Searching for Bedbugs

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Bedbugs are small oval non-flying insects that belong to the insect family Cimicidae, which includes three species that bite people. Adult bedbugs reach 5 mm-7 mm in length, while nymphs (juveniles) are as small as 1.5 mm. Bedbugs have flat bodies and may sometimes be mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches. Bedbugs feed by sucking blood from humans or animals.
Adult bedbugs are reddish brown in color, appearing more reddish after feeding on a blood meal. Nymphs are clear in color and appear bright red after feeding. The wings of bedbugs are vestigial, so they cannot fly. However, they are able to crawl rapidly.
Temperatures between 70 F-80 F are most
 




What Are Bedbugs, Anyway?
Bedbugs are oval, flat, brown, wingless insects that are 1/4 to 3/8 inches long. While they feed on blood, bedbugs can live for up to a year without eating, so they can easily transfer from storage and guests’ or employees’ clothing and personal items to the lobby, rooms, and other areas of your establishment. Although bedbugs do not carry disease, they can bite, causing itchy welts, skin irritation, anxiety, and more. Bedbugs are not fond of light and will hide during the day, often in small cracks in walls or between bedding layers. 
Searching for Bedbugs
Your hospitality establishment should contract with a professional pest control vendor that specializes in bedbug eradication and control to conduct periodic inspections. Additionally, training all employees, not just housekeeping staff, on how to check for and identify bedbugs is an important part of a control program. The more people who can help recognize potential infestations, the more vigilant you can be in quickly responding to and resolving any problems.
While these insects are small, they are often visible to the naked eye. When conducting a search, look for the bug itself, its excrement, or small blood stains on linens left by a bitten guest. Use a flashlight to search areas such as:

• Sheets, pillows, and other bedding
• The zippers, folds, and tufts of mattresses, pads, and box springs
• Headboard, bed posts, and bed frame
• Sofas, upholstered chairs, and seat covers
• Closets
• Under loose wallpaper
• Along the edge of the carpet
• Behind objects hanging on the walls, such as pictures, mirrors, light fixtures, and clocks, or inside books

If you do find bedbugs, close off the room from use until it is pest-free. Additionally, search the rooms above, below, and adjacent to the affected area to confirm the infestation has not spread through walls and ceilings. If the infestation has spread, close off these rooms as well until an exterminator confirms the pest is no longer present.
Removing the Pest
Your business should have a plan in place to address any complaints about bedbugs. Train staff on how to immediately respond and the next actions to take. A timely response is critical in order to protect your guests and contain the infestation.
When tending to the guest, consider the following actions:

• Immediately offer a new room away from the infested room.
• Inspect luggage before transferring it to the new room.
• Provide a fact sheet on bedbugs.
• Reassure the guest that bedbugs do not spread disease.
• Offer laundry services for clothing.

When it comes time to remove the pest, there are certain steps to take, such as:

• Consult with a licensed specialist who understands various means of eradication and can provide removal recommendations, including what equipment and pesticides to use.
• Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuum throughout the area.
• Properly dispose of the vacuum bag.
• Remove all room linens from the room in sealed bags.
• Decontaminate bedding by laundering and drying in a dryer at 140 degrees.
• Dry-clean any nonwashables. Be sure to inform the cleaner of the situation and reason for bringing the items in.
• Spray or dust residual insecticide on the mattress. Consult the manufacturer’s instructions and label warnings for safe and proper use.
• Store cleaned mattresses in zipped plastic covers for one year before reusing.
• Treat night tables and dressers by removing the drawers and objects inside and spraying them with insecticide.
• Steam-clean carpets. In the case of a serious infestation, removing the carpet may be necessary. 

For the best outcome, work with a licensed pest control specialist trained to properly inspect and treat the room. You may also want to consider contracting with canine (dog) scent-detection services before and after the treatment. Should any complaints about bedbugs come your way, contact your specialist for immediate assistance.
While it may not be possible to completely prevent bedbugs, having a plan in place that includes early detection and prompt treatment can help contain infestations and save time, money, and your business’s reputation.


Bedbugs can live in any area of the home and can reside in tiny cracks in furniture as well as on textiles and upholstered furniture. They tend to be most common in areas where people sleep and generally concentrate in beds, including mattresses, box springs, and bed frames. They do not infest the sleeping surfaces of beds as commonly as cracks and crevices associated with the bed frame and mattress. Other sites where bedbugs often reside include curtains, edges of carpet, corners inside dressers and other furniture, cracks in wallpaper (particularly near the bed), and inside the spaces of wicker furniture.
Since bedbugs can live for months or even longer under favorable conditions without feeding, they can also be found in vacant homes.
By Mayo Clinic Staff

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Bedbugs are small, reddish-brown parasitic insects that bite the exposed skin of sleeping humans and animals to feed on their blood. Although bedbugs aren't known to spread disease, they can cause other public health and economic issues.
About the size of an apple seed, bedbugs hide in the cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards, bed frames and any other objects around a bed. The risk of encountering bedbugs increases if you spend time in places with high turnovers of nighttime guests — such as hotels, hospitals or homeless shelters.
If you have bedbugs in your home, professional extermination is recommended.