Bed Bugs in Hotels

There are an increasing number of complaints from travellers about bed bugs in the hotels they stayed.

The number one carrier of bed bugs in hotels is the mattress. This should not be a surprise, as bed bugs are known to lurk in the bed, hence the name “bed bug.”

Why the infestation? No one exactly knows but there is a rumor about bed bugs in hotels becoming immune to the regular insecticide used on them.

Infestations of bed bugs in hotels were common in the United States before World War II. But bed bugs vanished in hotels during the 1940s and ‘50s with improvements in hygiene and the widespread use of DDT dusting. The specie flourished in other parts of the world like Africa, South and Central Europe and Asia.

The increasing number of travellers and immigrants staying in hotels and other establishments - unknowingly leaving an unwanted souvenir behind – is blamed for the reoccurrence of bed bugs. Just one female bed bug can produce five eggs a day and could leave three generations of bed bugs in hotels.

Some scientists believe that the reappearance of bed bugs in hotels is due to the cutback on the quality of pesticides. DDT was banned in the 1960’s and it was the only insecticide used which effectively killed the bed bugs in hotels.

One cause for concern regarding the bed bugs in hotels is that they just don’t flourish in cheap, musty motels. Even the expensive ones are being infested. Establishments are losing money fast with court appearances for cases filed by unsatisfied patrons.

The bed bugs in hotels are the same bed bugs that invade our homes. They are small, nasty, brownish, round and flat insects that closely resemble a tick. These insects don’t care where they live as long it is a warm place where they can breed and it is near their food source – people.

Bed bugs are patient insects. They can live up to a year without a blood meal. Their size makes it hard for people to see them. Their victims don’t even feel their bites. Bed bugs feed by piercing the skin with its elongated beak and they inject a small amount of anaesthesia-like substance that makes them undetectable. The only sign you’ve been visited by a bed bug is if you have an itchy, swelling welt the next day.

The bed bugs in hotels are becoming a nuisance for the management. It tarnishes their reputation and leaves a bad impression on the customer. But what’s more appalling is the way bed bugs are handled in hotels.

Instead of having to provide remedies for the patrons, the staff often just dismisses the incident. This has incurred the wrath of some patrons and the bed bug problems in hotels now enter the courtroom. There was one case that the hotel was so heavily infested that it was sued for damages. Patrons contested that because the management did not disclose the bed bug problem, they risked the health and well being of their guests. The court found the hotel guilty.

That’s the problem with bed bugs in hotels nowadays. Although the bed bugs do not only appear in hotels, the fact that the establishments do not resolve their infestation is what irks patrons.

It is their duty to provide good service and a clean environment, free from bed bugs. In case of an infestation they should immediately call in the pest control experts to remedy the situation.

As a traveller, you should take the precaution whenever going to hotels. Always bring along an anti-itch cream just in case. Before you check-in, you can ask around about how clean the hotel is. The Internet is a great source of information, with hotel reviews and ratings. Look for comments regarding the patrons’ personal experience. It can help you decide which hotel to go to on your next trip.

Now should the hotel misinform you about their bed bug infestation, you can use that as grounds for making a complaint and shutting the place down.   

For more information about bed bugs infestation visit http://www.bedbugsuncovered.com