A bed bug problem at your hostel can have a negative impact on your business. They can unknowingly creep up into the rooms, and next thing hostel owners know, some of their beds are infested with bed bugs. As a hostel owner, you shouldn’t wait for an instance like this to occur before you stop the problem from getting worse.
Although there are now many available methods to eliminate bed bugs, the best step to do is still to prevent them from spreading in the first place. Before that, however, it’s essential to know what bed bugs are.
Bed bugs in a nutshell
Bed bugs are oval-shaped insects that are approximately 5mm-7mm long. Their flat bodies are reddish-brown. Yet, their bodies can blow up like a small balloon because bed bugs can drink up to three times their body weight. Know that bed bugs are only attracted to human blood. They also thrive during warm temperatures, which is usually the time of the year when tourists travel the most. However, how do they get to your hostels in the first place?
Bed bugs in hostels
Keep in mind that bed bugs don’t just walk in and head to the nearest bed that they can find in your hostel. Instead, they are often transmitted from sleeping bags, guests’ clothing, or in their bags. If the environment is suitable for a new home, they’ll likely crawl through the cracks, hide in mattresses, and live comfortably in furniture.
These insects are nocturnal, meaning that they’re wide awake at night. This is why most guests will report regarding bed bug bites after waking up in the morning.
If your guests complain about bed bugs, you have to determine first whether or not there are bed bugs in your hostel. A sure way to know is to check the guest’s bed bug bites. These bites typically appear in a pattern of raised red bumps that are 1-2 inches apart. Be aware that bed bugs will commonly feed on any exposed areas of the body.
Dealing with hostel bed bugs
When you’re 100% sure that there are bed bugs in your hostel, here are some steps to take:
- Remove all beddings – when removing beddings, do it carefully because you don’t want bed bugs to become loose in other areas of the room. Put all the beddings in trash bags and tie them tightly.
- Use pesticide spray – spray a pesticide solution on the mattress or use a steamer across the mattress surface areas.
- Check bed frame and corners – bed bugs like getting through cracks, so make sure that you check these areas when you’re removing bed bugs.
- Inspect walls and baseboard – check these areas for cracks and inspect signs of bed bug feces.
Once you’ve completed all these steps, it’s essential to set rules at your hostel to prevent bed bugs infestation. One rule is not to let the bedding get transferred from one room to another. Educate your staff as well as not to move linens from one room to another.
To prevent bed bug infestation at your hostel, schedule regular cleaning, and maintenance programs. There are many pest control companies that you can hire to take care of your bed bug problems. You will only need to find the best company that will suit your needs.
We are a bed bug control service Melbourne, get in touch with us today to see how we can help