Bed Bug Hotel
Bed Bug Eradication - 2 Effective Ways To Keep Your Hotel Bug Free
Author: Abhishek Agarwal
The bed bug is believed to be as ancient as the human existence. Experts assess that bed bugs fed from pre-historic humans' blood since the time they dwell in caves. When human dwellings evolved from caves to huts made of leaves and from to huts to houses made of woods and into the concrete buildings, the bed bugs moved along with the civilization. When people moved around into the modern world from house to house, hotels to hotels and back, the pests moved with them too. Bed bugs travel in the crevices of luggage and drops in carpets and mattresses on the arrival of his host.
The growing complaints for bed bugs in Hotels keep increasing. It is major challenge for management to keep their establishment free of bugs. They take pride in claiming that their hotels are bed bug free, but how many are they that claim this, perhaps a few.
Why are Hotels infested more than the regular homes? Perhaps it is to the fact that there are more beds in hotels than in houses. Since there are more beds, there are more bed bugs and are more difficult to control. When Hotels do not give attention to guest's complaints of early symptoms of bed bugs presence, the problem elevates to the scale of infestation.
In the 1930's there was widespread infestation of bed bugs in American hotels. They were eradicated with the implementation of DDT pesticide in the post war era to the 1950s while the specie continues to grow in other parts of the Globe like Europe, Asia and Africa. Eventually the DDT was banned due to harmful effects on humans.
The bed bugs have now returned in hotels partly due to the increase of tourist influx and immigrants who might have picked the bugs from their origin and leaves them behind in hotels where they have stayed. Partly and a direct correlation is the banning of the DDT in the 1960's which was then the only effective pesticide for bed bugs. These are compounded by the pests capability to reproduce at an alarming rate. A bug could lay 5 eggs a day for a life cycle of over one year and lay a total of about 500 eggs in its existence. It is to be noted also that bed bugs could reproduce 3 generations in almost a year.
Major concerns for hotel owners are court cases filed by disgruntled patrons who suffer severe skin infections due to bug bites. It is alarming that it is not just the cheap hotels that get infested. Even the first class one to five star hotels are not spared. The search for solution and addressing mass suits gives alarming concern that affects profitability of the hotel business.
There are two ways that hotels implement to control bed bugs infestation. One is the chemical treatment and the other is the non chemical approach.
1. Chemical Treatment
Chemical treatment is conducted by pest control professionals. This is effective in reaching hard to reach tight places in hotel rooms. Two popular forms are the inorganic diatomaceous earth and the silica aerogel. They are placed in hard to reach tight places and support long term effectiveness. These desiccants render dehydration for the bugs and eventual death. The chemicals are low in toxicity for humans and domestic animals.
Pyrethroids are liquid insecticide repellant chemicals used in applying into crevices to prevent bed bugs from creeping into them.
2. Non-chemical treatments
a) Vacuum Cleaning – Do daily vacuuming of mattresses, furnitures, beds and headboards where bed bugs usually to hide. The vacuum bag must be disposed of its content such that the captured bugs are ensured of being eliminated.
b) Steam clean and Hot drying – Steam cleaning and hot drying of carpets, upholstery of furnitures, beddings and curtains helps eradicate bed bugs and its eggs from all other possible hiding places.
c) Housekeeping - Maintain housekeeping and eliminate clutters in hidden places like cabinets, drawers, stockrooms, etc.
It is a wise management move to contract professional services that have in depth knowledge and vast experience in eradicating pests including bed bugs. Since there are many competitors in the field, it is best to select through proper selection process.
It pays to listen to guest complaints and suggestions to help improve effectiveness of both controlling bed bugs infestation and prevention.They are the key to understanding customer satisfaction and the result of the programs implemented to eliminate bug infestation.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/home-improvement-articles/bed-bug-eradication-2-effective-ways-to-keep-your-hotel-bug-free-753568.html
About the Author
Abhishek has got some great Bed Bugs Elimination Secrets up his sleeve! Download his FREE 69 Pages Ebook, "How To Win Your War Against Bed Bugs!" from his website http://www.Wonder-Homes.com/113/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
You might want to contact the “Koninklijk Horeca Nederland” (Royal Hotel & Restaurant Association The Netherlands)
Koninklijk Horeca Nederland
Pelmolenlaan 10
3447 GW Woerden
Postbus 566
3440 AN Woerden
Telefoon 0348 – 489489
Fax 0348 – 489400
E-mail: info@horeca.org
Good luck!
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Ask them. Legally, they have to tell you. Or try the local health department. It’s all public record. Hotels aren’t clean to begin with so you might want to check with the local heath department regardless.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
Did you have to go to a doctor or hospital for the bites & now have outstanding medical bills? Did you miss work because of the bites?
If not, what are you planning on suing for? Pain & suffering? If so, they’re going to want to see hospital or doctors reports stating how much pain you were in. Did the bugs take something from you? Or did they just gross you out? Can you prove that you received the bites in the hotel?
You don’t really have much of a case unless you became ill from the bites. Sorry.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
There is an easy solution to this problem – before bringing your luggage into the room, check the sheets and roll them back to check around the seams of a the mattress. If you see any brown, reddish spots then there could be a problem. If you do, call the manager. See the mattress picture in the resource below.
If the sheets and mattress are spot free, then there is a good chance that the room is bed bug free. Other bed bug travel tips are listed in the resource.
November 30, -0001
12:00 am
The same kind of thing worries me. So far I have not run into any.
Reading hotel reviews at
http://www.tripadvisor.com may help. The absence of a reviewer writing about bedbugs does not prove a hotel is safe, but if a reviewer has reported bedbugs I would avoid that hotel. I usually examine the bed before accepting the room. It is advisable to look at the sheets and mattress pad for evidence of blood spots from previously bitten guests. Looking at seams along the mattress for actual bedbugs is recommended.
There are probably more thorough tests that I don’t know. I treat my travel clothing and bags with permethrin spray. This is originally intended to repel mosquitoes.
Sawyer offers it in pump bottles. Repel offers it in aerosol cans as Permanone. Wal-Mart used to carry Permanone, but I haven’t seen it there lately. Permethrin is toxic to cats and to fish. REI carries it. It can be ordered from Amazon. I don’t know how effective it is, as my absence of bed bugs could just be the luck of not getting exposed. It is possible that because permethrin is used a lot bedbugs may be evolving resistance.
I usually bring a magnifier with me to examine any suspicious specks.
March 22, 2006
6:48 pm
how do i find out if my hotel has had bed bug complaints?
I travel a lot and never really thought about bed bugs, but since seeing the dateline special report on bed bugs, I want to know ahead of time if the hotel I’m using has had complaints
July 21, 2006
1:56 am
How do I report a hotel in Amsterdam with a bed bug infestation?
Stayed at a small hotel in Amsterdam, July 2006. I found bed bugs all over my bed on the second night of my stay. Returned home with red sores from bites all over my body. No compensation from hotel, and manager actually stated that the bugs came in through an open window. I have seen bed bugs before in New York City, these were bigger and in much greater numbers. I am concerned that the hotel was so quick to deny any problem and I can only imagine how many other travelers will run into the same problem. Hotel Rainbow Palace – Amsterdam.
November 27, 2009
5:19 pm
Looking for an attorney to help with bed bugs and bug bites in hotel I received.?
I was staying in a hotel and was bitten by bed bugs and ants. I need an attorney.houston texas
August 21, 2010
9:13 am
How worried should I be about bed bugs in a hotel?
Next week we are going to be staying at extended stay hotel in Mpls because we will be on vacation for more than a week. My question is with all the things I have heard about bed bugs being a growing problem, how worried should I actually be? Never thought about it before I saw it on the news and I know how hard it was to get rid of fleas when I didn’t realize my cat that I had brought them home. How can you tell if a hotel has them?
August 28, 2010
2:40 am
Just booked a budget hotel and am concerned about bed bugs?
Have just booked a budget hotel in Rome and am a bit concerned after reading some reviews (for other hotels) about bed bugs. A common issue with budget hotels from what I gather, worldwide. The reviews for the hotel I booked did not mention anything of the kind but I am a bit antsy about it. If I shake out the sheets/towels and spray the room with common fly/ant spray, will it take care of any possible bed bugs? I know they can be quite small to the eye.