Daily Archives: June 15, 2017

Bed bugs(Cimex lectularius) in a hotel room evoke a strong reaction from U.S. travelers, with 60 percent saying they would switch hotels if they found signs of bed bugs in their room, according to a survey conducted byresearchers at the University of Kentucky. However, just 35 percent of business travelers and 28 percent of leisure travelers in the same survey could correctly identify a bed bug in alineup of other common insects. (Photo originally published in Bed Bugs and Hotels: Traveler Insights and Implications for the Industry, American Entomologist, Summer 2017)

Most business and leisure travelers in the United States cant identify a bed bug, and yet the tiny pest evokes a stronger response in hotel guests than any other potential room deficiencyputting the hospitality industry in a difficult spot.

In a survey of U.S. travelers conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky, 60 percent said they would switch hotels if they found evidence of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) in a guest room. Meanwhile, no more than a quarter said they would switch hotels for factors such as signs of smoking or dirty towels or linens. In the same survey, however, just 35 percent of business travelers and 28 percent of leisure travelers correctly identified a bed bug in a lineup of other common insects. The results of the research are published today in American Entomologist, the quarterly magazine of the Entomological Society of America.

Which of these common insect pests is a bed bug (Cimex lectularius)? In a survey conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky, just 35 percent of U.S. business travelers and 28 percent of leisure travelers could correctly identify the bed bug. Poor awareness of bed bugs enables their spread and causes problems for the hotel and lodging industry. The answers: 1-Ant, 2-Termite, 3-Louse, 4-Bed Bug, 5-Tick. (Image credit: Entomological Society of America)

Considering all the media attention paid to bed bugs in recent years, the fact that most travelers still have a poor understanding of them is troubling, says Michael Potter, Ph.D., extension professor in UKs Department of Entomology and co-author of the study.

It is particularly problematic given the central role that online reviews play in travelers selection of where to stay. More than half of survey respondents said they would be very unlikely to choose a hotel with a single online report of bed bugs.

From a hotel industry perspective, its worrisome that a single online report of bed bugs would cause the majority of travelers to book different accommodations, irrespective of whether the report is accurate. Furthermore, the incident could have involved only one or a few rooms, which the hotel previously eradicated, says Jerrod M. Penn, Ph.D., postdoctoral scholar in UKs Department of Agricultural Economics and lead author of the study.

How would U.S. travelers respond to problems with a hotel guest room? In a survey conducted by researchers at the University of Kentucky, respondents showed a far stronger reaction to signs of bed bugs than to any other room deficiency. (Image credit: Entomological Society of America)

Other findings in the survey include:

Potter notes that the publics lack of understanding of bed bugs contributes to their spread throughout society as a whole. But the hospitality industry must deal with both the pest itself and consumers strong, if ill-informed, attitudes about bed bugs.

Hotels and others in the hospitality sector should develop a reputation management plan to prudently respond to online reports of bed bugs in their facility. Hotels should also train their housekeeping and engineering staffs to recognize and report bed bugs in the earliest possible stages, when infestations are more manageable. Similarly important is training front desk and customer service employees to respond promptly and empathetically when incidents arise within the hotel, says Wuyang Hu, Ph.D., professor in UKs Department of Agricultural Economics and senior author of the study.

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Survey: Bed Bugs Are the Last Thing Travelers Want to See in a ... - Entomology Today

By Randy Dotinga

HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, June 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- While many travelers think that finding bed bugs in their hotel room would be the stuff of nightmares, very few know what one looks like, a new survey shows.

Just 16 percent were able to spot bed bugs in a lineup of five bug illustrations. Ticks and lice were most often mistaken for bed bugs, while ants or termites were least likely to be confused with the pesky blood suckers.

Study co-author Michael Potter, a professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky, said the findings suggest that plenty of travelers are in the dark about these night-time nuisances.

"Considering all the media attention paid to bed bugs in recent years, the fact that most travelers still have a poor understanding of them is troubling," he said.

Most travelers who took the survey also said they'd seek different lodgings if they saw a single online report of bed bugs, even if it might not be accurate or reflected an infestation in just one room.

For the study, researchers surveyed almost 1,300 leisure travelers and 790 business travelers online about issues regarding hotels. Sixty percent of leisure travelers and 28 percent of the business travelers were women.

Thirty-five percent said they had considered bed bugs but didn't worry about them; 21 percent said they'd never considered bed bugs. As for the worriers, 29 percent said they'd briefly worried about them and 14 percent said they'd often worried about bed bugs.

Fifty-six percent said they wouldn't get a room at a hotel if they read an online report saying it had bed bugs.

"From a hotel industry perspective, it's worrisome that a single online report of bed bugs would cause the majority of travelers to book different accommodations, irrespective of whether the report is accurate," Potter said. "Furthermore, the incident could have involved only one or a few rooms, which the hotel previously eradicated."

Dermatologist Dr. Carrie Kovarik, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said she has treated patients with bug bites. She wasn't surprised by some of the survey findings, but one of them -- the fact that 60 percent would flee a hotel if they saw signs of bed bugs but only 23 percent would do so if they saw a "foreign material" like blood -- was disturbing.

"I was surprised and somewhat horrified that people would rather switch hotels due to signs of bed bugs but not foreign material such as blood," she said.

Dr. Philip Shenefelt, a professor with the University of South Florida department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery, said it's important to understand that bed bug bites are "annoying but not serious" and don't transmit disease.

"The bites are not specifically distinguishable, but flying insect bites are usually on exposed skin. Flea bites are usually on lower legs, while bed bug bites may be on the trunk as well as elsewhere," he explained.

However, Shenefelt added, "What becomes much more of a problem is if the bugs hitch a ride in opened luggage and return home with you. They are resistant to most pesticides and often have to be destroyed by dry heat. That can be an expensive process requiring special equipment and training."

The bites themselves can be treated with bug bite creams, he said.

As for prevention at hotels, Shenefelt said "it is good practice to check around the bed, lifting the mattress edges off the box springs and looking for tiny bugs and bug skins and stains, before opening suitcases. The adult bed bugs are about the size and shape of apple seeds and have rounded abdomens."

The study, which was funded partly by a protective bedding company called Protect-A-Bed, was published June 13 in the journal American Entomologist.

WebMD News from HealthDay

SOURCES: Michael Potter, Ph.D., professor, entomology, University of Kentucky, Lexington; Carrie Kovarik, M.D., associate professor, dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; Philip Shenefelt, M.D., professor, department of dermatology and cutaneous surgery, University of South Florida, Tampa; June 13, 2017, American Entomologist

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