Franklin’s Short-Term Rentals Are Becoming Ground Zero for Bed Bug Infestations That Refuse to Die
Franklin, New Jersey’s booming vacation rental market is facing an unprecedented crisis that’s keeping property owners awake at night – and it’s not just the late-night guest check-ins. Bed bug reports from Franklin properties have surged dramatically, with guests discovering live adult bedbugs in their accommodations, creating a perfect storm of resistant infestations that are proving nearly impossible to eliminate with traditional methods.
The Rise of Resistant Bed Bug Populations
Bed bugs have displayed resistance to an array of insecticides used for their control, with recent research discovering gene mutations that contribute to insecticide resistance. What makes this particularly alarming for Franklin’s vacation rental industry is that seven field populations of bed bugs have developed very high level resistance to deltamethrin, requiring much higher concentrations (55–2017 times higher) than laboratory strains to achieve 90% mortality.
Recent research shows that many bed bugs are becoming resistant to the very insecticides that once knocked them out cold. In the last decade, resistance to pyrethroids among bed bugs has become a major problem in the U.S. and may help explain why the pests are crawling into bed next to more and more of us.
Why Vacation Rentals Are Perfect Breeding Grounds
The short-term rental industry has been booming in recent years, thanks to platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. However, with this growth comes a rising problem: bed bugs. These tiny pests are a growing concern for rental owners, as they can quickly infest a property and cause significant damage.
Vacation rentals and other similar services like hotels receive countless amounts of visitors each day, week and year. These visitors come from homes, other vacation rentals, other countries, potentially bringing along with them bed bugs into the rental. Bed bugs cling onto clothing, belongings and luggage that these travelers bring into these areas.
According to a 2018 report by the National Pest Management Association, bed bug infestations have increased by 500% in the last decade, with short-term rentals being a prime target.
The Financial and Legal Nightmare
In the context of short-term rentals such as Airbnb or other vacation rentals, bed bug infestations can have serious legal implications for property owners. Most jurisdictions hold landlords and rental owners legally responsible for providing pest-free accommodations. This means that if a guest discovers bed bugs in a rental property, the owner could potentially be held accountable for any damages.
You cannot host guests so long as you knowingly have a bed bug infestation at your property. Not only would it be unethical, but you also risk a lawsuit. While you line up an exterminator and take the necessary steps to eliminate the problem, you’ll need to cancel or reschedule your upcoming guests. Only you know how long it will take to fix the problem so adjust your reservations accordingly.
Why Traditional Treatments Are Failing
One of the clearest signs of bed bug resistance is when you treat an infestation, and the bugs keep coming back. You might see fewer bugs for a short while, but if the problem keeps recurring, it could mean they’re surviving the treatment. Most resistant bed bugs may not be effectively controlled by pyrethroids, neonicotinoid, or pyrethroid-neonicotinoid insecticide sprays. Insecticide dusts containing silica gel are an effective material for control of bed bug infestations.
Concerns about insecticide resistance aren’t new. The longer you use any product for the control of a particular pest, the more resistance issues you are going to have.
Professional Solutions That Work
Franklin property owners don’t have to face this crisis alone. When you need to get rid of bed bugs franklin, working with experienced professionals who understand resistant populations is crucial.
Prestige Pest Unit & House Wash shows up on time, treats your home with respect, and gets rid of your pest or rodent problem right the first time around. In the unlikely event you’re not satisfied with your most recent service, they’ll come back and retreat your home at no additional cost, with a 100% guarantee.
The company utilizes advanced treatments like Aprehend®, where spores stick to the legs and body of bed bugs and are taken back to their harborages where they spread among the bed bug population by direct transfer. Bed bugs that come into contact with the spores become infected and die within 4-10 days, targeting bed bugs both in and outside of their harborages in a single application.
The Future of Bed Bug Control
Heat treatments are one of the most effective ways to eliminate bed bugs, as they cannot develop resistance to heat. By raising the temperature in your home to a level that bed bugs cannot survive, you can wipe them out without relying on chemicals.
The CDC and the EPA recommend a more integrated approach, one that incorporates pesticides, along with other techniques to which resistance is unlikely to evolve: heat treatment, vacuuming, removing clutter, and sealing cracks and crevices.
Prestige Pest Unit prioritizes safety for both clients and the environment, using only environmentally safe products in all pest control services. Their eco-friendly solutions are carefully selected to effectively eliminate pests while minimizing any negative impact on the environment, plants, and animals around your property.
For Franklin vacation rental owners, the bed bug crisis represents more than just a pest problem – it’s a business threat that requires immediate, professional intervention. Bed bug treatments take 30 minutes to 2 hours per room to complete, and it’s unlikely that all bed bugs will be killed in the initial treatment, so follow-up visits spaced ten days apart are recommended. With resistant populations becoming the norm rather than the exception, partnering with knowledgeable pest control professionals isn’t just recommended – it’s essential for survival in the competitive short-term rental market.