H O T E L O P E R A T IO N S " ■ 2015 H°11

How hotels can prevent and control infestation of bed bugs

Bed bugs are experts at
hiding, and have been found
behind light switch panels,
in luggage racks and even
the hollow metal cane of a
manager.
By C. Elliott Mest
A S S O C IA T E E D IT O R
pests that find their way indoors,
the same cannot be said for bed
bugs. Traveling on guests and
VP at bed bug treatment supplier
Sterifab, the creatures are seen
in varied locations, including
pesticides are capable o f killing
bed bug eggs due to their unique
biology, Sterifab’s alcohol-based
makeup has a debilitating effect
on bed bug nymphs while within
the eggs, and dries quickly, mak­
ing it safe for use near humans.
“Bed bugs travel w ith cloth­
ing and suitcases, but don’t hide
there,” House said. “They are
attracted to the carbon dioxide
you exhale, and hide in lamp
shades, inside mattresses, in the
drywall and other areas near the
bed.”
“The No. 1 pest for hotels is
bed bugs, regardless o f the sea­
son,” said Paul Curtis, manager
of regulatory and technical ser­
vices at Terminix. Curtis said the
best practice for hotels to handle
an infestation is to use multiple
methods o f control. “The worst
you can do is one thing,” he said.
bed bugs not in the egg stage) are
popular in hospitality because it
allows the room to open up faster,
but rarely result in a 100-percent
m ortality rate. This is because
there are insulated areas in a
structure that are difficult to get
to the correct temperature, and
that is where applying the correct
formulations o f pesticides to cut
off escape routes allows for more
certainty.
T raining housekeeping to
recognize the evidence of bed­
bug activity, such as fecal stains
on bedding and linen, or definite
visual confirmation, can help
prevent potentially embarrassing
accusations from guests.
“Hotels can’t inspect a guest’s
luggage or belongings, it’s not
acceptable or economical,” Curtis
said. “They have to accept the
fact that guests, vendors and

W
hile hotels can per­
form integrated pest- employees, bed-bug infestations w ithin a com puter mouse. H e According to C urtis, heat even employees can constantly be
m a n a g e m e n t te c h ­ are limited only by a hotel’s abil­ recom m ends his com pany’s treatm ents (during w hich a sources o f introduction, and they
niques to reduce the ity toocatch
level f them early. product as a nonresidual contact- room ’s tem perature is raised need to be able to respond.” CI3
activity from th e m ajority o f According to M ark House, kill application. W h ile no above 122 degrees, killing all e m e s t@ q u e s te x . c o m

In teg ra te d P est M a n a g e m e n t • B ed B ug M a n a g e m e n t • L E E D C o m p lia n t P ro g ra m s • O rg a n ic P ro g ra m s

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