Bed bugs return to Forest Hills subway control tower

A bed bug infestation is causing problems at the Forest Hills-71st Street station MTA control tower. Photo by Ted Leong via Wikimedia Commons.

By Noah Singer

A pesky pest infestation is starting to bug Queens commuters.

For the third time this month, exterminators visited the Forest Hills-71st Street station MTA control tower Tuesday morning to fumigate for bed bugs, according to the New York Post. 

Officials said they did not know where the bugs were coming from, but MTA spokesperson Tim Minton said Tuesday’s bug was “secured and confirmed deceased.” 

The MTA initially detected the biting bugs and fumigated the tower on Jan. 8. Staffers said they first saw the pests on two separate occasions in December, but dogs trained to find the pests found none. 

The second fumigation took place during the evening rush on Jan. 22, causing significant delays to service on the M, R, E and F lines. 

Tuesday’s fumigation was carried out between the hours of 12 and 2 a.m., and did not delay service.