Clarion Inn Pigeon Forge Tn Bed Bugs (2024)

FAQs

Can you find out if a hotel has bed bugs? ›

Pull back the bed sheets and blankets and check the mattress and box spring seams for bugs, especially at the head of the bed. Adults, nymphs, and eggs are visible to the naked eye. Also keep your eyes peeled for exoskeletons (casings that the bugs leave behind when they molt) and dark, rust-colored spots.

Orkin released its annual list of the U.S. cities with the most reported cases of bed bugs, using data gathered from December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022 of cities with the most bed bug treatments. Two cities in Tennessee earned spots on the list: Knoxville, coming in at No.

But how common is it to actually come across these pesky blood-sucking insects when you travel? A new survey from The Sleep Doctor released this week shows that one in seven (or 14%) of U.S. travelers reported a bed bug encounter in the past year, and 20 percent of those sightings happened in five-star hotels.

Around the bed, they can be found near the piping, seams and tags of the mattress and box spring, and in cracks on the bed frame and headboard. If the room is heavily infested, you may find bed bugs: In the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, in the folds of curtains. In drawer joints.

This shows how common these pests are in the hospitality industry. So how do they get from the hotel room to your home? By hitching a ride on your clothes, luggage, and other personal items. Once a few bed bugs make it to your home, it's just a matter of time before you have a serious bed bug infestation.

Adult bedbugs are oval, reddish-brown and flat. Younger ones can be difficult to see because they're so small. And there's a reason they're called bedbugs: They like to lurk during the daytime where people sleep and feed on them at night (bed bugs feed on both human and animal blood).

While there is no official bed bug season, a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology shows a peak in bed bug activity in August and a low in February. Other studies have shown that peak season for bed bugs runs from June through October.

So what is the main cause of bed bugs? Travel is widely recognized as the most common source of bed bug infestations.

Hotels usually get rid of bed bugs by reaching out to certified pest control professionals, which provide several means to control the infestation. These methods may consist of vacuuming, steam or heat treatments, and insecticides.

Do hotels do anything to prevent bed bugs? ›

Most hotels also take the time to educate their staff on bed bug protocol. The hotel or a pest control service may offer a training course in order to ensure everyone on staff is certified. With a trained and vigilant staff, hotels are equipped to stop any potential bed bug infestations before guests are affected.

Although nocturnal, bedbugs don't necessarily feed every night -- it could take days or weeks before you notice bedbug bites. Bedbug bites can look similar to other insect bites -- if confused with mosquito or flea bites, you may not think to check for bed bugs until other symptoms crop up.

A website called The World BedBug Registry Project was created to let people know where bedbugs have supposedly been sighted at hotels. The World BedBug Registry Project says it allows users to search hotels for any reported bedbug issues, dating back to 2012.

People usually start suspecting bed bugs after getting bites. They might discover bloodstains or fecal marks around the bed. Musty odors become noticeable over time, coming from an accumulation of blood, feces, and pheromones.

The adults can easily be seen with the naked eye. Adult bed bugs are reddish brown in color, wingless, and are about the size of an apple seed. Immature bed bugs (there are 5 immature or nymphal instar stages) can also be seen with the naked eye but they are smaller than adults, and translucent whitish-yellow in color.

Some common signs of a room being bugged include unexplained interference on electronic devices, strange sounds or voices, and suspicious objects like hidden cameras or microphones.

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Look for signs of bed bugs including dark stains, eggs, molten skin casings, or live bed bugs. If you have found bed bugs in the room, use your phone to snap some pictures of the evidence, gather your belongings, head to the front desk, and inform the hotel of what you've found.