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Paris Office
91 Bd Haussmann
75008
Paris, France
Helsinki Office
Katariinankatu 1 A
00170
Helsinki, Finland
Copyright © 2024 Valpas Enterprises Oy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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91 Bd Haussmann
75008
Paris, France
Katariinankatu 1 A
00170
Helsinki, Finland
Copyright © 2024 Valpas Enterprises Oy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Frequently Asked Questions
General
Perhaps you are on vacation and staying at a fancy hotel. All you want is sit back, relax, and enjoy your trip. However, not getting enough sleep because of bed bugs in your hotel bed can ruin your holiday. It might cause you to not enjoy your vacation to the fullest. But can bed bugs lead to hotel refunds? Let’s find out!
The short answer is yes, and you can get a full refund if you find bed bugs in your hotel room. Hotels must maintain a standard of hygiene. As a result, finding bed bugs in your hotel room directly violates this. Thus, it is only logical for them to compensate you for your suffering by offering you a refund. But there is more to getting a refund from your hotel than this. In this article, we will talk about how you can get a refund due to bed bugs, what you need to do once you find bed bugs in your hotel room, and what steps can you take to make sure you get compensated for your troubles. So, stick around till the end, and let us dive right into the article.
Bed bugs are a terrible thing to face when away from home. Especially when you paid for a clean room for a good night’s sleep. So, what do you do when you encounter bed bugs in your hotel?
- Protect Your Luggage
Bed bugs are the hitchhikers of the pest world, and their mode of travel is through luggage. So, if you do not want this nuisance to follow you home from your trip, be sure to secure your luggage. Once you find bed bugs in your room, check all your luggage and belongings to see if they are clean. Afterwards, keep them as far away from the bed and any other furniture in the room as possible. Bed bugs can also live in curtains and upholstered furniture. And any luggage that you expose should be wrapped in plastic.
- Evidence
You should gather evidence to back up your claims if you plan on making a complaint and trying to get a refund. If you complain about itchy bites, management may shrug it off as mosquito bites. The staff may seem understanding, but they can do very little for you without proper evidence.
After confirming you have live bed bugs, be sure to take lots of pictures for photographic evidence. Take clear pictures of the bug bites, and be sure you can see the hotel room mattress in the picture for further proof. Bed bugs are also visible to the naked eye, so take pictures of them in the bed if possible. Lastly, you can try and take samples of the bed bugs from the room as proof.
- Reach Out To The Staff And Management
After securing your luggage and gathering the evidence, you are ready to talk to the hotel staff and inform them of the bed bugs. There might be a chance they are unaware of the bed bugs, so try and keep an open mind and be helpful as well. Show them the proof you gathered and ask for a refund.
If you did suffer due to the bed bugs, you have the right to some compensation, not just a full refund. You have the right to get compensation for your losses due to these pests. This includes plastic bags, allergy medication, creams for the bites, and any other medical expenses.
- Report the Issue
As a hotel guest, you can report the bed bug issue to health inspectors who make sure hotels live up to their standards especially if the management seems unwilling to deal with the issue for any reason. Filing a report with the local health department can make the management more willing to help you. If not, you can take legal action against them.
- Leave The Premises
You should leave the room as soon as possible before they can infect your belongings and follow you home. Most hotel chain rooms will offer you another empty room under these circumstances, especially if this happens in the middle of the night. However, be cautious because these rooms may contain bed bugs as well.
If you do find bed bugs in your room, you have the right to ask for a full refund. But what else are you entitled to? As a guest, you have the right to be compensated for any injuries or bites you sustain from these bed bugs. And if you need medical treatment, you have the right to ask for compensation for it.
Furthermore, if these pests hitchhike onto your luggage and follow you home, resulting in a full-blown infestation, you are entitled to be compensated for this. You can even go as far as filing a lawsuit against them after seeking legal advice. If you do go through with filing a lawsuit, you can get other compensation in the following forms:
Hotel refund policies may vary from hotel to hotel. But you are more likely to get a refund for your room if it is infested with bed bugs. Few hotels would risk their reputation over a refund, preferring to keep their hotel guests happy and positive about their establishment.
Be sure to check out sites like hotel.com to learn about the different refund policies before booking a room.
One of the major duties of a hotel is to ensure the health and safety of its guests. As such, when notified of an issue like this, they should promptly check the room for infestation and act accordingly. However, if the hotel management is knowingly negligent, they will be liable for any harm to the guest.
Bed bugs are most active during the summer, which is prime hotel season. As a result, you will see a spike in the number of bed bug cases in hotels. But what can you do about it? How do you protect yourself and your holidays from bed bugs?
Firstly, you need to research and learn a bit about bed bugs and some key signs. And do your research on the hotel as well, and check reviews as well as the hotel room itself when you check in. If you see signs of bed bugs, get out of there and complain to the front desk.
Keep your suitcases away. You do not want these pests following your home. And put any exposed luggage in plastic bags to limit the spread. Lastly, wash all your clothes in warm water to kill any bugs that latch onto your clothes.
A big downside to bed bugs is that they may come home with you in your luggage. These pests are the hitchhikers of the insect world, so you want to get them off your luggage as fast as possible, but how do you go about it?
Firstly, pack up all your bags and suitcases in large plastic bags before leaving the hotel. This will stop them from spreading right away once you get home. After you are home, dry-wash all your clothes at the highest possible temperature. This should kill them.
Lastly, vacuum up your suitcases and seal them. Any remaining bed bugs will most likely suffocate inside the plastic bags. Be sure to check for bed bugs in your home for the next few months if you do not want another infestation.
Whether you are a hotel owner, visitor or manager or owner, there is no scenario where having to deal with bed bugs is a positive experience. But how do you deal with such a widespread issue?
Well, with Valpas, of course. You can consider Valpas as a smart bed bug trap. Whereas traditional traps only prevent bed bugs from getting on your bed. Valpas also traps the bed bugs already living on the bed. You must be wondering how it does that?
Well, Valpas has specific features that actively attract bed bugs. So, bugs on the ground or on your bed will be heading towards the trap before the bed. And when they do, they get trapped.
Every time Valpas captures a bed bug. It sends a paired device a notification so that you or your staff can keep track of the bed bug situation. The best part is, that Valpas does it all without involving any harmful chemicals or intrusive procedures in pest control. All you do is place them in the corners of your bed frame.
So, what are you waiting for? Contact Us today to get yourself protected with Valpas anti-bed bug devices.
In this article, we discussed bed bug hotel refunds and what to do if you discover these annoying pests in your room. We hope you found this article to be helpful in case of demanding your rights or understanding what kind of demands your customers could make if you are a hotel manager. Thank you for taking the time to read this article.
You need proper rest while staying in a hotel room. No matter if it is a pleasure trip or a business tour. The most significant part of a hotel room is the bed, where you can rest to avert the tiredness from the long journeys. But what if there are bed bugs in the hotel room? Can you legally get hotel bed bug compensation?
This article discusses your options for compensation for the bed bug attack you may face in your hotel room. Here, we have discussed what you need to do to get the maximum reparation. You can use this article as a guide for making a lawsuit for bedbug bites.
You can receive compensation from a hotel if you become a victim of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) while staying in their rooms. It is the responsibility of the hotel authority to ensure a safe and healthy environment for you. If they fail to do so, you can always take the help of the law to make them pay for their lack of care. However, you need to hire a good lawyer for that.
People rent a hotel room to rest at night with a sound sleep. However, it is impossible to sleep if there are bedbugs. So, asking for compensation for bed bugs in a hotel room is ethically justified. Moreover, adult bed bug bites can have harmful impacts on your body. Some people tend to be allergic to bed bug bites too.
The hotel must check for early detection signs of bed bug sheets and take care of them. So, you are in full right to take legal action.
Claim compensation for bed bug bites at a hotel falls under the personal injury lawsuit settlements category. The reparation for this type of lawsuit depends on the damage. For example, if you only missed the sleep, you may claim a minimum amount of compensation.
On the other hand, if the bites of bed bugs caused some temporary or permanent health conditions, you may claim a large amount as your compensation. The amount should reflect the physical and mental trouble you had to go through for the bed bugs. It should also include all the expenses you need to bear to get out of the impacts of the bites of bed bugs.
- Document the Circumstances
Your first action to get compensation from the hotel authority for the bed bugs in their rooms should be to document the whole scenario. Take close pictures of the bite marks in a way that meticulously demonstrates the damage.
It would be best to take pictures of the mattress seams, cracks, crevices, box springs and other furniture infested with live bed bugs in the hotel room. Check for blood stains on the bed. Now, write down the contact information of the hotel and the names of the manager and the housekeeping staff on duty. This information will play a significant role in getting proper compensation. Check if the hotel had any history of bed bugs.
- Report the Incident
It is crucial to notify the proper authorities of the government about your unacceptable experience of bed bugs in the hotel at your earliest. When you inform the government official at the country health department, he will send a representative to inspect the hotel room for bed bugs. The government keeps records of bedbug-infested hotels to prevent future outbreaks.
However, the inspection report of the health department representative is very significant for your claim of compensation. Ask the inspector for a copy of the inspection report. You have to inform the government official about the bed bugs before you should inform the hotel management. They will try cleaning the room before the inspector comes to weaken your compensation claim.
- Be Careful About Hotel Staff
The hotel authority knows very well the impacts of a bed bug report. It will bring a bad name to the hotel and eventually hamper its profit. On the contrary, they will need to attend court sessions and pay a fat amount after you have made a compensation lawsuit. So, they will try their best to prevent you and the inspector from documenting the actual scenario.
If they somehow come to know that you are about to make a bed bug report, they will try to convince you with lucrative offers. Their main objective would be to clean the bedbug-infested furniture of the room before the inspector comes. Do not show any mercy since they will continue to be negligent in the future if you let them get away with this.
They must check for early signs of infestation and take the necessary procedures to stop it. Your actions could provide them with the motivation to do that.
- Get Medical Help
No matter how big or small your injury from the bed bug bites is, you must see a doctor to consult your health. It will ensure that you do not face any critical medical conditions due to the bedbug bites. More importantly, visiting a doctor will make your compensation lawsuit stronger.
It can be alarming for you if the spot of the bed bug bite swells. It can imply an infection or an allergic condition. Tell your doctor to elaborately write down the findings of his diagnosis and probable treatment procedures. The medical documents will help you win compensation lawsuits against the hotel authority.
- Hire an Attorney
For the hotel authority, it is a battle to protect their image and reputation. So, they will hire the best lawyers to defend themselves. Some big hotels have their own set of highly-paid legal advisors to help them fight legal battles. So, you also should hire a lawyer with experience in compensation lawsuits.
You may find some top-notch lawyers with specific experience handling compensation lawsuits relating to bed bug bites. A good lawyer knows how to get you justified compensation keeping in mind the lost wages, medical bills, and other damages.
Before making a compensation lawsuit for bed bugs in a hotel room, you should know some aspects of the relevant laws. This knowledge can help you solidify your compensation lawsuit to convince the judge. You have to prove the following accusations true to make the hotel authority pay for their negligence.
Hotel Authority is Liable for the Bed Bugs
You have to try to help your lawsuit attorney to prove that the bed bugs in the hotel room did not reach you. It is very significant. In most cases, the hotel authority tries to establish that the bed bugs came along with the victim, and they have no responsibility.
To make things clear, you should produce evidence that your previous place of stay before the bedbug-infested hotel was free from bugs. If you went to that hotel from your home, take pictures of your beds and furniture, showing there is no presence of bed bugs. If you went to the hotel from another hotel, present statements of their clients saying there are no bugs.
Hotel Authority Did Nothing to Remove the Bed Bugs
Your compensation lawsuit will become stronger if you can establish that the hotel authority knew there were bed bugs in the hotel and did nothing to get rid of them. This can be most embarrassing for the hotel authority. Besides, you will get the highest compensation if you can prove it.
First, look for old marks of dead bed bugs or eggs of the female bed bugs in the hotel's furniture and take pictures of them. Old bed bug marks mean the hotel has long been housing bed bugs. So, it is possible that the authority is fully aware of the condition and did nothing to address the problem. Moreover, you can collect the statements of some previous guests on this.
The Hotel Authority Did Not Know About the Bugs Due to Negligence
It may be difficult to prove in the courtroom that the hotel management is liable for the presence of the bed bugs or that they knew about the pests and did nothing to make the room free from them. However, the easiest accusation to prove against hotel management can be they did not know about the bugs since they were not duly diligent about the issue.
If you are doing business in the service sector like hotels, you always must make sure the client is not receiving any damage while taking your service. So, inspecting the hotel rooms for bed bugs and other insects is a regular job for hotel management. Your lawyer can easily prove that there would not be any bed bugs in the room if the hotel staff had paid attention to it.
The court will not give a verdict favouring compensation for you only if you can prove that the hotel authority was responsible for the bed bugs in your hotel room. There have to be some financial grounds to ask for compensation for. If your bed bug compensation lawyer is capable enough, he will guide you to make your demand for compensation strong, based on solid grounds.
- Medical Expenses
The most common form of compensation for bed bug detection in a hotel is the medical expenses you had to bear for the bed bug bites you received in the hotel. As you know, medical treatment is not cheap in the USA. So, you must make sure all the expenses relating to your recovery from the bed bug bites of the hotel should come from the hotel management.
Sometimes, bed bug bites can bring catastrophic injury. Some people can have severe reactions to bed bug bites. Moreover, you can have emotional distress following the anguish you had for the bed bugs. All of these should be counted in your demand for compensation for the bed bugs in the hotel room.
- Loss of Income
In most cases, people do not get paid when they do not work. If you are also in this kind of job, you should also ask for financial compensation for your loss of income due to your illness caused by bed bug bites. This is a common practice for compensation lawsuits.
The amount to ask for compensation will depend on your regular salary and the payments you could receive for doing overtime duties. Moreover, if the break at your workplace caused you any other damage in your career, you can also ask for compensation for that. Mention any deprivation of promotion due to the sick leave you had to take for recovery from the bed bug bites.
- Damage of Property
You can also claim compensation for any property damage caused by an = infestation of bed bugs originating from the hotel room. It is also possible that you did not notice the presence of bed bugs in the hotel room while you stayed there. However, bed bugs can come to your house from the hotel room by taking a ride in your luggage.
In that case, you can sue the hotel authority for all the damage the bed bugs caused on your property. You can also ask for all the expenses of removing the bed bugs from your house by hiring professionals.
All this time, we provided advice to hotel guests. But, we also have something to offer hotel managers and owners! And that is Valpas.
So, we're sure you understand how costly a bed bug infestation can be. It can cause a number of legal issues leading to costly penalties. But you can avoid that with Valpas anti-bed bug devices.
Our device is a smart technology integrated pest management device designed to attract and trap bed bugs both from the floor and the bed. They are not just prevention devices. They actively trap bed bugs and reduce infestation without using chemicals or intrusive procedures, saving you from both the harmful effects and cost of professional pest control.
With Valpas, you can save money on both expensive extermination costs and legal costs. So, contact us to order yours today!
As you can see, hotel bed bug compensations are definitely possible. If you are a guest and face such issues, then you should address the management about it for yourself and guests that will come after you. And if you are in charge of managing a hotel and detecting some bed bugs in your establishment, then considering solutions like Valpas is not only a smart thing to do but also a necessary responsibility.
We are constantly growing, and the number of Valpas member hotels is increasing rapidly. However, we are aware that there are still locations around the world where no hotels are guaranteed safe from bed bugs. A few other tools can lower the risk of a bedbug infestation. This article will cover everything you need to know about traditional bedbug traps.
Bed bugs can be a nightmare. You wouldn't know how agonising a series of nights with these creatures can be unless you are a victim. These bugs are so difficult to get rid of that you need always consult an exterminator to eliminate them. But before that, using bed bug traps can help you detect the condition.
Bed bug traps can be of different types. Passive bed bug traps work well for detection and, to a degree, prevention of bed bugs in rooms that are constantly used. Active bed bug traps should be used in the opposite, empty rooms, where there is no natural attractant, to detect the presence of bed bugs. These attract bed bugs that not only detect infections but can also reduce the scale of the infestation.
In this article, we take a deep look into how bed bug traps work, the issue with traditional bed bug traps, and how newer technologies improve upon them and make them surpass even professional extermination methods. So, keep on reading to get a full idea of the strengths and weaknesses of this type of device that is designed to remove bed bugs.
A bed bug trap is a fairly effective means of detecting and minimising the damage of a bed bug infestation. Bed bug traps aren't like mice traps or bear traps where the trap more or less incapacitates the prey. These kinds of traps do not actively catch the bed bugs, but once they are trapped, it becomes difficult for them to get out of the trap.
It's up to you to decide what to do with them after they are trapped. Bed bugs aren't particularly good climbers. When you sleep, bed bugs in your room converge on your position and climb onto the bed using the bedposts. Bed bug traps are placed around the bedposts. They are like cups with an outer moat to keep the bugs from climbing out of the trap.
Bed bugs can't climb vertical bedposts well. It takes a few attempts to climb onto the bed successfully. This is what bed bug traps leverage. When they fall from the posts in failed attempts, they cannot climb back up because of the trap's structure. To make the trap more effective, little talcum powder can be added to make them slippery and more difficult to escape.
As mentioned, bed bug traps aren't like typical traps. When you use a mousetrap, you know that the trap will lure the mouse towards it. Also, the trap will partially incapacitate the mouse. This is the case in almost every trap people use to catch various prey.
But traditional bed bug traps are not like that. Unlike fly or mosquito traps, this trap keeps the bugs from climbing to your bed instead of actively catching and incapacitating them. You may also ask what about the bugs that are already on the bed or the mattress. This kind of drawback automatically begs the question about the efficiency of the traditional bed bug traps. Bed bug traps work quite well. They are an effective method of catching bed bugs without putting in too much effort, and the cost is also reasonable.
There are mainly two types of bed bug traps; active and passive. Each has different functionality. Let's have a look at both of them below:
Active Bed Bug Traps: First, let's briefly discuss why bed bugs bite us. It will make it easier for you to understand both types. Bed bugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide released by our bodies. Also, our body warmth attracts them. When they have found themselves in a cosy place, the bugs spread pheromones to attract other bugs to join the party.
Active bed bug traps use similar methods. This type of trap uses chemicals to lure the bugs to the traps. Active traps may require electricity or any other power source to work. Some active traps use carbon dioxide for more effective bug capturing.
Their downside is that the amount of carbon dioxide they emit to lure the bugs is only a small fraction of what a human body does, so they should only be used when rooms are empty. Otherwise, the bugs will follow the stronger source of carbon dioxide, the human, making the trap useless. The quality of the lures varies a lot. Finally, you also need to replace the lure every few days, so they are only convenient for detecting bed bugs in empty rooms where you suspect you might have bugs.
Passive Bed Bug Traps: Passive traps were also briefly discussed above. They do not work actively to capture or kill bed bugs but use them as a to lure the human body, then capture bugs on their way to the human body. These traps sit passively at the feet of the bedposts and wait for the bugs to enter the traps. The effectiveness of passive traps depends on a human lure present in the room and the design of the traps.
Passive traps are simple and easy to use though and they can detect bed bugs early to help prevent a large infestation of bed bugs. If you already have an infestation, passive traps will not help you much in getting rid of the bugs on your bed and in the room
Although bed bug traps are not foolproof methods of bug control, they have quite a few advantages. Here are the advantages of bed bug traps:
Easy to Use: Passive bed bug traps are very convenient to use. You won't need any training or any specially trained individual to implement those traps. If you are using it for the first time, the simple instruction on the back of the pack, or a YouTube tutorial is enough to get you started. However, recall how active traps require lure refilling every few days.
Safe: Passive bed bug traps do not pose any threat to children, pets, or any individual. They are harmless and completely passive. However, active bed bug traps, the ones that use chemicals, can pose health hazards, for example, Nattaro Labs traps carry a “Systemic health hazards” warning.
Reusable: Passive plastic traps can be used again and again. They do not decay in time. Also, they don't get damaged after a long time of usage. After one night of operating, you can get rid of the bugs, clean the traps and start using them again, year after year. However, recall how active traps require lure refilling every few days.
Great for assessment: As we have already said above, bed bug traps are not for completely getting rid of bugs from your house. If you suspect the presence of bed bugs, traps are excellent for confirming the suspicion. However, you still need to call an exterminator.
Affordable: Bed bug traps are usually made of plastic. They are very affordable and widely available. You can get them at any shop near your house or almost any online shop.
There are quite a few things that you should look into when buying bed bug traps. Here are those:
- Type
The first thing to consider is whether you want active bug traps or passive bug traps. Passive traps are cheap and easy to use. But they don't offer as effective bug control as active ones. If you want to get rid of bed bugs as much as possible both from your bed and your room, you should go for active traps.
They will attract the bugs using various methods like carbon dioxide emission, UV lighting and also heat generation to actively attract bed bugs. Even though they might be costly, they are much better for the long run and can be a great way to save you money on professional extermination.
- Design
There are various designs for both active and passive traps. Some passive trap designs offer easier installation. You can also put baits, powders, etc. Once the trap is full of bugs, it might get messy. You won't like the contact with so many bugs.
Many manufacturers design traps in a way so that you can get rid of the bugs from the traps without any contact. There are so many designs each offering a different utility so check a few designs before buying.
Having smart technologies installed on your trap is also a great plus. These traps keep track of a number of bed bug-related information such as how many have been trapped, and when one has been trapped, letting you a brief glimpse into the effectiveness of your investment.
- Lifespan
Interceptors last a very long time. They don't have any moving parts or chemical interaction so they don't get damaged easily. So, you shouldn't worry much about their lifespan or warranty.
Active traps are more complex. They have electrical parts inside, require a battery, have chemicals inside, etc. So they might need some management. Even so, these do capture more bed bugs and are more effective. So, you will be more benefited in the long run.
For effective bug control, you should use multiple types of traps. One important thing to remember is that bed bug traps are not effective means of the bed bugs to fully preventing bed bugs effectively.
Traditional bed bug traps, the ones we are discussing here are also called bed bug interceptors or interceptor traps. Interceptor traps give you an overall idea about the presence of bed bugs in your room. Here is how to use them:
To catch the bugs already in the bed, you need to use refuge traps. These are like cards with glues in them. You have to put them on your bed in tight spots, like the crevices of the mattress. This provides an excellent hiding spot for the bugs and they get caught in the glue.
If you keep the bed bugs inside the trap long enough they will eventually die out. But the best thing to do would be to kill them yourself. When you have a bunch of bed bugs it is difficult to say which are alive and which are not. Our advice would be to take them and flush them down the tap or toilet. Bed bugs cannot survive immersion in water.
Bed bugs have been a common nuisance for generations. They are hardy and multiply exponentially. Controlling them is difficult and it is only becoming more and more difficult due to their resistance to pesticides. Pesticides and other reactive solutions used to be the go-to solution to this problem, especially to an active infestation. Bed bug traps were a step forward, but still lacking in effectiveness to prevent infestations and hence, can effectively be only used for detection.
Valpas is the only solution that gets people and hotels safe from bed bugs forever – in just 48 hours. Valpas is the new design standard used by 100s of hoteliers that frees guests in rooms from the bed bugs they may carry, so guests return home safely and the hotel never gets infested. Learn more about the Valpas bed bug safety standard here.
Preventing bed bugs
Based on the insights of how bed bugs behave, lab research and various experiments in real environments, we have developed the first autonomous system which attracts, traps and detects bed bugs and is designed specifically for hotel environments.
Imagine that you were able to monitor all your hotel rooms 24/7 without any manual inspections, like a smart alarm for bed bugs. That’s Valpas.
By studying how bed bugs move in a room and the needs of hoteliers, we developed a bed bug pitfall trap that is completely hidden inside bed legs. It has no pesticides and uses the human itself as the lure. This means it’s environmentally friendly, safe to use for humans and completely maintenance-free.
If as little as a single bed bug is introduced in the hotel room, it will be captured within hours when it moves towards the sleeping person. Normally, it takes at least two weeks to notice. At the same time, you will receive a private email notification and are able to check the room before any guest is affected and an infestation develops.
Currently, there is no way to protect your hotel except detecting bed bugs as early as possible. If you rely on manual inspections, you can spot them visually before a large infestation has developed and easily treat the room. Manual inspections can be performed by your hotel staff or alternatively by an outsourced pest controller. Alternatively, you can use monitoring systems that help with early detection.
Bed bugs are more common in hotels than you may think and grow every year due to increased international travel and increased resistance to pesticides. Many hoteliers do not like to talk about the topic or past issues because they fear that it may hurt their reputation. This is because of the misconception and misunderstanding of where bed bugs come from, but even the cleanest hotels can get them.
Based on a study by pest specialist Orkin (see the end of this guide for all sources), 90% of hotels in the US have treated for bed bugs at some point. According to online bed bug reports sites, the number of reports in cities such as New York grew by 44% between 2014 and 2015.
Airbnb has had an enormous impact on the travel and hospitality industry. Since the company was launched in 2007, they’ve gone from one rental to 5.6 million active listings and 4 million hosts. It is a unique alternative to hotels, you can always find a stay within your price range and it's convenient for families as you can prepare your own meals to save costs. But as bed bugs may tag along all people who travel, airbnbs are, just as hotels, always at risk of being bed bug infested. The best option to stay safe from bed bugs is to stay at a Valpas member hotel – as they are 100% bed bug free. Since there are millions of people that stay at Airbnbs, we wrote a short article about what is important to think of when it comes to bed bugs in Airbnbs.
Bed bugs are not uncommon when it comes to Airbnb but they will still have you believe this is a rare occurrence. So what can you do about it when reality can be quite the opposite? Nobody wants to stay in a bug-infested bed so that is what we are here to help you with. In this article, we will go into details about everything you should know about Airbnb bed bugs. When dealing with bed bugs there are certain things you should consider. You can for example check for signs of bed bugs in your room, which is something we’ll take you through how to do. If you do end up finding bed bugs you need to get proof of that and we will guide you how to gather proof for a proper complaint. Lastly, you can take legal actions against Airbnb as well as get refunded, so we will also go over the legal actions you can take. Stay tuned to stay safe!
Firstly, as a guest of an Airbnb, you should check for signs of bed bugs. But how can you tell if there are bed bugs in your room? What are the signs of bed bugs? Below we are mentioning the most common signs of bed bugs in your room:
Make sure you look for these signs whenever you stay at an Airbnb. Especially if you wake up feeling red and itchy bites and be sure to gather proof for a proper complaint – which we’ll cover next.
If you want to take action or get a refund for your stay because of the infestation you will need to have some kind of proof. But what kind of proof do you need?
Earlier we mentioned some of the signs you can check for in your room. If you find any of the above-mentioned signs, be sure to take pictures. These pictures will act as your proof when you make your complaint.
Besides the photographic evidence, you may also be required to provide a confirmation note from a doctor confirming the bite.
However, this step can prove to be difficult depending on where you are and whether your travel insurance has you covered. Getting a doctor’s note in a foreign country is usually very pricey so if your insurance does not cover it, it can be a problem.
An alternative may be sending the photo evidence first and getting a doctor's note confirming the bite from a doctor on returning home.
After getting proof, you should reach out to the host of the Airbnb you are staying at. Often you can reach some sort of agreement with them that is beneficial to both of you. This is a lot easier than having to wait for customer service to get back to you regarding your issue. Some hosts can even help you find another place to stay for the night instead or provide you with a full refund. Whatever agreement you reach with them make sure you communicate with each other regarding the problem. Communication is key to solving any issue and helps maintain trust between the tenant and the host. However, if your host is not cooperating and refuses to communicate you will need to contact customer service. If you have the proper evidence Airbnb’s customer service can help you file a case against the host to help you get your refund.
Sadly, the Airbnb policy concerning bed bugs is very unclear. In fact, beyond asking customers to reach out to customer service it seems they may not have any concrete policies for it. According to their official customer care Twitter account all cases regarding bed bugs are handled on a case-by-case basis. However, this statement directly conflicts with Airbnb's prior claims. Earlier they claimed to take this seriously and suspend the said listings till the case is resolved. Another frightening fact is that Airbnb has these victims sign NDAs after settlement. As a result, preventing the information from reaching the public.
Another downside of bed bugs in your Airbnb is that they may come home with you through your luggage. These pests are the hitchhikers of the insect world so you want to get them off your luggage as fast as possible – but how do you go about it?
Firstly, before leaving your Airbnb pack up all your bags and suitcases in large plastic bags. This will stop them from spreading right away once you get home. After you are home, make sure to dry wash all your clothes at the highest possible temperature – this should kill them.
Lastly, vacuum up your suitcases and seal them. Any remaining bed bugs will most likely suffocate inside the plastic bags. Be sure to check for bed bugs in your home for the following few months if you do not want another infestation.
Yes, you can most definitely sue Airbnb for bed bugs. The hosts who provide short-term rentals are obligated to provide a safe and clean environment. However, if a victim is attacked by bed bugs in their homes that means the host failed to meet these obligations. As such we recommend getting in touch with a lawyer and discussing your next steps.
Bed bugs lawsuits are very common nowadays, and the compensation can vary depending on how severe the issue was. Based both on the financial loss you incurred due to the bed bugs as well as the physical and mental damage you sustained.
When it comes to financial losses it usually relates to the medical expenses that you had to pay due to the bites. However, any loss of wage that occurs due to spending time dealing with this issue must also be compensated. As well as any damage to your luggage and personal belongings.
However, physical losses come in the form of bites sustained from these bugs. As well as the level of pain and suffering that this experience caused you. You may also be compensated for emotional damage.
At the end of the day, you will need to prove that Airbnb had prior knowledge and was negligent. If you have a strong enough case against Airbnb, we recommend seeking out an experienced lawyer who has dealt with bed bug lawsuits. However, you should be aware that if there is a chance that you brought the bed bugs you will not be able to sue them.
Bed bugs in Airbnb are not only a problem for the tenants but also for the owner who is offering the short-term rental service. As a result, preventing an infestation should be the first thing on an Airbnb host's mind as well. Here are some things that hosts can do to try to minimize the potential damage of bed bugs. If you see any of these preventive measures at the site where you are staying, it is a sign your host cares about your safety.
Protecting the mattress from contamination is one of the most obvious ways to prevent bed bugs infesting the mattress. Using mattress encasement covers can stop them from getting inside the mattress altogether. However, mattress encasement covers do not prevent bed bugs from attacking you, following you home, or infesting the room.
Unlike termites, bed bugs cannot burrow into wood. However, they do take shelter in crevices and cracks that wood frames have. Metal bed frames do not have the cracks and crevices for them to take advantage of - thus, limiting their hiding spots. Not to mention, bed bugs dislike crawling on metallic surfaces which makes metal bed frames even safer.
As mentioned above, bed bugs take shelter in cracks and crevices. So, they can also hide in the cracks in the walls. To prevent this, one can use foam sealants to cover these cracks making it difficult for them to hide away.
Like for any other pest, there are traps to deal with bed bugs. These traps are designed to be on walls to make it difficult for bed bugs to climb up and get to you while you are sleeping.
As we mentioned earlier, bed bugs are the hitchhikers of the pest world, and their main medium of travel is luggage. If your host is providing you with luggage racks it reduces the risk that the previous guest has brought bed bugs with them. Thus, decreasing the chances of bed bugs hitchhiking onto your bed..
AirBnB bed bugs can be a real issue. For both the customer and the host. As a customer you should do the checkups before you get cozy as bed bugs can be really common on AirBnB stay-ins. Also, if you are a host then ensuring the safety of your guests is of utmost importance and doing whatever you can to prevent any health hazards is your responsibility.
Valpas is a modern solution to prevent bed bugs aimed at hotels. But there is always a risk that bed bugs also find their way to private households. After a big day of cleaning your whole house, you might get shocked to see small creepy bed bugs in your trash bag. It would be totally normal to freak out and start wondering how to stop a major bed bug infestation in your home. But no worries – we will in this article go through what you can do to prevent bed bugs in the first place and what you can do to prevent them from spreading.
Infested furniture, clutter, and travelling are some of the main factors contributing to bed bug infestations. Generally, old furniture and clothes may carry bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) in your home, which cause bites similar to but worse than mosquito bites. And if you don't take proper steps to get rid of them, it will eventually lead to a more significant infestation.
Travelling is one of the main reasons for bed bug infestations. You may carry these crawly bugs to your home with your clothes and items while coming from your trip. Especially if you don't wash and clean your things soon after returning, you are at risk of making your home a cosy place for the bed bugs.
Additionally, buying secondhand items and furniture is another major cause of this problem. If you don't inspect these old items before purchasing, there is a risk that you will carry bed bugs with them to your home.
If you do experience a bed bug infestation, it is essential to use sealed plastic bags to keep your trash. Even if you clean your entire house to get rid of bed bugs, not removing your trash bags immediately might cause bed bugs to spread in your whole house.
It is much easier to avoid a bed bug infestation in the first place than it is to get rid of them. So, here are a few tips to prevent bed bugs in your home for your convenience:
You should replace your home's box springs and mattresses every two to three years. Although you might think it is too soon to have a new mattress, it is wise to address the issue at its root. Bed bugs might also appear in other areas of your home. But the bed is the most common place these insects love to stay. So, changing the mattresses on your bed will help you avoid having bed bugs in your home.
Cleaning your bed sheets, blankets, and pillowcases in hot water is an easy and affordable approach to preventing bed bugs. Wash your bed sheets and other bedding at a high-temperature minimum once a week. This will help you kill both nymphs and mature bed bugs.
Encase your box springs and beddings in a plastic protective cover to prevent bed bugs. Plastic covers explicitly manufactured for this are more useful than normal covers. Although your mattress might already have a cover, putting one extra on the box springs would minimize hidden areas. And thus, it will lessen the risks of bed bug infestations. If you somehow bring bed bugs inside your home, the protective cover will help you spot them fast. So, you may easily clean them or dispose of the bodies immediately.
Well, you should vacuum your bed frames and mattresses regularly for many hygiene reasons. It is also a quick and easy technique to limit the amount of apparent adult bed bugs in your bed. Check carefully the mattress seam, mattress encasement, folds, corners, etc., and make sure to vacuum them properly. Furthermore, it would be best to vacuum your carpets and rugs a minimum of once a week. If you think you have living bed bugs in your place, vacuum every day until you are sure your house is bug-free. Moreover, don't forget to discard the vacuum components from your house as soon as possible. You should gently dispose of them in a sealed trash bag. Remember that not emptying the vacuum cleaner might lead to the proliferation of bedbugs.
You can choose from various scents to keep bed bugs at bay. So, all you need to do is choose the one you like. Fill up a spray bottle using about 6-10 drops of essential oil and one-fourth cup of water. Spray the scented water around the home and on anything you carry out in public, like totes, handbags, luggage, and backpacks. Lemongrass, Cinnamon, clove, lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus, thyme, and tea tree are among the essential oils that deter bed bugs. However, you can also blend the oil with one carrier oil like grapeseed oil or jojoba oil to make a skin repellant.
Clutter provides a hiding area for bed bugs, making it possible for them to invade your house. It is critical to reducing the number of areas where these bugs can shelter to keep them out. If your house has tons of items and messes, it would be much harder for you to fight these annoying insects.
Under-bed storage seems like a fantastic idea. It is particularly true if you want to maximize your small bedroom space without ruining its aesthetics. Well, dirt and grime generally dislike things that bed bugs dislike. However, debris underneath the bed will create more hiding places for these pests. You might usually discover these bed bugs living in some objects stored beneath your bed. So, ensure you are not storing anything under your bed so they won't have access to calm regions that people frequently ignore throughout the cleaning procedure.
Indeed, bed bugs cannot survive in your clothing. Bed bugs frequently travel with you via your clothes and luggage on your journey. Thus, it is critical for regular travellers to wash their clothes and dry them completely. Use the maximum heat level your clothes may tolerate for the cleaning process. Also, make sure you are not allowing the bed bugs brought home with you from your vacation to build up inside the laundry room for days. This will just increase the chances of bed bugs spreading all across the home. So, we know washing your stuff after returning from your trip is not the first thing on one's mind, but it is an important preventive measure for a bed bug infestation. If you want to minimize the chance of bringing home bed bugs from your trips, make sure to stay at a Valpas hotel. They are the only hotels that can guarantee their guests they are free from bed bugs.
Bed bug monitors or bed bug interceptors are designed to assist in stopping bed bugs from getting into the bed. You simply have to place these devices underneath each bedpost's foot.
Look for symptoms of bed bug infestation on your furnishings. Start your search on antique or vintage furniture having cracks or older furniture in general. Besides, it is essential to remember to conduct an initial inspection before purchasing secondhand furniture.
If you remain a little cautious, you can prevent bed bugs from coming in the first place. No one wants to call professional pest control. We have at Valpas developed a full solution for bed bug safety with a bioengineered design that detects and collects bed bugs early enough before harm. Once again, we want to recommend staying at a Valpas member hotel to completely eliminate the risk of being exposed to bed bugs in your hotel bed because this is one of the more common reasons you also bring them to your home.
When it comes to bed bug management and monitoring, the climbup insect interceptor is one of the most useful gadgets ever. These devices are quite simple as they create a barrier that prevents bed bugs from entering or exiting your beds. The high-quality material of the product ensures that it is ideal for long-time usage.
Many people who are dealing with annoying and persistent bed bug infestations may not be aware, but bed bugs creep into their mattresses to feed inside walls, furniture, and various other hiding areas. These easy-to-use, inexpensive devices can be extremely handy as they keep track of bed bug infestations and prevent them from feeding on your blood during nighttime and their reproduction.
Climbup insect interceptors can tell you not only whether or not you have bed bugs, but also how huge the infestation is and when the pests have finally left. In short, the device helps with early detection and prevention against bed bug infestation of your beds and furniture, monitoring the ongoing infestations, and improving elimination efforts. This bed bug treatment makes monitoring easier as it doesn’t work as a pesticide. So it is safe to use in any part of your house.
The climbup bed bug interceptor works based on the fact that bed bugs have difficulty climbing vertical and slippery surfaces. Just like how they work, you may also know these devices as bed bug pitfall traps. Interceptor cups typically have a plastic dish or center well that is large enough to hold a bedpost and an outer pitfall ring that traps and retains bed bugs.
The sides of the cup’s exterior surface will be vertical or nearly vertical. As the outer climbing surface is white paper, it attracts bed bugs and lets you monitor traps. To make it more difficult for the trapped bed bugs from escaping, a light coat of talcum powder is sometimes applied to the insides of the cup. Whilst talc may not be harmful to bed bugs, you need a very fine coating of it. However, adding too much of it can make it difficult to spot bed bugs in the trap.
This multi-directional pitfall trap is more efficient than a basic barrier since it not only prevents bed bugs from getting into your bed but also confines them. This considerably reduces the risk that they will find other ways to get to you or your furnishings.
You should install Climbup insect interceptors under furniture legs, especially those you use for sleeping or resting, such as couches, or beds. These insect traps work most effectively if you place them under a bed where someone is asleep. Once you finish installing them, the trap intercepts the bed bugs as soon as they try to get on top of your bed or furniture.
If you wish to maximize pest control, it is important to note that the beds or furniture that you want to protect does not touch any other nearby furniture or walls. Any bedding or dust ruffles that come into contact with the floor may prevent the interceptors from protecting you against bed bugs.
According to recent research, bed bugs tend to be incredibly mobile and can be anywhere throughout your home, even in the places you would least expect to find them. Fortunately, Climbup bed bug interceptors can be installed in bathrooms, corridors, kitchens, or anywhere you want.
No, you should not remove the paper tape. The fibrous surface of the paper allows a proper surface for the bed bugs to crawl up. But if you accidentally remove it, you can simply remove it with a paper wound tape from your local drugstore.
You can insert risers or spacers under the bedposts to raise them one and a half inches above the interceptor. Of course, commercial bed risers are readily available in the market as well. But DIYers prefer 1½” thick hardwood blocks or 3” diameter PVC pipe slices as they work just as well.
Talcum powder is also talc and any talcum powder works ideally as a lubricant. The smell of talcum powder and body talcum powder does not seem to either attract or repel the pests. Cosmetic talc is pure enough to use for lubrication.
Dust and debris will eventually build up in the traps and you must be clean them regularly. Generally, once a month should be enough. The bugs should die as soon as they enter the interceptor. If they aren’t, you can dump the live bed bugs into soap water, or throw them into a plastic bag and dispose of them in an outdoor trash can. To clean the trap, simply use water and cotton balls or Q-tips to thoroughly clean all the dust and debris.
Valpas is a new design standard for hospitality that gets hotels and guests safe from bed bugs forever in 48 hours. Unlike basic climbup insect interceptors, Valpas works as a full solution for bed bug safety thanks to its bioengineered design that collects bed bugs brought into rooms by guests early enough before harm. No pest control is needed. How does Valpas differ Valpas is a new design standard for hospitality that gets hotels and guests safe from bed bugs forever in 48 hours. Unlike basic climbup insect interceptors, Valpas works as a full solution for bed bug safety thanks to its bioengineered design that collects bed bugs brought into rooms by guests early enough before harm. No pest control is needed.
To check a room efficiently for bed bugs, you need to know how they move and where they hide in a room. Bed bugs are typically introduced to a room with travelers’ luggage. Once in a room, bed bugs go and hide in a dark and safe place such as under the bed or behind curtains.
At night, when a human is sleeping in the room, the bed bugs sense the exhaled carbon dioxide (CO2) and start to move around searching for the food source. The most common route is by climbing the bed legs to get from the floor into the bed.
After the bed bugs have bitten the sleeping humans, they go back to hide again. They either stay somewhere on the bed, in furniture or in cracks around the room.
For this reason, the traditional way to check a room takes at least 15 minutes per room and should ideally be performed every 2 weeks. Many hotels perform room checks only once per a few months or even just once a year, which offers some protection but can leave infestations unnoticed for a long time giving it time to spread and become uncontrollable.
Identifying bed bugs
Bed bugs can cause large economic losses for a hotel. Since bed bugs breed quickly, it is not uncommon for them to spread into a whole floor or wing. The more infested rooms there are, the higher the economic loss is.
In the short term..
In the long term..
Bed bug infestations can cause permanent damage to the reputation of a hotel with the rise of social media, OTAs and online review sites. The revenue loss of a negative bed bug review can be in the tens of thousands of euros.
Week 1
Bed bug infestations typically start with just a couple of bed bugs who have been brought into a hotel room via one of your guest’s luggage. Once they are in the room, mated female bed bugs lay around 3-5 eggs a day (about 500 eggs within one lifetime) and feed every couple of days. After 10 days the eggs hatch and bed bug nymphs (young bed bugs) begin immediately to feed.
Week 2
Within two weeks, what started as a couple of bed bugs has become an infestation of 20+ nymph bed bugs with 50 eggs about to hatch within the next few days. These are still almost invisible to the human eye.
Week 4-6
Nymphs pass through five stages before reaching maturity and require a blood meal in between each stage to level up. Within six weeks of the introduction of the first couple of bed bugs, the infestation will have developed into 20+ adult bed bugs, 150 nymph bed bugs, and 50 eggs about to hatch within the next 10 days.
By this time two dramatic things have happened:
Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs do not appear because of dirty environments. According to the US government organization Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “bed bugs have been found in five-star hotels and resorts and their presence is not determined by the cleanliness of the living conditions where they are found.”
In the past, CDC says that they have been a problem in developing countries but lately, they have been spreading more in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and central Europe.
Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are one of the worst things that can happen to your home or hotel. You might have a maintenance routine. But bed bugs can still find their way into your beds. And completely ruin your precious sleep time or institution's reputation. This is why catching bed bugs early is very important.
Early signs of bed bugs on a mattress are usually not evident to the naked eye. Because immature bugs and nymphs are very small. And the white to transparent colour helps them camouflage between bed sheets. Therefore, early signs of bed bugs mainly involve detecting bite marks, stains, and other clues.
Getting rid of menacing bed bugs can be tough. Because early signs of bed bugs are often missed. Therefore, you don't confront the problem before it becomes a full-blown infestation. So, let's have a look at how to deal with them at the earliest.
To effectively fight off a bed bug infestation, it is helpful to know about their life cycle first. Their life starts as an egg. The female bed bugs' eggs are as minute as a grain and are usually found in secured cracks and crevices. Eggs hatch within two weeks of being laid. The babies go out hunting for blood immediately.
The nymphs or young bed bugs are yellowish-white in colour. Plus, they are smaller in size than adults. They go through moulting stages to reach full adulthood. And these cast skins are an important part of early-stage signs of bed bugs on the couch, mattress, or sheets. Within five weeks, these nymphs would become sexually mature adults.
Adult bed bugs are easily visible to the naked eye. They are flat and dark to reddish-brown. The blood of humans and other mammals (cats, dogs) is their main meal, and it is a requirement for the energy they need to change skin and lay eggs. Mature bugs have flat bodies. Therefore can easily reside in cracks and crevices.
Bed bugs have a lifespan of four to six months. But even without food, they can live well up to a year when the temperature is cool and favourable. This, along with the bugs being immune to average insecticides, makes it hard to get rid of them, especially in old apartment buildings.
This is why live bed bugs can easily travel with guests and tenants via their dirty clothes. In hotels, they spread from room to room when guest luggage is delivered to guests with a luggage rack.
Early-stage signs of bed bugs on the couch, sheets, and mattress are important to detect to avoid a full-blown bed bug infestation. Visual inspection of the picture frame, mattress seams, bed frames, and other common hiding spots can be helpful in this regard. You can also look for the following clues of bed bug activity.
Bed bug stains
One of the most important early signs of bed bugs on mattresses is the stain. You might detect dark brown or black spots on your sheets, mattress, and pillow covers. These are usually small dots that appear like an ink smudge. These stains are mainly bed bug excrement and crushed bugs. After feeding on a host, the bugs digest their meal and leave their bed bug dropping on the bed sheets. You might also roll over during sleep and crush a bug or two. This also leaves bloody stains on the sheets.
You may also notice similar bloody stains on your clothes. Such as the pyjamas or garments you went to sleep in. And you see this and take action immediately.
Bed bug bites
For some people, the itchy bites of bed bugs are the first signs of a bug infestation. However, as it feels similar to mosquito bites, you might be unable to detect it specifically. But bed bugs are not affected by average mosquito repellents. Therefore, if you still feel the stings after spraying some aerosol, check for bed bugs.
Everyone reacts differently to bed bug bites. Some might never feel the sting. However, bite marks will be present on the skin when they wake up. During sleep, you can usually find such marks on the face, arms, back, shoulders, or any other exposed body part. The bugs can also crawl under your clothes and attack the covered parts.
Bedbug bites usually cause local irritation of the skin. The skin around the bites will become red, itchy and inflamed, and there might be a burning sensation. In rare cases, there might be a breakout of hives and blisters throughout the skin. This indicates a hypersensitive reaction to bed bug bites. Keep in mind that these reactions vary according to person. Plus, sometimes allergic skin reactions might produce similar symptoms.
Cast skins And Eggs
The young bed bugs change their skin five times before reaching adulthood. And each of these moulting stages requires a hefty blood meal. Therefore, if you notice bed bug cast skins alongside bloodstains on your sheets or blankets, be sure you have an infestation. These shed skins look like brown spots and are bug-shaped.
As mentioned earlier, bed bug eggs are hard to find. These are very small, and the pearly white colour lets them blend in with the background. However, once you are sure there are bed bugs in your mattress, you can actively look for the eggs and destroy them. The mattress seams and box springs are the usual sites.
Special odour
The odour can be helpful in bed bug detection. This is a sweet or musty smell. Bed bugs have glands in their body that produce this scent and play an important role in communication with other bugs.
The chemical Histamine is responsible for creating this odour. It almost smells like wildflowers or herbs, in other words, quite different from other common insects that produce a distinct smell. You might catch a whiff of it during the late hours of the night or in the morning when you wake up.
Sleeping problems
Problems with sleep can easily occur when you have a bed bug problem. This is one of the important early signs of bed bugs. However, they are often less obvious than bite marks or bloodstains.
Bed bugs usually feed in the deepest hours of the night. And the movement of the bugs and stings from their bite will wake you up. But most people wouldn't attribute this to bed bugs. Instead, they might consider other common causes of sleeping problems. As a result, this can give rise to further sleep and psychological complications.
Behaviour of Pets
If your cat or dog is showing signs of irritation or is agitated,, it might be because of a bed bug infestation. Because bed bugs are not exclusive to humans, they can also feed on the blood of other mammals although humans are most preferable. Because the lack of fur on the body's's surface makes it easier to bite and draw blood.
However, bed bugs shouldn't be your primary diagnosis if your pet behaves peculiarly. Consider fleas first and approach accordingly.
Besides the early signs of bed bugs mentioned above, you might also see them directly crawling around. However, it is easy to mistake them for other common and harmless insects. As a result, you might fail to take the appropriate preventive measures. So, learn how to detect bed bugs through a naked eye examination.
Adult bed bugs: A full-grown adult bed bug has six legs and two antennas. Their body is dorsoventrally flat. These insects have no wings and, therefore no power of flight. The colour is dark brownish-red. On average, the adult bug can become as big as 5mm. Consequently, it's easy to detect adult bugs visually.
Young bed bugs: Young bed bugs are smaller, and the colour of their body is translucent or yellowish-white. This makes them harder to spot. Although, after a recent blood meal, they look darker and therefore easier to detect.
Bed bug eggs: The eggs are usually only 1mm in size or even smaller and oblong-shaped. Therefore, quite impossible to detect with the naked eye. However, the female bed bug lays its eggs in clusters, and this might create some amount of visibility.
Bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices. Keep this in mind whenever you check for them—for example, the cracks in your bed frame, headboards, and baseboards. You will also check the mattress seams, box springs, and screw heads.
You should also check for early-stage signs of bed bugs on the couch and other furniture. Plus, any area with clutter are ideal places for these bugs to reside and multiply. Check behind loose wallpapers and wall crevices. You most likely have a full-blown infestation if you find adult bed bugs or nymphs crawling in this area.
Whether you have successfully detected early signs of bed bugs or have a full-blown infestation and are already suffering from clustered itchy bites, it is essential to get rid of them as soon as you are aware. You can either do it yourself or get professional integrated pest management services to do it for you.
Heat is the most effective bed bug treatment. Immediately after bed bug detection, remove the infested bed sheets, clothes, or curtains. This will prevent the further spreading of bed bugs. Then wash them in hot water and dry them using the highest possible heat.
To rid the items not washable in water from the bed bugs, place them in the dryer and dry wash with high heat for thirty minutes. For infested mattresses and furniture, keep them out in the sunlight for a day or two.
This heat treatment will hopefully help you get rid of the bugs. After that, you have to regularly and frequently clean these items and always check for eggs or new infestation. Try to vacuum the susceptible areas every day.
Besides cleaning, you must also encase your mattress and box spring in a tight cover with zippers. This will keep bed bugs from getting in. Plus also kill any remaining insects from spreading out. However, it might be the best to dispose of it altogether and get a new one.
Heat treatment might help you get rid of the bugs if you detect them at an early stage of a bed bug on the couch. But a full-blown infestation will require chemical treatment by pest control professionals. So, don't waste time and get professional pest control services when you see the situation is out of hand.
For hotel managers, bed bugs are not only about losing a good night's sleep. Rather, bed bug infestation can significantly blow the hotel's reputation and destroy the business as a whole, leading to reduced tenants. Bed bugs are definitely the bane of short-term rental companies.
Valpas brings you the ultimate solution for hotels - smart bed legs. The idea is to detect the bed bugs at the earliest moment possible. Valpas smart legs will capture the first bugs when they crawl to your bed and notify you through an email. And as you know already, early bed bug detection is the most effective prevention.
Valpas also has a web app. You can log in and check the cleanliness of your rooms in real time. And for you to do that seamlessly from the centrally controlled system without any additional layer of technology. As a result, your staff can focus their energy more on other important business matters. This technology also helps you prevent bed bugs without spraying pesticides and chemicals in your rooms which is usually the case for professional extermination. Therefore, it saves you a lot of money. And most importantly, it protects your reputation by preventing an infestation in the first place.
Hotel managers and homeowners must detect early signs of bed bugs. With the right technology, such as Valpas, you don't have to spend every day checking for these culprits. Rather, you will get notified through email when the first one shows up.
So, install Valpas at your hotel and home today. Thanks for reading till the end, and have a nice day!
Exterminating bed bugs
When getting rid of bed bugs in your hotel you have two main choices between heat or pesticides treatments. In addition to choosing the method it is always recommended to contract an experienced company to minimize the probability of having to treat the room multiple times.
Heat treatment Heat treatment is generally considered better, although slightly more expensive. The treatment works by heating the entire room and blowing hot air at furniture to kill bed bugs with high temperatures. It eliminates the problems with fewer treatments and the room can be immediately occupied after the first treatment. However, certain materials like laminates, glues, or plastics that might be a part of the interior design do not withstand the 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) heat and can make heat treatments a non-viable option.
Pesticide treatment Pesticides are a more common way to treat bed bugs due to its low price. Some issues should be considered before using pesticide treatment.
After the treatment the room must be unvacated from half a day to several days depending on the pesticides used. During this time it is recommended that the room is not occupied by any guests. The effectiveness of the treatment is only revealed after a few weeks as the pesticides can take a long time to kill the bed bugs.
The worse the infestation, the more unlikely it is that pesticides work on the first treatment. Sometimes the infestation has to be treated up to five times before it is eliminated. Combining this with the unvacated period after treatments this can leave your hotel room unoccupied for a long time.
To effectively apply the pesticide the exterminator must have access to all places bed bugs might hide in. Depending on the room, this can include obvious places like behind the head board, or less obvious places like cracks or holes in the floor and wall. Some interior designs or fixed furniture can make pesticide based extermination more difficult.
Bed bugs are not a pest you can easily control yourself. Exterminators are needed if you get an infestation and they use a variety of methods to kill bed bugs. The two most popular treatments are using heat or pesticides. However, no method is foolproof and several attempts may be required to completely exterminate all bed bugs.
The amount of treatment varies depending on the size of the infestation. A small infestation can be treated reliably and quickly. If the infestation is in a later stage, the room walls have to be torn down and a major refurbishment done to completely remove the bed bugs. In addition, adjacent rooms are treated as well. The total cost of replacing furniture like the bed, replacing wallpaper and floor in a room can cost up to €20,000.
First, the room where bed bugs have been identified is inspected to find out the extent of the infestation. Then it is cleaned up, anything that can be removed (such as bedding, linens or curtains) are taken away in plastic bags and washed in a temperature above 60 degrees Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) which will kill bed bugs and their eggs. Sometimes the bed mattress and the bed itself need to be replaced. Replacement depends on the level of infestation in the bed. Infested beds are difficult to salvage, but more high end beds might be worth it. All furniture needs to be thoroughly treated or removed to eliminate the possibility of a new infestation.
Next, the treatment with pesticide poisons or heat is performed. A single room treatment takes around a working day and can cost up to €1,000, after which it is inspected and determined if another treatment is necessary.
If you kept your mattress after the treatment, it is possible to encase it in bed bug proof mattress cover that prevents any surviving bed bugs from escaping as well as new ones from getting into it. Any cracks in the walls where surviving bed bugs may be hiding should be repaired and sealed.
No treatment is 100% reliable and the room must be monitored carefully after the treatment to make sure there are no surviving bed bugs. Bed bugs can reappear even some months after the treatment.