Rentokil aids tourism and travel industries in fighting dreaded bed bugs

13 May, 2009

Recent media reports have highlighted the potential health risk posed by dreaded bed bugs throughout South Africa. This came after Professor of Entomology, Michael Potter from the University of Kentucky stated that there's no reason to believe SA doesn't have a bed bug problem. “As seen with current swine flu reports, increased travel activities are the major cause of viruses and unwanted pests such as bed bugs. With responsible tourism and education in mind, Rentokil Pest Control SA has developed a Bed Bug Hospitality Offer, specifically designed to deal with this problem,” says Pamela Mudley, Marketing Manager for Rentokil SA.

The Bed Bug Hospitality Offer provides three options in preventing or dealing with this pest. Option one includes a reactive treatment providing a once off treatment to remove a bed bug infestation. To take this a step further, option two will include a comprehensive inspection and audit to establish if your premises is at risk to a bed bug infestation. This includes room inspections and interviews with various personnel. A staff training programme, is conducted to show how this pest is identified and how to prevent infestations, ensuring prompt identification and preventative skills. The client will receive a report indicating the risk of bed bug infestations. To ensure this pest is dealt with proactively, a third option is available. Quarterly inspections of rooms by trained professionals will ensure the risk of infestation is managed properly. All rooms will be inspected at least once a year with treatment provided, using the cube effect, if infestation is detected.

Bed bugs can widely be found on trains, buses, in movie theatres, hospitals, airplanes, couches and be transported even via the sole of a shoe. For this reason it is advised that the broader travel industry also make use of these services to ensure that they do not aid in spreading bed bugs. “We believe that the hospitality industry is prone to infestations, due to the high churn of guests from all over the globe. In addition to this, the upcoming sporting events taking place in our country will add to the rising number of travellers. Unfortunately there is no bullet-proof cure for this pest as it easily develops immunity to pesticides and can survive without a meal for up to 12 months! The die-hard nature of bed bugs and ease of travel is sure to increase risk. Bed bugs have a high immunity, ” says Mudley.

However, according to Professor Potter, the problem can be controlled with vigilance and hard work. To determine if your establishment is at risk to bed bug infestations, first steps can be taken by conducting a DIY audit. A guideline can be found on www.rentokil.co.za. A consultant can be contacted to do a full audit to ascertain the risk of infestation. This will result in technicians either conducting a reactive treatment should there be an infestation or alternatively providing training to staff if the risk profile is low. “Most establishments, due to cost factors, tend not to have proactive programs in place for their rooms to be inspected on a regular basis. The pest control protocol for the hospitality industry does stipulate, due to the risk factor facing this industry, that regular quarterly inspections for bed bugs should be conducted in rooms. Since the launch of the Rentokil Bed Bug Seminars, held in Johannesburg and Cape Town a month ago, there's been a sharp increase in enquiries from the hospitality industry, indicating the need for assistance and education”, says Mudley.

Editorial contact
Marlene Shreuder
Affinity Strategic Communication
021 914 2821
affinity@strategicpr.co.za