Bed bugs have been found in the local Walmart, store #609, on East Andrew Johnson Highway.
Walmart spokesperson Robert Arrieta told Radio Greeneville that bed bugs were found only in a restroom area, and that no other areas of the store were impacted. Arrieta said that the restrooms affected have been closed and that a third-party pest management service has visited the store, and after conducting a thorough review, found the situation to be an isolated incident. The restroom area was blocked off for treatment.
The store remains open for business.
Bill Christian, the Tennessee Department of Health Associate Director of the Office of Communication & Media Relations, said that TDH is aware of the bed bug complaints at the Greeneville Walmart, but that local health departments do not have statutory authority to inspect inside Walmart. It’s important to know that bed bugs do not transmit infections. State officials are communicating with Walmart about these reports, Christian said.
The full Walmart statement reads as follows:
“We’re taking all the necessary steps to help ensure a safe environment for customers and associates by working to quickly resolve the issue. Our third-party pest management service has visited the store, and after conducting a thorough review, found the situation to be an isolated incident and has blocked off the restroom area for treatment.”
Bed bugs are small, wingless, insects about one-eighth of an inch long. They usually live close to where people sleep, generally within eight feet of a bed. Because they don’t have wings, bed bugs move around by crawling. But in many cases, people carry bed bugs from place to place, often without realizing. Most bed bugs spread from place to place when they get onto people’s clothes or other belongings. People will then carry the bed bugs from place to place much quicker than the bed bugs could infest new areas on their own. Although they don’t spread disease, you can end up covered in itchy red bites.
If the bedbugs are limited to your bedding or clothing, washing everything in hot water above 120 degrees Fahrenheit which will kill bugs and eggs immediately. Commercial pest removal may require chemical treatments or widespread fumigation to kill bugs that are hiding in the cracks of floors or hard to reach places.
