With the arrival DDT in the 1940s, bed bugs almost disappeared in western countries. However, bed bug infestations have resurged in recent years, for reasons which are not clear, but contributing factors may be complacency, increased resistance, bans on pesticides and increased international travel.
Hotels take bed bugs very seriously, and if they don’t, they should. An alarming number of 4 and 5 star hotels have had issues with bed bugs in recent decades, and the process of eradication is costly and extreme. A hotel must not only seal off the infected room, it must also place all adjacent rooms – including above and below – out of service to be treated as well. This means that between 4 – 12 rooms are placed out of service while a pest control operator comes in to treat the rooms at two separate times. This means that the hotel is paying for the following:
This cost does not factor in loss of business as a result of the public finding out about the infestation and taking their business elsewhere.
New York has been hit particularly hard with bed bug infestations over recent years. Not only have hotels and movie theatres been hit hard, also a number of prominent businesses and retailers have felt the affects. These include:
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What’s the Risk? What’s the Payout? Should you, a pest control operator, offer a warranty/ guarantee for Bed Bugs? Anyone that has done their research knows the difficulty in offering a Bed Bug elimination guarantee. Whether it be for single family homes, apartments, hotels, or furniture rental companies. Weather you are a large multi-million dollar company or a small local establishment. Right now Bed Bugs are swooping in to this nation from afar bringing back memories of the 40’s and 50’s. Except now pest professionals and proven pesticides are restricted by our government and that may cause this pandemic to get worse before it gets better. Not only are pest professionals fumbling to find the most effective way to treat, but they must decide on whether or not to guarantee that service. There are several risks involved. Are they worth the consequences? If you plan to wait for the right tools to offer such a guarantee as you would with spiders or crickets, what would you do until then? One thing is for certain there is money to be made.
I think we need some industry feedback to draw a conclusion. What do you think?
The bite is painless. The salivary fluid injected by bed bugs typically causes the skin to become irritated and inflamed, although individuals can differ in their sensitivity. A small, hard, swollen, white welt may develop at the site of each bite. This is accompanied by severe itching that lasts for several hours to days. Scratching may cause the welts to become infected. The amount of blood loss due to bed bug feeding typically does not adversely affect the host.
Negative health affects are minimal, with some individuals respond to bed bug infestations with anxiety, stress, and insomnia. Fortunately, bed bugs are not known to transmit disease. Additional adverse affects can include skin rashes, allergic symptoms, and psychological impacts.
Bed bugs feed solely on the blood of their hosts. The only time you’ll get bitten by a bed bug is while sitting quietly, or much more commonly while sleeping. Remember, you may not be the only host that a bed bug is feeding on – pets and local wildlife may also be in a bed bugs nightly diet. So, simply changing your sheets or buying a new mattress will not necessarily alleviate the problem.
While not feeding, bed bugs will seek shelter in any crack or crevice to avoid detection, and light. Most commonly bed bugs will make homes in mattresses, furniture, or cracks in dry wall.
Remember that bed bugs will not feed while you are active, so take the time to search for them, or signs of them, if you feel you have an infestation. Putting barriers (such as a latex mattress topper) between you and bed bugs at night may help the situation, but the only true method of pest control involves heat and pesticides.
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