Pest Control in Hotels

Pest Control in Hotels

Pets

An infestation of bed bugs or other pests can destroy a hotel’s bottom line. If the problem goes unchecked, it can also destroy a hotel’s reputation. Fortunately, vigilance and preparedness can help prevent bed bugs from taking root in your business. If you do detect the nuisances, you can get rid of them quickly with the proper commercial pest control for hotels. Here is an overview of the dangers that bed bugs pose and what you can do should they rear their ugly heads in your hotel.

What are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are tiny red-brown pests that only grow to be about a quarter of an inch long at full maturity. They latch onto fabric of all sort and are especially known for building their nests in mattresses, hence their name. Bed bugs do not target humans as their primary prey, but they feed on blood and often leave itchy, uncomfortable marks after they have eaten. Not only can they make their homes in mattresses, but they can burrow into luggage, suitcases, and certain types of clothing. This means that somebody who visits a hotel with bed bugs can potentially spread the infestation to multiple places. Often times, the person carrying the bed bug infestation doesn’t realize that they are carrying the pests at all.

How Do Bed Bugs Spread?

The most common way that bed bugs spread is simple travel and transmission from one person’s luggage or clothing into the hotel. This means that all hotels and motels are at risk of an infection, no matter how thoroughly they clean the premises. It only takes one unwitting traveler to bring bed bug eggs or nymphs into a building. Once they are in, they can get into the mattresses and travel to other parts of the building. Frequently changing linens and doing regular inspections for the pests are an effective way of catching the problem before it spreads. Most hotels operate under the assumption that they will eventually have a bed bug problem, and that the best course of action is to know how to mitigate the issue while it is still in its infancy.

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How do Hotels Prevent Bed Bugs?

Virtually every hotel and motel knows of the danger that bed bugs pose. If they get into one room, they can easily infest the whole building. Travelers who get bed bugs can wind up with an uncomfortable night of sleep, lots of itchiness, and other forms of discomfort. Such unpleasantness often leads to poor reviews of the hotel and can damage the establishments reputation in the long run. Hotels can remain vigilant against bed bugs by training the house staff to look for the telltale signs of the insects when they change a room. Washing linens regularly and drying at a high temperature can also help. Finally, some more expensive mattresses and bed linings are designs specifically to prevent bed bugs from burrowing into the bed, thus making it safer for guests.

How to Fight an Infestation

Once bed bugs show up, the best move is usually to go right to extermination. Trying to control the problem internally leaves a high likelihood of missing nymphs, which are pale and almost too tiny to see, or eggs, which even well-trained staff might not spot. Pest control services offer heat treatment to kill bed bugs quickly. This heat treatment involves heating the mattress where the pests live up to a temperature they cannot survive. At the same time, the temperature doesn’t get high enough to cause any damage to the mattress or furniture. It takes a properly trained pest control service to perform this heat treatment, so it is always best to know somebody you can trust in advance. That way when the problem does rear its ugly head, a solution is a mere phone call away. Professional pest control services react quickly, stay discrete, and maintain confidentiality so as not to ruin a hotel’s reputation.

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Very little can ruin a hotel’s public standing and profit margin more than an infestation of bed bugs. For this reason, it helps to make sure that everybody involved in housekeeping or maintain rooms is properly trained to identify the nuisances. If a guest complains about bites that might be bed bug related, you should respond quickly and decisively to make sure that the problem doesn’t spread. In any bed bug situation, it helps to know a professional pest control service so you can have a skilled expert solve the problem quickly, reliably, and in a way that doesn’t damage your property.