The Lurking Mattress Bug Risks The Pandemic Has Created For the Rental Neighborhood

Depending on who you spoke to in 2020, when the pandemic was at its most critical, the commercial pest control market was either declining, stagnant, or booming. At this point, more than a year later, it can be said that the majority of PMPs indicate that the commercial bed bug market is strong.

For many companies, the volume of business consistently generated by commercial customers seems to indicate an upward trend.

“We have quite a lot of bed bug activity, and we have a large commercial division with a lot of hotels and apartments and more transient locations that can typically be at risk of bed bug infestations,” said Andrew Davitt, BCE, corporate commercial pest services manager for Cook’s Pest Control of Alabama .

Revenue is always strong evidence of where a market is going, and according to Kyle Kromer, multi-housing operations manager for Plunkett’s Pest Control in Minnesota, it’s definitely growing.

“Hotels and vacation rentals have undoubtedly experienced a lull in bed bug activity during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Kromer. “We are consistently offering more bed bug work (K9 inspections, visual inspections and treatments) at a higher rate in 2021 compared to 2020.

“In 2020, we committed over $400,000 to purely chemical treatments. From 2021 through September, we have committed over $570,000 towards chemical-only treatments. International travel is still being reduced, but as restrictions on this are eased further we should see even more bed bug work at commercial establishments.”

Caleb Fabry is President and Manager of Operations for Town and Country Solutions, and his company has a large bed bug division.

“Bed bugs are commercial again when we talk about rental homes or multi-family homes,” Fabry added. “It’s not as big as it was five to 10 years ago, but nonetheless it’s increasing and we think it will continue to increase during the pandemic.

“As far as hotels go, we think certain states will see an increase, but likely only those with fewer Covid restrictions. States with higher restrictions are not places that vacationers choose based on what we see.”

Davitt added that it’s important to remember that bed bugs can be almost anywhere and they don’t need to eat as much as people think.

“They can be anywhere that people sit for some time. Buses, movie theaters, restaurant booths… that sort of thing. All a bed bug needs is a human host, or just a host. But adults can last quite a while depending on the temperature and the cooler it is the longer they last. You can go months and months without a blood meal. Even if an apartment is empty, the infestation is still there when you move.”

On the West Coast, where local and statewide pandemic mandates are stricter than other parts of the country, bed bug work is still growing, but not nearly as fast as elsewhere.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it grows since other states are more open, but in Washington, if we get more boosters, we might see bed bug services popping up again in movie theaters or offices…we’re not quite seeing that right now,” says Ashley Roden, Technical Manager for Sprague Pest Control in Tacoma, Washington.

“However, many in nursing homes and hospitals here have problems with bed bugs. Probably every day in the company there is a hospital that has bed bugs. People can bring a lot to a hospital. We recommend cleaning them with regular detergents and we will come in with steam and vacuum. They always end up on the sisters’ wards because they go into a few rooms and are near them and then back to the ward.”

David Poplin, ACE, CEO and president of CDS Services, sees work coming and says his company should start feeling the comeback next year.

“I believe that the commercial market will come back quickly. Travel has increased and remains stable. This in turn leads to increased bed bug activity. I think we’ll see those increases around mid-Q1 2022.”