EAST LANSING, Mich. — Residents at Carriage Lane Apartments in Okemos say they've had to deal with an ongoing bed bug infestation and don’t know how much longer they can tolerate it.
“Bed bugs are not like roaches. They’re not like ants. They are not going to go in your kitchen and dine in there. You are their menu,” said resident Peggy Miller.
Mary Ewing, Peggy Miller and Sue Gibbons, who are residents at the complex, say they’ve been dealing with bed bugs for nearly seven years now and the tiny squatters have made their living arrangements unbearable.
“See Sue can actually see them, I don’t see them,” Miller said. “I’ve killed a few of them, but mostly, I just wake up with bites.”
The Ingham County Housing Commission owns the building, and residents say, although they’ve complained numerous times, the commission has only put Band-Aids on the issue.
“Now all they’re doing is spraying,” Miller said.
The Housing Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, a letter sent out to residents two weeks ago said they’re working on the issue and residents are still free to enter common areas
“It’s not working,” Gibbons said. “People have had their apartments sprayed five different times and it just doesn’t work.”
Carriage Lane is a subsidized apartment complex with hundreds of tenants, who deal with mental and physical health issues. Residents said because of the bed bug problem, they haven’t been able to receive at-home medical services.
“On Feb. 2, I said, 'I think I have bed bugs,'” Miller said. “My aides take precautions to protect me from COVID, so I said I don’t think they deserve to take the bed bugs home.”
Residents say they’re now hoping for a quick resolution to this longtime problem.
“Please just take care of it right away because we’re suffering,” Ewing said.
