Bed Bug Cases On the Rise

Bed bug cases are creeping up all over the world, including right here in the desert. One guest at the Villa Royale Inn in Palm Springs took to the internet to voice his complaint about the tiny pests. He wrote, “I woke up with a funny feeling in my hair, sat up and found about a half-dozen bed bugs crawling on my pillow.”

Bed bug cases have increased in the past year, especially in hotel rooms. The National Pest Management Association says 80 percent of pest-professionals have treated beg bugs in hotels and motels this year. That’s up from 67 percent in 2010.

The general manager of The Villa Royale, Mark Kessler, says “we had a certified company come out taking care of the room. They sprayed it, it is a treatment within 24 hours where they spray the rooms. We have taken the mattress, had to discard of the mattress, to get rid of any of the findings.”

Bed bugs can be anywhere, from beds to movie theaters. They can suck up to seven times their own weight on human blood, and they can survive for up to a year without feeding. A room or bed with a major infestation smells like a mixture of rasberries, almonds, and moldy shoes.

Kessler said it’s best to be smart and keep an eye out for them. “Lift the bed sheet in any place. Look in the sides and the cracks and see if there is anything you can see,” he said.