According to Spotta, the damage COVID-19 to hotels may not be over if the government gives the go-ahead to return to travel. The UK-based developer of intelligent pest systems says sleeping bed bugs will live without feeding for about a year, waiting for hotel guests to return.
“If your hotel had bed bugs before it was locked, you will find them again when you reopen,” said Robert Fryers, CEO of Spotta, in a press release. “With a lifespan of over a year, bed bugs are experts at conserving their energy when food is not available. And they’ll be hungry when your guests return. ”
While bed bugs are known to dislike light, rarely come out during the day and hide in the darkest spots of hotel rooms such as under mattresses and in headboards, sleeping bed bugs wake up from their sleep with an almost insatiable hunger, says Dr. Richard Naylor, director and chief entomologist at The Bed Bug Foundation.
“When they have been resting for months, bed bugs are very aggressive, especially when it’s dark,” says Naylor. “If you’re really hungry, you may lose your photophobia too. This means that bed bugs are much more likely to bite when a host returns. “
As part of their COVID-19 recovery planning, hotels should allow time to identify and treat bedbugs before reopening them to guests.
However, according to Naylor, this isn’t bad news for hoteliers.
“Bed bugs are unlikely to be transmitted between buildings because people have restricted movement,” he says. “While they’re sleeping, the bed bugs don’t move around your business either, so you’ll likely find them where they were before you closed your doors. Known infections treated by specialists are key to providing your guests with a safe environment to return to. Surveillance systems are a great way to make sure guests don’t get angry when the bed bugs wake up looking for food. “
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