PEST CONRTOL
DON’T LET THE BED BUGS BITE
David Cross, Head of Technical Training, Rentokil Pest Control warns of the increasing
threat from bed bugs in the UK and how to spot an infestation.
Visit Britain predicts that our islands will have welcomed 36.7 million people to our shores by the end of 2016, 1.3 million more than last year. While this is good news for the tourism industry, and for the British economy as a whole, the constant flow of international travellers adds pressure to hospitality and hotel staff who have to manage a high turnover of guests. Indeed, it is widely believed that the global increase in international travel is contributing to a resurgence of bed bugs.
These small insects (about the size of an apple pip) can be transported in luggage and clothing from one building or form of transport to another, making it easy for tourists and commuters to become unwitting carriers. In September this year one unlucky traveller found this to be the case when he was bitten 100 times on a flight from London to America. Once bed bugs disembark at a new destination, they tend to stay close to a food source (humans), so they tend to be found where people rest and sleep. This has given these pest the name ‘Bed Bugs’, and makes them a significant challenge for Britain’s hospitality industry.
Staff working at hotels, B&Bs and hostels playing host to bed bugs may notice small dark marks on bed frames, headboards and mattresses or even shed skins, before the more obvious appearance of itchy sores on their guests. While bed bug bites alone do not pose a serious health threat, the presence of these parasites can cause a great deal of emotional stress, and there is potential for guests to contract
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a secondary infection from constant scratching.
The risk of an infestation increases with a number of factors, such as the purchase of second-hand furniture, the movement of infested furniture within premises and the sheer number of guests that a business plays host to. Premises frequented by guests who travel regularly (i.e. those located near air and sea ports), or guests who often move between different lodgings, are at the greatest risk of contracting a problem.
If bed bug infestations are allowed to proliferate, businesses can experience a loss of income, reputational damage and, in extreme cases, temporary closure of premises. Pest infestations can also be costly to deal with; recent research conducted by Rentokil Pest Control and the Centre for Economics Research revealed that pest infestations cost UK businesses a total of £1.2 billion in revenue.
One in ten of the businesses surveyed, cited bed bugs as a common intruder, indicating the extent of the threat, but it is the secondary problems associated with pest infestations that add further causes for concern. One third (33%) of business owners said that staff morale had been affected by pest problems, while even more (82%) said pest problems had increased their operating costs. Indeed, if managers within the hospitality industry decide to take a DIY approach to bed bug treatment rather than decisive action, the problem may well be prolonged, leading costs to spiral.
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