Look for interesting insects around your backyard. Buy a bug house and collect lightning bugs or crickets for children to observe. For more fun tips on how to get kids interested in insects, click here.

Hold a scavenger hunt – Make a list of items to find or activities to complete. The list might include things like collecting leaves or flowers, shooting a basket with a basketball, finding a hidden item, rolling in the grass, etc.

Run relay races – Set up goal lines and host relay races with family and friends. You can also set up a fun obstacle course!

You may have noticed over the last few weeks that it seems like bed bugs have taken over New York City. A movie theater in Times Square, retail shopping stores, schools and apartments – these bugs are everywhere! Bed bugs are hitchhikers, which means they travel around by attaching to anything they can to get from one place to the other. And, unfortunately, once they set up home, they’re extremely difficult to eradicate.

When staying at a hotel, inspect the mattress, bedding, headboard and nightstands thoroughly. Bed bugs tend to hide in dark spaces like the seams of the mattress and box spring.

When returning from a trip, be sure to check your luggage and its contents – this is a key place that bed bugs like to hide. They are tiny and can be difficult to detect but appear as small, brown insects. If they have recently fed, you may also notice tiny specs of blood.

If you do suspect a bed bug infestation, notify your hotel staff immediately so they can work at eliminating the problem.

During the month of July, Massey Services team members donated school supplies and/or cash through our popular Jeans Day Fundraisers for A Gift For Teaching (AGFT).

Donated supplies were dropped off last week and the team at AGFT could not have been more appreciative! We were able to donate over $100 in cash, in addition to 757 pencils, 205 pens, 100 folders, 24 boxes of crayons, 68 spiral notebooks and much, much more! We also received great news that, because of a grant the organization received, all donated funds are matched 100%, increasing our cash donation to over $200!! What a great way to kick off the new school year!

AGFT’s concept is simple: local businesses take unwanted office supplies or surplus merchandise that would otherwise get thrown away and donate it for distribution through the Free Stores for teachers. More than 8,673 teachers from Central Florida’s 324 public schools can then “shop” for free to make sure that  more than 155,051 students in our community have what they need to learn.

Click here for more information on how you can donate supplies to AGFT.

A nationwide telephone survey of homeowners shows Florida is the worst state for bug problems, with Louisiana, Texas, California and Georgia close behind. The survey, conducted in June, shows a whopping 90 percent of homeowners said they have experienced an insect infestation of one kind or another. The most common invaders? Ants, termites and cockroaches.

While Florida placed No. 1 overall as the worst state for bugs, it also ranked third-worst for bed bugs, behind New York and California. The least amount of bug problems were reported in Washington, D.C. The next most favorable reports came from South Dakota, Connecticut, Idaho and New Hampshire.

The Zebra Longwing butterfly, Florida's official state "bug"

The top 10 buggiest states are:

1. Florida

2. Louisiana

3. Texas

4. California

5. Georgia

6. New York

7. Mississippi

8. Alabama

9. Missouri

10. South Carolina

Read more: Florida worst state for bugs

We are proud to announce that Massey Services has been named one of Central Florida’s “Best Places to Work” by Orlando Business Journal! This is our third year as one of the top five companies in our category.

The annual award recognizes Central Florida’s leading businesses who make it a priority to create a positive work environment for their employees and we are ecstatic to be in such good company.

At Massey, we truly believe that “Our People Make the Difference.” And in this case we certainly did! Companies were chosen for the accolade based on surveys completed anonymously by employees. The survey contained 38 questions covering a range of topics such as trust in senior leaders, relationships with co-workers and feeling valued as a team member. Nearly 300 Massey team members in Central Florida enthusiastically completed the survey online and, thanks to their positive feedback, Massey ended up at the top of the list!