BED BUGS
– A GROWING PROBLEM IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
Download our guide with 7 steps to prevent bed bugs in hotels
During the last decade, the number of bed bug infestations has exploded in the hospitality industry much due to the increase in travelling frequency and distances. Lack of knowledge and protocols on how to act in the event of an infestation are contributing factors to the growing problem. Also, bed bugs themselves are developing resistance to insecticides making it harder to eliminate them. As bed bugs are often spread by accompanying humans, from one sleeping place to another, the hospitality industry is greatly affected. That's why we collaborate with hotels, cruise liners, student accommodation, retirement homes, hostels, holiday accommodation, Airbnb homes and hospitals. They all have to battle the same problem, and we can offer several solutions.
Bed bugs spread by cleaning routines
In 9 out of 10 cases, bed bugs are found around the bed as they want to be close to their host. That’s why used bedding can carry bed bugs that risk being spread by hotel cleaning routines. Eggs, nymphs and adult bed bugs can also be carried in the brushes of vacuum cleaner nozzles, from one room to another, from one floor to another. Vacuum cleaners that are used on different floors and laundry bags filled with dirty bedding, lying on the floor in hotel corridors, are all warning signs. Bed bugs can also spread to nearby rooms on their own.
The cost of a bed bug infestation
Treating a hotel room for bed bugs can be a costly situation. Not just considering the actual pest control cost, but the lost revenue when moving a guest to another room and closing off the room for the time of the treatment. Often the adjoining hotel rooms on the sides, above and below, also need to be closed off and treated.
According to a study ordered by the U.S. Department of Health (NIH), a bed bug infestation costs just over 6,000 USD. This sum included the cost of the treatment, furniture replacement and lost revenue for the room. In addition to these costs, hotels also run the risk of their hotel guests giving them negative reviews on for example TripAdvisor. The study estimates that revenue per hotel room decreases by 38 USD for each negative review published. Of all the hotels surveyed, as many as half had to pay damages to affected hotel guests, at an average cost of 20,000 USD.
( https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6462087/)
Prevent infestations with bed bug tape and traps
Implementing special cleaning routines and having protocols in place for how to act when discovering a bed bug can help in tackling the problem before it becomes an epidemic infestation. Nattaro Safe™ bed bug tape placed on hotel beds, behind headboards and along skirting boards is a preventive measure that also functions as an ongoing, long-lasting bed bug treatment.
It can sometimes be hard to see if you are dealing with a bed bug problem. Residues and droppings of bed bugs can easily be mistaken for dirt. Are the bites on the skin really from bed bugs or something else? That's when a detection trap comes in handy. The housekeeping department in a residence could be prepared with Nattaro Scout™ detection traps. These are easy to place in a suspected hotel room, or before someone moves into student accommodation or a retirement home. The trap becomes proof of whether there is a problem or not.
Training and consultancy
If you would like your staff to learn more about bed bugs and how to prevent them, we offer a training suitable for anyone who encounters bed bug issues in their daily work. The training course can be customised and includes the biology of bed bugs and chemical ecology. We offer all our participants a full-day training at Medicon Village in Lund as we alternate theory with practice and study visits in our bed bug lab. Nattaro Labs employees can also be employed on a consultancy basis if your organisation needs to develop a pest control routine, undertake a risk assessment or action plan for the management of a bed bug outbreak.
