Home / Blog / Common Bed Bug Myths that Hotel Managers Must Know

Common Bed Bug Myths that Hotel Managers Must Know

Bed bugs are tiny organisms that are often hard to detect with the naked eye. Most of the time, you can only feel their presence. These tiny pests are usually found in hotel rooms because different kinds of people visit hotels and bring along these pests unknowingly.

Do you know that there are several myths about bed bugs? So, to spread awareness about these creepy crawlies, every year in the month of June there is a Bed Bug Awareness Week, where people are told facts about these bugs, and how to get rid of bed bugs.

In this post, we aim to bust the top myths about commercial bed bug treatment and infestation. We will also discuss, how to check for bed bugs in a hotel room. 

Table of Contents

• What are Bed Bugs?
• Reasons for Bed Bugs to Infest Hotel Rooms
• Common Bed Bug Infestation Myths
• Signs of Bed Bugs in a Hotel
• How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs?
• Conclusion
• FAQs

What are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are tiny, brownish, and oval-shaped insects that feed on the blood of human beings and animals. These are wingless pests that are known to bite mostly at night time. As mentioned earlier, bed bugs are usually seen infesting in clusters in hotel rooms.

Reasons for Bed Bugs to Infest Hotel Rooms

Some of the main causes for bed bugs to infest easily hotel rooms are:

• Different travelers carry bed bugs hidden inside their luggage
• Bed bugs creep inside from neighboring rooms
• Lack of cleanliness in certain vacant rooms
• Used bedding
• Dirty laundry

7 Most Common Bed Bug Infestation Myths

Working in the hospitality industry has never been an easy task. There is so much to take care of to maintain the reputation among clients. Hotels with rooms infested with bed bugs may tarnish the entire business. Sometimes the problem of bed bugs is not as big as people consider it to be, and this happens due to some common myths about bed bugs. 

So, here we are busting some myths about bed bugs with the real facts:

Myth 1: Bed Bugs Infest Only Dirty Rooms

Fact: Dirtiness is not the only determining factor for the presence of bed bugs in a room. Most of the time, these bugs reach hotel rooms while traveling along with a visitor in his or her luggage. So, this way the smartest of hotel rooms may get infested by bed bugs. 

Myth 2: Mattresses Infested by Bed Bugs Must Be Thrown Away

Fact: You need not throw away the mattresses infested by bed bugs because there are effective treatments available. You can book a commercial pest control company and let the trained professionals come and remove the bed bugs with a suitable treatment.

Myth 3: Bed Bugs Only Infest Beds

Fact: Not necessarily! The name is misleading and we do think that bed bugs infest only beds. These pests can also infest curtains, furniture, carpets, and even walls. But, of course, they are most commonly found in beds. 

Myth 4: Bed Bugs Bite Only at Night

Fact: The fact is that bed bugs are nocturnal species and therefore they find it difficult to move around in search of food during the day time. But they are excellent at adjusting themselves to the schedule of their host. They do bite during day time too, so this is a complete myth that bed bugs bite at night. 

Myth 5: Bed Bugs Can Fly

Fact: The fact about bed bugs is that these pests do not have wings to fly and neither can they jump. All these pests can do is crawl from one place to another. The speed with which bed bugs can crawl is 1 meter per minute and they can easily infest different areas crawling from one place to another, but they can’t fly. 

Myth 6: Bed Bug Can Be Detected Only If They Bite

Fact: Yes, you can clearly make out that a hotel room is infested with bed bugs if they bite you. But this is not the only way to detect these pests. There are other signs to detect bed bugs in a hotel room like dark stains on the mattresses, foul odor in the room, and bed bug eggs. 

Myth 7: Bed Bugs Can Spread Diseases

Fact: Bed bugs are irritating and may cause skin allergies, itching, and loss of sleep. But they do not spread diseases. These small bugs are known to feed on human or animal blood just like ticks and mosquitoes.

Signs of Bed Bugs in a Hotel

Once you learn about detecting bed bugs, you may search next for how to get rid of bed bugs in a hotel room. Look for these signs of bed bugs in a hotel room:

1. Sudden movement when you pull the blankets or sheets
2. Rusty mattresses on the beds
3. Foul smell in the room
4. Dark stains on curtains and mattresses
5. Grain-like bed bugs egg in cracks in furniture or walls

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs?

So, now you know what is a myth and what is a fact about bed bugs. You are also aware of how to check for bed bugs in hotel rooms. It is time you also update yourself with some effective ways to get rid of bed bugs.

1. Lock the Infested Room
2. Heat Treatment
3. Cold Treatment
4. Complete Vacuum Cleaning 
5. Wet or Dry Steam Cleaners
6. Eliminate Bed Bug Hideout Spots
7. Book Pest Control Company

Conclusion

HiCare, India’s only HACCP, IPCA, and NPMA-certified pest service provider, knows how to help hotel managers get rid of bed bugs from their hotel rooms. The trained professionals of the company follow the global pesticide safety norms to detect and remove bed bugs from hotel rooms. They will also help you learn how to keep these pests away from your hotel in the future by sharing some facts and prevention tips.