The information in this article applies to hotels and homes. It is about how certain textiles and pieces of furniture can hide bed bugs better than others. If you are an employee of a hotel or are just simply redesigning your bedroom at home consider the information this piece offers. The less hiding places there are for bed bugs the less likely they will exist in an area.
Seeking Bed Bug Prevention? Allergy Technologies Offers Options
Tuesday November 15th, 2016 – 9:09AM
Just think! The design choices you are considering for room refurbishing may also be creating a welcoming environment for bed bugs. Bed bugs are elusive pests and an intrusive guest no hotel wants.
They can easily be introduced into a hotel room by anyone that walks through its doors, from hotel guests to service staff or even a shipment. Their small size, ability to reproduce rapidly, withstand long periods between meals, and nocturnal tendencies make them difficult to detect. The effects of an infestation can be devastating to a business. Hotel reputations can be irrevocably tarnished if reports land on travel websites, treatment costs are high and profits lost when rooms have to go unrented. That’s not to mention reimbursements to guests affected and the potential negative impact on stakeholder equity if a guest chooses to pursue an aggressive legal course of action.
So what does hotel room design have to do with infestations? It could mean the difference between a full-blown infestation being uncovered at 2 a.m. by an irate guest and minimizing the likelihood that a single bed bug introduced into a room ever transitions into an infestation.
Given our experience in handling the bed bug scourge that is canvassing our nation, we provide the following suggestions for hotel room design consideration. Making tweaks to current hotel room configurations, considering these changes in future design plans or implementing a preventive bed bug measure can certainly assist in lowering the incidence of bed bug infestations in hotel rooms.
Headboard Design
Upwards of 85% of bed bugs are found within a five ft. radius of the bed, with headboards being known for egg deposition. Removing upholstery in its design would be a marked step forward in reducing harborage, given the folds and tufts—similar to a mattress and box spring—routinely found in this furniture.
Also, straight design with little to no textured woodwork reduces areas susceptible to egg deposits. In addition, attention should be drawn to the backside of the headboard that affixes to the wall, as this area is routinely a hot spot for bed bug activity.
Box Spring Dust Ruffles
Dust ruffles that cascade onto the floor are an easy entrance ramp for bed bugs to crawl onto bedding. These ruffles are often highly pleated and cinched making it a favorite hiding place for bed bug egg repositories.
Highly suggested are the new decorative fabric covers available that fit snuggly onto the box spring (foundation).
Box Spring Platforms
Typical railed box spring frames are replete with nooks and crannies that are commonly strewn with bed bug eggs when an infestation occurs. In contrast, the use of metal box spring platforms is far less conducive toward bed bug harborage in the event that a room is challenged.
Active Liners
Unlike an encasement that simply protects the bed, an active liner protects not only the mattress and box spring but also the guest that is sleeping in the bed. As easy to install as a fitted sheet, an active liner such as ActiveGuard Mattress Liners can prevent a bed bug infestation as they kill bed bugs that come into contact with the liner continuously for two years. Installation of this simple preventive measure can stop bed bugs introduced into the room from turning into a full-fledged infestation.
About Allergy Technologies
ActiveGuard Mattress Liners kill bed bugs. Easily installed on mattresses or box springs, these liners’ offer two-year continual prevention and control against any adult bed bugs, nymphs or eggs. ActiveGuard has no cautionary signal words or use restrictions on its label. Only four sizes—single/twin, double/full, queen and king—fit almost every available mattress or box spring, and accommodate up to extra-large in length and 17-in. in depth. Underlying is ActiveGuard’s formulation; a unique and proprietary delivery system that offers sustained bioavailability of permethrin for two years. Newest research supports that after short exposure to ActiveGuard of only 10 minutes, bed bugs regardless of their level of resistance, begin to show significant reductions in feeding (biting) and a dramatic inability to lay eggs. This results in discontinuation of population growth thereby halting progression of an incident to an infestation. If you are seeking a pro-active preventative approach, ActiveGuard should be considered as the centerpiece of your long-term solution to keep bedding from being infested. ActiveGuard Mattress Liners are covered under U.S. Patents 5,916,580, 6,214,365, 6,440,438 and pending patents.
Article sourced from: http://m.hotelbusiness.com/Other/Seeking-Bed-Bug-Prevention-Allergy-Technologies-Offers-Options/55647