NORTH SMITHFIELD – While there have been several complaints filed of bed bugs at a local Wal-Mart store, the company hired to treat the problem has found no evidence the pests are actually present, according to a store manager.
Social media was rife with tales this week that the Eddie Dowling Highway store had an infestation. One video purported to show evidence of the insects in an employee coatroom.
According to store manager Gary Glenn, the store called in exterminators from EcoLab to address the issue after receiving the first complaint. Store employees had to empty lockers and take out personnel belongings while the business was treated, but ultimately nothing was found.
Glenn said the same process happened two more times after two more complaints were filed – with the same results.
When asked about the nuisance, a store associate who answered the phone on Thursday, Nov. 19 stated, that “there have been some cases,” but it was unclear if the reference was to the store’s ongoing effort to treat the purported problem.
Glenn said that no evidence has been found by a licensed pest control specialist to date.
The store has no record of violations with the Rhode Island Department of Health.