Bed bug numbers soaring in Hawaii again

BY MAUREEN N. MARATITA
Journal Staff

Media in Hawaii in June and mid-July widely covered the story of a Japanese family visiting Hawaii for 10 days that encountered bed bugs at a Hawaii hotel and suffered from multiple bed bug bites.

Bed bugs are an ongoing problem in the state.

Facilities that were shut due to bed bugs included gates at Terminal 2 of Hawaii’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, which saw carpet removal and spraying in June, and Honolulu’s emergency call center or Joint Traffic Management Center in March, which was fumigated.

According to media reports one of the bed bugs was crawling on an employee’s leg at the emergency call center. Call centers in the building include the Honolulu Police Department, Emergency Medical Services, Ocean Safety and the Honolulu Fire Department, according to media reports.

Pest Gnome, an online marketing and resource company for pest control, offers this information. “There are two species that find Hawaii’s climate just as inviting as tourists do: the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) and the tropical bed bug (Cimex hemipterus).”

While visitor numbers in Hawaii declined in May, flights from Guam increased compared to May 2023.

The Hawaii Visitors Authority does not say whether visitors from the islands stayed in hotels or with relatives, though it does for larger visitor populations. Many islands residents travel to Hawaii specifically for medical referrals.

Bed bugs are a universal problem.

Guam has not been immune to bed bugs in its hotels, apartments and residences, but the numbers of infestations are low compared to other locations.

Philip Hagen, operations manager for Pacific Pest Control; said, “Guam has been lucky the bed bug problem is not nearly as bad as in Hawaii or other countries. “The rare times we find them in hotels, it is just isolated to one room, and it was brought in by the guests. “As for homes, we probably get two calls a year and treatment is minimal with the help of the homeowner. Usually, it is a combination of a residual treatment, washing bedding/clothing in hot water and removal of heavily infested furniture,” Hagen said. “Bed Bugs are the best hitchhikers in the pest world. They will find their way into the smallest crevice and lay dormant for months waiting for their next meal. Knowing what to look for can prevent a major infestation from happening.” On June 2 for Bed Bug Awareness Week, Pest Gnome named the worst cities in the U.S. mainland for bed bugs after comparing the 500 biggest U.S. cities based on “the number of accommodations, muti-unit residential buildings, and population density.” The Top 5 are New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco, according to Pest Gnome. See Pest Gnome’s site for the full list.

Current advice for visitors to any destination known to have bedbugs is to inspect hotel mattresses on arrival, and not to unpack suitcases on beds or carpeting.

Similarly, travelers returning home should also not unpack on a bed or carpeting, as bed bugs can travel in soft suitcase linings or clothing and easily transfer.

Bed bugs can be eliminated by washing bedding and clothes in hot water and drying on the highest heat setting. Use a steamer on mattresses, couches, and other places where bedbugs hide. Pack up infested items in black bags and leave them outside on a hot day that reaches 95°F (35°C) or in a closed car. Some advisory sites suggest labeling any discarded goods as bed bug infested. mbj