REPORT FROM THE U.S.—Bed bug-sniffing dogs are one of the newer weapons in hoteliers’ war against the pests, but good old-fashioned inspection by staff is the best way to keep them in check, according to last week’s American Hotel & Lodging Association Webinar, “Bed Bugs 101.”

Other new technologies being tested and used to combat the growing problem include: carbon dioxide, microwaves, heat, cold and certain fungal products, said Greg Baumann, VP of technical services, for the National Pest Management Association in Fairfax, Virginia.

Hotel, housing and apartment managers are looking for new weapons in the battle against the growing bed bug problem. In 2008, about 82 percent of pesticide management companies were fielding calls on bed bugs from all types of commercial facilities, according to NPMA research. That’s a sharp increase from 2004, when about 10 percent of pest control companies received calls about bed bug problems.

“The resurgence may have come about because of international travel, but now they’re here,” Baumann said. “Hotels are more susceptible because bed bugs like to hitchhike on suitcases.”

The bed bug issue gained nationwide attention this year when the Environmental Protection Agency held its first National Bed Bug Summit in mid-April. Pest control operators, universities and public health organizations met to share information about new techniques and challenges fighting bed bugs.

“A lot of bed-bug research is being conducted today by universities, so we are learning a lot more about this pest than we knew before,” Baumann said.

Still, the NPMA asked the EPA for funding to help battle bed bugs, which can take multiple inspections and visits from pest control companies.

In fact, U.S. Representative G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) plans to reintroduce his “Don’t Let the Bed Bugs Bite” legislation this session to expand grant programs to help public housing authorities cope with infestations. Consumers are so concerned about bed bugs, a computer programmer set up a Web site, BedBugRegistry.com, so people can look up hotels where bed bugs have been reported. While the information on BedBugRegistry.com isn’t verified, Baumann said hoteliers need to know about it from a public relations perspective.

Meanwhile, the AH&LA and NPMA are increasing efforts to educate hotel staff about how to recognize and eradicate bed bugs. They also want to remove the stigma of bed bugs because all types of hotels can have them, and the problem has nothing to do with sanitation, Baumann said. Because bed bugs feed on human blood—not food or garbage—making sure guestrooms and other areas are clean doesn’t alleviate the problem.

“Knowledge, and getting the information to your employees, is the most important thing,” Baumann said. “They are the eyes and ears when the pest professional is not around.”

Baumann suggested housekeepers and other employees consistently keep their eyes open for signs of bed bugs before calling a pest management professional.

Here are some of the trouble spots Baumann suggested hotel staff watch out for:

• Look for dots of blood or smears on sheets, mattresses, upholstery and walls. “If you see smears, which look like rust spots, do a thorough inspection, then call a pest professional,” Baumann said.
• Inspect often for the smears on bed frames, mattresses, mattress covers, upholstery, drapes and walls. In some cases, the bugs are living in phone and electrical outlets. “They like warmth, so they have been found in the slots in a TV or a clock,” Baumann said.
• Other unusual areas to inspect include: the back of pull-down shades, computers, offices, cracks in luggage racks, cracks and crevices in walls and floors, and inside box spring mattresses.
• Carefully inspect rooms that have been closed for awhile. “Bed bugs can wait for over a year, if the temperature is acceptable to them,” Baumann said.

Hotel staff typically assumes, erroneously, they must throw out all materials that were affected by bed bugs in order to treat them effectively.

“View any material that might be infested as damaged, not necessarily as something you have to throw out,” Baumann said. “Some materials can be washed in very hot water and run through a hot dryer.”

Hotels should work in partnership with pest control companies instead of having staff spraying insecticides, he recommended.

“Don’t take matters into your own hands,” Baumann said. “You may spread them, and bed bugs may be resistant to some products.”