Facilities Management and Bed Bugs

Posted on October 13, 2011 with No Comments

Searching for bed bugs in a facility like a retail store, an office building or daycare setting can be like searching for a needle in a haystack.  Despite the problems that bed bugs have the potential to cause, facility managers who haven’t been affected generally don’t seem very worried about the pests, according to a survey conducted by Building Operating Management.  Of the 55 respondents, 72 percent said they are not doing anything to monitor for bed bugs and 43 percent are not at all concerned they will be affected.

The following is from Facilitiesnet:   Early last year, a suspicious insect was spotted crawling up a wall in an area with eight workstations. It was trapped by an employee and confirmed as a bed bug by a pest management company. A canine unit inspected the entire facility and identified the main area of infestation. The employees in that area were asked to work from home until the space — and their homes — could be cleared by canine inspection.

In the facility, the affected area was steam cleaned and vacuumed, then resinspected by dogs. Any further hot spots were removed and heat-treated or recleaned with steam. Then the dogs came back to give a final all clear. All said, it took a week and $20,000, says Ian Norray, deputy director of facility operations at the Council.

Bed Bug Solution:  In the future, Norray says, they are planning twice-yearly inspections with canine units and dealing with problem spots quickly and quietly, without unduly alarming staff. “

In this BOM study, office buildings had a 23% response rate for a bed bug infestation vs. 3% in retail stores.  Is this because co-workers have bed bugs at home and are then sitting in there offices for prolonged periods of time?  Regardless of the source, facility managers need to act now and have a bed bug  protocol in place before the situation arises!  And yes, it is only a matter of time!