Bedbugs
The service we delivered.
The steam generator with a 180C steam flow from the nozzle and the HP med solution which is designed to eliminate the smell of Bedbugs and melt the gluey substance that bines the eggs to the surface was set up in each room. After to allotted time period for the treatment the service staff were allowed to reset the rooms ready to be sold ensuring the financial welfare and reputation of the hotel.
Bedbugs are one if not the hardest insects / pests to eradicate. It is a fact that there is a greater risk of running into bedbugs if you spend time in places where there is a high turnover of nighttime guests such as hotels.
Asian countries have always been targeted as high-risk areas for bed bugs due to high population density with climatic conditions favourable to the growth of bed bugs, in my opinion this may have been true in the last century but due to increase globalization / travel and lack of public awareness this myth is not true for example the most infested city in north America is New York, in Europe it’s neck and neck with Paris and London. These are large crowded cities with mass transportation hubs, a diverse mixture of cultures and large shared housing such as apartments that rely heavily on the tourism industry. All ideal for the growth of a bed bugs.
Bedbugs are about the size of an apple seed. A Bedbugs life span can be as short as 21 days under ideal conditions, but in most cases, it will be between 5 to 8 weeks taking into account the availability of a warm-blooded source such as a human and a constant temperature around 30C.
A bed bug will pass through five stages with the last or sixth stage being adulthood. They require a blood meal or blood feast to move from stage to stage. A bedbug will live up to 316 days under the conditions described. If no host is available an adult can live just over a year without feeding. They hide in the cracks and crevices of beds, headboards, bed frames, skirting boards, curtains, picture frames and come out at night to feed.
A female bedbug will lay 1 to 3 eggs per day and 200 in a lifetime. The bedbug eggs stick to areas where they are placed and are therefore difficult to remove with a vacuum. The eggs are a white/yellow colour. Oval in shape and between 1.5mm to 2mm in length. Bedbug eggs take approximately six to ten days to hatch.
- Itchy and inflamed spots often with a darker spot in the middle sometimes arranged in a cluster.
- Rashes located on the face, neck, arms and hands
- Blood spots on the bed sheets or on the mattress
Bedbugs can be easily transferred from one location to another for example imagine you have arrived on holiday you are in a rented room for the week. After looking around the apartment / hotel room you place your suitcase on the bed and unpack your clothes. Once your stay is over you do the same thing, you empty the cupboards etc of your cloths onto the bed and repack your suitcase an adult bedbug unknown to you is in your cloths that your about to bring home with you as an unwanted guest.
What should I do when I am away on holiday?
- Always remove the sheet and covers off your bed before you unpack. If you see signs on dark brown spots on the sheet or mattress either demand another room in a different location to your current room or demand a full refund and find a new hotel to stay in
Bedbugs have developed very strong resistance to chemical insecticides and several different chemical combinations are recommended to irradiate them this can sometimes have a negative effect as for example with hotels you are required to spray the effected room, the rooms to the left and the right of the effected room and the room opposite, above and below. This means that a guest house, B&B or hotel will be unable to sell a minimum of six rooms for 48 hours which will have an impact on their bottom-line figures and a negative impact on their reputation should someone post images etc on social media.
Heat treatment is the best way to tackle a bed bug infestation because they have no way of building up resistance to heat, which kills the bugs in all their stages, including, vitally, the eggs. Eradicating bed bugs with heat treatment is also an eco-friendly approach. Rooms can be back in action on the same day as the treatment, and no furnishings have to be thrown away.
Some preparation is needed from the client to ensure the best result, the room needs to be treated are uncluttered and certain items that will not respond well to the heat such as plants are removed. All cloths we need to be bagged and washed, once washed they will require a high temperature drying to ensure that the eggs are dead.