I received the dreaded call at 2 am that they were being bitten by bugs so I went up to the room in my pajamas to take a look. I saw the bugs but I did not know what they were. I apologized to the guests and took the dead bugs they had to identify them later. They were checking out the next morning. I looked online and they matched up with what a bed bug is. I am not sure if these people purposely let them out in the room as I have heard of that happening or if they just were carried in on someone's luggage. They have never been found in any other room and I am now checking after each departure all around the mattresses, in the folds and seams and in between the mattress. You will see blood streaks on the sheets from the bugs and they look like a apple seed.
When the exterminator came the second time he sprayed the room down entirely and put up an contraption that hung from the ceiling to let off a bunch of poison for a week to kill them. That did the trick. When guests asked what he was doing he told them he was just there for spiders and ants so not to alarm anyone.
All we can do is keep up on them and constantly check. It is not the inn's fault because they are brought in from the guests on their clothes or luggage. It is only the inn's fault if they do nothing about them. You don't want to do because they will spread and get worse..
Thank you again for telling about your experience. I didn't know that they could be limited to just one room. I have heard/read too many horror stories about them. Thought you had to treat the whole place.
I guess the thing to do is find out in advance who is a good exterminator. It might not hurt to have someone come once in a while as we DO have lots of spiders that get on the siding outside from the nearby woods. We are constantly wiping them down, hosing the siding and washing those windows...sigh...
.
If you find the bugs in one room you are supposed to treat all of the adjacent rooms- side by side and up. Incorrectly treated they will pack up and move to the room next door. Or upstairs. (Apparently they don't go downstairs, which is odd. And I can't remember where I heard that.)
Check your mattress pads every time you strip a bed. Pull the mattress & boxspring off the rails and wipe them down every once in awhile. Don't let beds touch the walls. Heat is your friend in the battle. Be sure to dry everything loosely packed in the dryer, not tightly packed. Check the dryer screen after every load for 'dead bodies'. If you have nightstands wipe them down inside and out and look at the cleaning cloth for traces of blood and poop. These suckers are just eating and pooping machines.
If you show guests to their rooms, pull out the luggage rack and point to it so they know the bags don't go on the beds. (Big peeve of mine- filthy, wet suitcases thrown on the beds.)
Also know that a very small percentage of the population ever knows they were bitten. Many people do not get itchy. So, if anyone brings it up it does not mean they are at your place. The guest could have been bitten on the plane or at the last place they stayed. And bb's don't hang on like ticks do. They eat and run. So, if a guest comes and shows you a bug stuck on them it's probably not a bb.
If it happens, get info about where the guest was before. Car rental company, airline, other lodging, etc. There was a big outbreak in a clothing store in NYC. A movie theater as well.
There are things we can do to keep our peace of mind. Another thing to remember is bb's are everywhere. But, like mosquitoes here, a lot of people just consider them annoying. Unlike mosquitoes, so far bb's don't transmit disease.
Ever have someone stay with you who doesn't know about mosquitoes or gnats or black flies? They show up for breakfast covered in bites and tell you horror stories about sitting outside for dinner and the BUGS!
.
