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Nov 2, 2016

2016 Bed Bug News Update


                2016 Bed Bug News Update

This year has been a big year for bed bugs in the news.  We have seen stories from around the world of bed bugs taking over, causing major damage, and costing business owners thousands of dollars in treatments and even lawsuits.  Here are some of the things bed bugs have been up to this year.

First we visit Lincoln, VA where a café had to be shut down and evacuated after fumes from a bed bug treatment seeped through the flooring and walls into the eating area.  Several people reported irritation from the fumes and the local fire department was even called to the scene to investigate the issue.  The restaurant was forced to close and be inspected for hazardous materials before they could re-open. 

Unfortunately, we see these type of issues regularly with traditional bed bug treatments.  Fumigation is a common treatment for bed bugs, but it doesn’t fit well for most businesses and can leave a dangerous residue behind.  With heat treatments this entire incident could have been avoided and the guests in the café never would have known of the bed bug treatment taking place downstairs.

In Fluvanna County two soon-to-be- newlyweds moved into temporary housing and rented a mattress from a Rent-A-Center.  After the first night the couple discovered bites on their arms, but didn’t realize it was bed bugs until a few weeks later.  After identifying the problem as bed bugs, originating from the rented mattress, the couple contacted their lawyer. The couple seemed optimistic about their case against the Rent-A-Center and is perusing their legal case.

Early in June this year bed bugs were reported at a local Pikeville, PA hospital.  It was believed that the bugs were brought it by an unsuspecting patient and spread to other areas.  The infected areas were confined to the critical care unit, which was closed as soon as the problem was detected.  The areas remained closed until the problem was solved.

Later in the year a subway rider in Toronto reported being bitten by bed bugs while riding the subway on her way home from work.  After online research the women concluded the bites that she received on the subway were bed bug bites and contacted Public Health.  The subway system was adamant that the subway was not conductive to bed bugs thriving and requested more info from the woman as to what car she was riding at the time.  The case is ongoing at the time of this article.

One of the most interesting articles to some out this year consisted of a report which found which hotel chains in the US have the worst bed bug reputation.  The report was compiled from customer reports.  [1]

The study found the following results (in number of incidents reported):

  • Holiday Inn (732)
  • Days Inn (560)
  • Super 8 (550)
  • Best Western (519)
  • Hampton Inn (505)
  • Comfort Inn (503)
  • Marriott (395)
  • Hilton (338)
  • Motel 6 (314)
  • Quality Inn (305)

Speaking of hotels/motels an article from April, 2016 comes to mind, where a woman sued a Virginia Super 8 Motel for $5 million after she received multiple bed bugs bites during her one night stay at the motel.  The woman reported over 40 bites all over her body.  The bed was clearly infested, but when brought to the attention of the motel management they denied the accusations.  The woman suffered allergic reactions from the bites and stated that she was sick for over a year.  During the court hearing it was discovered that the hotel hadn’t been inspected for bed bugs is over 2 years! A trial was scheduled and the case looked promising for the woman terrorized by the bed bugs.

Our last report for the year (although not even close to the last report of bed bugs out there) comes from the luxury resort, Trump National Doral Miami.  A New Jersey man filed suit again the resort owned by the Trump Organization after being bitten by bed bugs during his stay.  The man was bitten on the arms, face, neck and chest.  The man is seeking $15,000 in damages.

Proper treatment, documentation and identification of bed bugs is the first step to keeping your business out of the bed bug news spotlight.  For more information on how you can keep your business bed bug free visit our Bed Bug Heat Information page at http://convectex.com/pages/bed-bugs.  At Convectex we have everything you need to keep your business free from bed bugs and OUT of the news.  Don’t put your company’s reputation at risk.  Call Convectex today and let us put together the perfect package for you! Call 877-375-0005 now!


 

 

 

 

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