tacted as soon as possible.• Quarantine – Take the room out

of service until it has beeninspected and treated. If guestsmust be moved, pre-treat thenew room.

• Launder – For items that can belaundered, wash in hot waterwith detergent and dry in adryer. The combination of heatand soap will kill bed bugs andremove any eggs.

• Dispose – If furniture or otheritems harboring bed bugs can be disposed of, it increases the chances of a successful erad-ication.

Bed bug infestations can be diffi-cult to remedy. Work with your pestmanagement provider to develop amonitoring strategy so that, when itall comes out in the wash, your rep-utation remains spotless.

By Ron Harrison, Ph.D.Director of Technical Services,Orkin, Inc.

Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite, the old saying goes.Many people think of bed bugs asfictional nighttime visitors, but thefact is, these nocturnal pests arebecoming a real problem. Infes-tations are common, especially inhospitality settings, and when theyoccur they evoke – right or wrong –the impression that infested hotelsare unsanitary and of low quality.While research does not currentlyindicate a serious health risk asso-ciated with bed bugs, the appear-ance of these pests threaten thehealth of a business’ reputation. Toensure that your brand doesn’t getput through the wringer, put theseprevention strategies to work.

TAKE IT TO THE MATTRESSESHotel rooms give bed bugs the per-fect combination of a reliable foodsource and convenient harboragein mattresses, box springs, behindwooden headboards, in couchcushions and other furniture.

Bed bugs typically hide duringthe daytime, so it’s difficult to spotthem. Instead, look for small, rust-colored stains they leave behind.When changing the sheets, pay care-ful attention to signs of bed bugpresence on mattress edges, tags andseams, as well as on box springs.

An inexpensive synthetic cover-ing on mattresses and especiallybox springs prevents bed bugs fromreaching the fibrous interior or hid-ing along edges or under tags. Forpests that have already found

TODAY’S NEWS FOR CHANGING TIMES

harborage, the encasement pre-vents their escape.

Periodically, perform a moreextensive inspection of the room.While bed bugs are often discoveredin the bed, they can hide behindheadboards, under seat cushions, inelectrical outlets, behind pictures orbeneath buckled carpet.

Because so few people react visi-bly to initial bed bug bites, the pres-ence of noticeable bite reactions – orthe lack thereof – may not be a reli-able early indicator of bed bug pres-ence. Without regular monitoringpractices, bed bugs may go unde-tected for a longer period of time.

PREVENT A “BED SPREAD”Once you detect bed bugs in the

room, take the following steps.• Report – Alert management

immediately to ensure that a pestmanagement professional is con-

COMING CLEAN ABOUT BED BUGSTHE FACTS ABOUT BED BUG

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT

As seen in the October/November 2009 issue of Laundry Today