Transcript Bed Bugs in the Hospitality Industry

Bed Bugs in the Hospitality
Industry and Multi-unit housing
Gail M. Getty, M.S.
University of California, Berkeley
PAST
Past
• Problems were along coast line
• Moved inland
• They were eventually everywhere
Past
• Public was constantly vigilant
• Less clutter in homes
• In 1940: Key to control was treatment
thoroughness
Past
• DDT introduced
• By 1950’s almost gone
• Bed Bugs showed resistance to
DDT
• This is NOT the answer today
TODAY
Today
• Problems were along coast line
• Moved inland
• Almost everywhere
Today
• People today are NOT vigilant
• More clutter in homes
• Key to control: thorough treatment
Why Increase
• Globalization
• World Travel
• Changes in Pest Management Practices
Today
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Hotels appear to be the hardest hit
Multi-unit housing biggest increases
To do it right: expensive
Presence of ONE bug can shut down an
institution
Today
• Anger and angst is high
• Government bodies not concerned enough
• Not a health problem?
Today
• People and pesticides
•Don’t like to use them, but….
•Public misuse of pesticides
•DEET won’t protect skin
•Foggers will ONLY disperse problem
•Internet sales
Today
• Inspections
• Hard work
• Gross
• Time consuming
• Invasive
Today
• Multiple visits to manage problem
• Infestations are inevitable
• No one is immune
Today
• Chemical Resistance
At Little History
• New York City Dept. of
Health
• San Francisco Dept. of
Health
• Australia
• 1 in 15 per CDC
• 2010/44% increase in 3 yrs
• 1999-2006 / 4,600% increase
Why on the Rise?
• Changes in Pest Management Practices
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Target pest
Broadcast spraying
Training
Chemical resistance
Limited control choices
Self Treating
• On line purchases, outdoor products indoors,
application rates, spray on person/pets, botanicals
• Everyone onboard
Why on the Rise?
• Local public health departments have limited
resources
• Municipal codes, tenants, landlords struggle to
identify those responsible….BLAME
• Delays treatment
• Delays training
Why on the Rise?
Underground Economy
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Rental/Secondhand items
Renovated Mattresses
Subletting
Fear of authorities
Why on the Rise?
• REQUIRES EVERYONE TO BE PROACTIVE
NOT REACTIVE
HOW BIG ARE THEY
Size of Insect
Bed Bugs on a Penny and Screw
Head
What do they look like?
What do they look like?
Egg
• Eggs “glued” to surfaces
• Eggs hatch in 7-10 days
on average
Gary Alpert, Harvard University
What about numbers?
Eggs
• Female lays 1-5 eggs/day
• Female lays 200-500 in her lifetime
• So…..if you start with 40 bed bugs how many
would you have after 6 months?
What they look like
Nymphs
• Young nymphs are
nearly colorless
• What’s a nymph?
• Pre-adults or babies
Male
Female
What about Feeding?
• Adults • 1 year with no blood
meal
• Nymphs –
• 3 months without a blood
meal
• Leave dark fecal spots
behind
More Pictures
More Pictures
What about Feeding?
• One bug often inflicts multiple bites
• Will travel 20+ feet/night to feed
• Will feed for 5-10min/spot
Feeding
Life Cycle - Feeding
• Sometimes there is a cessation of bites following
insecticide treatments.
• We don’t know why
• May be survival mechanism to avoid treated area
• Makes determination of control efficacy difficult
Life Cycle - Adult
• Thin with no blood meal
• Female can lay eggs from
~6-18 months
• Egg to egg ~ 2 months
• Bed bugs do two things only
and do them well
• Eat and make babies
JUST PLAIN FUN BIOLOGY
• Mating via traumatic
insemination
Clinical Presentations
Diseases and Medical Aspects
• Theoretically can act as a disease vector, but no
evidence to date that there is transmission
Diseases and Medical Aspects
• Hepatitis B viral DNA can be detected in BB up
to 6 weeks after feeding on infectious blood (no
transmission found)
Diseases and Medical Aspects
• Live HIV can be recovered from BB after 1 hr
after they feed on infected blood, no
transmission evidence exists to date.
Clinical Presentations
• Allergies to salivary
injections
• Not all persons are
allergic
• Sleeping partners may
find only one person
shows signs of being
bitten
• Most people do not react
while being bitten
Clinical Presentations
• Most commonly affected
areas arms and
shoulders
• Reaction to bites may
take up to 9 days
before lesions appear
• Itching and inflammation
is common
Clinical Presentations
• Bites mistaken for other
insects or rashes
• Lesions can last for several
days
Clinical Presentations
• Bullous eruptions have been
reported in association with
multiple bites and anaphylaxis
may occur in patients with
severe allergies
• DO NOT DIAGNOSE
Habits
Where they live in your structure
• BB cluster together in harborage sites
• Extreme infestations lend to seeing BB easier
• BB spend more than 90% of life in harborage
areas
• Leave harborage when driven by hunger
Habits
• BB loves cracks/crevices, rough material,
unfinished wood, paper, cloth and dark areas
• Do not like air movement and will move out of
drafty locations
• Not uncommon to find isolated, alone BB
• They usually move via hitchhiking
Habits
• Sanitation has little to do with GETTING bed
bugs
• Sanitation and clutter have significant impact on
how efficiently you can control and infestation
Customer Anxiety
• It’s real!!
• Handle with care and empathy
Why are Bed Bugs Hard to Control
• Cooperation from managers, staff, and/or
residences is often lacking
• Self Treating
• People have unrealistic expectations
• Costs, ease of control
Wall Street Journal
January 20, 2011
• “Rapidly Evolving Bedbugs Won’t Die”
• By Robert Lee Hotz
• “First comprehensive genetic study of bed bugs”
• Ohio State University study
Wall Street Journal
January 20, 2011
• Bed bugs have evolved three biochemical defenses
against common pesticides
1. Nerve cells better able to withstand the chemical
effects
2. Higher levels of enzymes that detoxify the lethal
substances
3. Thicker shells that can block insecticides
Wall Street Journal
January 20, 2011
• What’s this mean to you?
• Hiring a trained, dedicated pest
management professional is critical to
successful management!!
Apartments/Hotels
• 28% of time adjacent unit infested
• 72% of time adjacent unit infested if one side
has headboard on it
Final thoughts
Early Detection Saves $$$$
• Service agreements
• Post-treatment inspections
• Education
Costs
• Beware of prices too good to believe!!!!!
Objectives
• BE PROACTIVE!!!
The Action Plan
•Show due-diligence