Increased Bed Bug Infestations, 

An Unintended Consequence of Social Isolation?

After a 50-year hiatus, bed bugs came back on the scene in the late 1990’s, and by the mid 2000’s infestations were spreading like wildfire. It was common to see news stories covering the waves of bed bug infestations sweeping through hotels, college dorms, movie theatres, and homes. Pest control companies struggled to meet the demand of service requests.

Since that time, it is rare to hear about bed bugs on the news, unless it is some extreme situation like someone accidentally burning down their house in attempt to kill bed bugs with heat. Some people believe bed bugs have “gone away” as fast as they came but that is not the case.  Bed bugs are still a regular part of most pest management companies service offerings. Here at Exodus Exterminating, we employ a bed bug “team” that performs only the specialized services associated with bed bug control. Lately though, that has changed, and it is due primarily to the latest news story, Coronavirus.

In an effort to “stop the spread” of Coronavirus we all were advised to stay home and stay safe. Many people adapted to social distancing by isolating in their homes and coming out only when necessary. 

Exodus Exterminating services many residential communities with higher risk for bed bug infestations, primarily due to more dense living scenarios. These communities include apartment complexes, senior housing, multi-family structures and college dorms. Many of these customers receive regular inspections to ensure bed bugs and other pests do not develop an infestation that may quickly spread to other living units if left unchecked.

The Coronavirus has forced many customers to suspend their inspections due to mandatory COVID quarantine, or just out of fear of letting others into their homes. If we are not able to perform our inspections, we worry that bed bugs and other pests have flourished under these conditions.  After all, isolating in your home is just fine for bed bugs, they have everything they need to survive and thrive…YOU!

It will be interesting to see what we find once we are able to access these isolating homes. One thing is for sure, bed bugs have not gone away, and, we speculate a higher than usual bed bug active summer. Another unforeseen, and unintended consequence of social isolation due to the Coronavirus.