Bedbugs are a type of insect that feed on human blood, usually at night.  Their bites can result in several health impacts, including skin rushes and allergic symptoms. At room temperature de eggs of the bedbug hatch after 15 to 22 days and they only need one and a half month to reach adulthood. Bedbugs can live without food for up to six months. However, watch out!  After the lockdown they are extra active.

Shutdown

In March, many countries in Europe and UK adopted extra measures to prevent the further spread of coronavirus. As a preventative method, governments restricted air traffic and discouraged trips abroad. Because of these measures the occupation of hotel rooms drastically decreased. Many hotel owners have closed their buildings and haven’t had guests for weeks. As long as the temperature in a hotel rooms fluctuates between 15-18°C, bedbugs can survive for up to 6 months without food.

Hunger

When bedbugs get hungry, they can travel relatively long distances hunting for new hosts. After the lockdown gets lifted the hotels will reopen. This means that at night the bedbugs in hotel rooms will be hungry for blood. During the night bedbugs will be present in large numbers, ready to prey on the hotel guests, with all the unpleasant consequences for the guests and the hotels.

Prevention

In order to prevent this inconvenience, it is wise to thoroughly inspect (suspicious) rooms, before commissioning. This can be done by well-trained hotel staff, or by a specialised team of EWS Pestcontrol. The infested rooms can be proactively treated with a professional control plan, which saves future guests from this unpleasant experience and disturbance.