Throughout North America, bed bugs are becoming a larger problem for hotels and motels. Because of the proximity of rooms, if one guest comes in carrying the pests, bed bugs can spread throughout the entire establishment - regardless of how sanitary and proper the cleaning practices are.
Often, the best solution to deal with bed bugs in a hotel or other hospitality establishment is to call in a professional pest management team to quickly and effectively eliminate the issue, otherwise the problem could continue and hurt the hotel's image. Here's some important information that every hotel owner, manager and staff member should know, so that if you ever do have a problem, you can identify it in a timely manner.
One of the best lines of defense against bed bugs for a hotel is to train your cleaning and maintenance staff to recognize the warning signs of an infestation. The very small, wingless brown bugs are most commonly found around the edges of the bed and box spring. Between 1.5 and 5.5 millimeters in length, staff should keep an eye out for the bugs as well as smudges on the sheets, which could come from guests sleeping on the pests.
Bed bugs can infest a bed or box spring then wait until your guests are asleep to come out and start biting. As a hotel, your first concern is your customers' comfort. Bed bugs don't just cause physical discomfort in the way of small, itchy bites, but they can also disrupt peace of mind and make people feel as though they're under attack. This can disrupt a customer's sleep and loyalty to your establishment.
A secondary issue with bed bugs is that in recent years they have led to lawsuits against hotels and other hospitality establishments. Entomology professor Dini Miller, Ph.D., from Virginia Tech, advised hotels to develop a foolproof routine for staff in case they need to respond to a guest's complaint of bed bugs. Documentation, quick action and a coordinated, preplanned defense is the best way to address a guest's bed bug concern and avoid litigation. It's also important to get to the guests in rooms surrounding the infested room to prevent further discomfort.
When a problem is identified, either by a guest or the staff, it's important to work with your commercial pest management team to eliminate the pests and do what you can to prevent future infestations.
You probably already know that most people are repulsed by the simple sight of cockroaches. If you are personally dealing with a cockroach infestation, the feelings of disgust are probably even more intense. Unfortunately, the cold winter weather tends to be one of the reasons this pest ends up in your home in the first place, according to Any Pest. While you may know that you don't want to share your home with cockroaches this winter, there are a number of interesting facts about this pest that you've probably never heard.
Because of the high amount of traffic and the versatility of the facilities, pests are naturally attracted to long-term care institutions. Many nursing homes, rehabilitation centers and other care facilities include on-site kitchens and cafeterias as well as private rooms and common spaces. All of these places are susceptible to attracting pests because of the presence of food, water and viable habitats.
During the summer months, some people love to go camping with family and friends. Yet this fun trip can be ruined with a few unwanted visitors, most notably different types of bugs. Crawling spiders, hungry mosquitoes and buzzing flies can become annoying quickly. How can you avoid these pests when you're outdoors? Consider these tips to keep bugs out of your campsite.
Carpenter ants can chew through the strongest studs and stringers in a house as they hollow the wooden beams out for nesting. The resulting damage can weaken the home's structural support and require expensive repairs. Professional pest control workers can remove a colony of ants, but the best practice for homeowners is to learn the best ways to keep out an ant colony and prevent the problem before it begins.
As the weather cools, you'll probably see fewer pests than you did during the warmer months, but that doesn't mean they're all gone just yet. Some insects can actually come out in full force during the autumn, while others might seek refuge in your warm home. Here are some key tips to keep in mind as fall gets underway:
As the middle of summer approaches, you need to be vigilant about keeping your garden free of pests. Many insects breed during the summertime, which means they're on the lookout for great places to lay their eggs. For many bugs, that means near a source of food. In fact, some species of insects will lay their eggs inside budding vegetables and fruit so their larvae have something to eat as soon as they hatch. That's why you have to keep harmful bugs out without damaging the bugs that could help you, such as bumble bees.
You might have noticed that, with the exception of the kitchen, you find more pests in your bathroom than in the rest of your home. This is because insects and rodents see the bathroom as a convenient watering hole. Pests love leaky pipes and standing water because these offer them a hydrating oasis in the otherwise dry biome that is your house or apartment. And if your bathroom develops mold, all the better for pests, who may eat fungus or use it to lay their eggs.
The kitchen is largest gathering place for pests in a residential home. The reason is simple: pests can grab a bite to eat and take a sip of water while they're here. And when they find such a bountiful place, they will return home to their nests and report the finding - before you know it, your whole pantry is a buffet for ants! The problem could get even worse if a piece of food falls somewhere and begins to rot. Similarly, fruit and vegetables you bring into your home may be harboring unseen pests waiting to hatch.
