CH&LA Lodging News Jan/Feb 2018

www.calodging.com January/February 2018 17 So One of Your Rooms Has Bed Bugs, Now What By Albert Sanchez-Alvarez, Solutionist at Innovative Pest Solutions IT’S YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE, you find out that your property has been infested with bed bugs. These bed bugs do not discriminate, it can happen in both one star properties and five star properties. Once bed bugs have been discovered at your property, the following should take place. You first need to have the room inspected by a professional. Typically, inspectors come and use their experience and knowledge to help them find the target pest. An experienced inspector will come prepared with some basic tools; a high-quality flash light, perhaps a flushing agent and above all the time in their schedule to give you a thorough inspection. These inspectors are usually very good but sometimes you may need a four legged friend to help out. As good as we humans are, no one can compare to a professionally trained and certified canine inspector. Canine inspectors are truly remarkable in their ability to locate Now you know you have them and in how many units; your next big decision is what method to use for eradication. Your choices here are as varied and as imaginative as humans can come up with but let’s focus on those with proven efficacy. Chemical Treatment  The chemicals used should be authorized for a specific pest that must be on the label and applied in such a matter as to be consistent with the label. Often success is dependent on an industry standard of multiple applications over a period of time. Communication on behalf of the pest control company is paramount and hospitality management team should know what to expect. Heat Treatment  Heat Treatment is also recognized as extremely effective and in many cases offers a green approach for those interested. In this process the pest professional preys on a weakness the bed bugs have, its inability to withstand temperature above 115° Fahrenheit. The goal of a heat treatment is to quickly eradicate bed bugs. This is done by intensifying the temperature in virtually everything and everywhere in the room to at around 120° this includes wall voids, furniture and of course the beds in order to achieve this goal the ambient temperature of the room may reach as high as 170°. Preparation for heat treatment is not as involved as chemical treatment; however there are other items to be aware of; fire sprinklers must be protected or shut down, thermofoil style cabinets must be removed or protected. Efficacy of heat treatment is extremely high when executed correctly, however heat offers no residual protection that is once the heat is off there is no protection as found in chemicals. Fumigation In this process a tent is employed to capture and contain a Vikane (Sulfuryl Fluoride) gas to eliminate virtually everything. This is a very effective treatment with ancillary benefits like eradication of termites, roaches, silverfish mice, among others. This process requires you to shut the property down for up to three consecutive days. Fumigation has its own very involved preparation procedures which involves bagging of select items and must be adhered to with care as Vikane gas has the highest warning classification of all. This procedure, like heat, also has no residual protection. continues on page 18  