Predictability is not always a trait that pests exhibit, but one for thing is for certain – bed bug activity rises during the summer months, according to research from the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).
51% of pest management professionals surveyed indicated that summer was the busiest season for bed bug services.
That means commercial facilities including apartments, condominiums, hotels, resorts, hospitality and healthcare locations – especially nursing homes and assisted living centers – and even office buildings, face a higher risk of being afflicted by bed bugs.
The professional pest management industry recognized Bed Bug Awareness Week earlier in June, encouraging members and clients to take the fight to bed bugs – deploying preventive strategies to manage these unwanted pests.
In addition to their brand and reputation taking a beating on social media, lost rental and sleeping room revenue, and being a major inconvenience, bed bugs can leave property managers and building owners exposed to significant legal liability.
How much can a bed bug infestation cost? In April, a civil jury in Alhambra, California awarded a Los Angeles family USD1.6 million – the biggest payout ever in the United States for a single family in a bed bug case.
The family endured several months of having bedbugs in their apartment and when they complained to apartment management, they were told to throw out all of their furniture and sleep on the floor.
According to news reports, it took several months to eradicate the infestation and the family’s newborn son was covered in bites.
What Commercial Facilities Have Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs do not discriminate when it comes to selecting a place to infest. According to the NPMA, the following commercial facilities are where pest professionals most often find these blood-sucking pests:
- Apartments/Condominiums – 89%
- Hotels/Motels – 68%
- Nursing Homes – 59%
- Schools/Day Care Centers – 47%
- Office Buildings – 46%
- College Dorms – 45%
- Doctor’s Offices/Treatment Centers – 39%
- Hospitals – 36%
Sprague has extensive experience solving this most infuriating pest problems. Using innovative treatment techniques and the latest technology, we can put your facility’s bed bug problem to rest, once and for all.