Google Has a Bedbug Infestation in Its New York Offices

Google employees work at the company's Chelsea campus in New York received a notice on Sunday warning them of possible outbreak of bedbugs in the office. According to an email obtained by WIRED, exterminators arrived on the scene with a sniffer dog “and found credible evidence of their presence.” The letter was sent to everyone Google employees in New York on behalf of the company's environmental, health and safety team.

Employees were instructed to avoid the office until treatment was completed. On Monday morning they were allowed to return. Google is conducting additional inspections at other Google campuses in New York, including buildings at the company's Hudson Square campus, “out of an abundance of caution,” the email said.

The company advised employees to submit a report “if you experience symptoms that you believe are related to possible exposure to bedbugs.” Additionally, “if you suspect you have seen a bedbug on site,” employees were instructed to notify facility crews. Employees were also advised to contact professional exterminators if they found bedbugs in their house.

Sources told WIRED that Google's New York offices are home to several large stuffed animals that are rumored to be involved in the outbreak. WIRED was unable to verify this information before publication. Google declined to comment.

This is not the first time Google's New York office has been infested with bedbugs. In 2010, the company's office on 9th Avenue in Manhattan. there was an outbreak amid a large-scale bedbug infestation in New York.