SAGINAW, MI (WNEM) -
Heading to Sandusky, OH, perhaps Up North here in Michigan or maybe across the lake to the Wisconsin Dells?
You might think a check with the local health department would help you see if your hotel has a bedbug problem. But as our investigation revealed, local health departments don't investigate bedbug complaints.
We were left with only one resource - a website (http://bedbugregistry.com/) to help us track bedbugs at hotels. It's a site in which hotel guests post bad experiences they have with bedbugs.
With a few clicks, we were able to find allegations of bedbugs at hotels in each resort destination. It didn't take long to find allegations of problems at Kalahari Resorts in both Sandusky, OH and the Wisconsin Dells.
Both have had numerous complaints from guests concerning bedbugs. These reports have not been proven scientifically, but the pattern of complaints is shocking nonetheless.
In a statement to WNEM TV5, a Kalahari Resorts spokesman said:
"At Kalahari Resorts, the number one priority is providing guests with a one-of-a-kind experience that is both comfortable and safe. Kalahari Resorts implements aggressive preventative measures and has professionally trained its staff with educational programs to ensure that its resorts exceed the highest level of industry standards when it comes to cleanliness and safety."
So what can you do to avoid bringing bedbugs home?
Experts say check surfaces for signs of infestation - such as tiny rust colored spots on sheets, seams and bed skirts. Lift the mattress to check out the bed frame and headboard because those are popular hiding spots for bed bugs. Elevate your luggage away from the bed, or store it in the closet as far away from the bed as possible.
Bedbugs are right at home in cracks and crevices like those in mattresses, especially in hotels, where they're waiting to hitchhike a ride home with you inside your luggage.
Once they get home with you, bedbugs are one guest that doesn't know when it's time to leave. Just one female can deposit up to five eggs a day and up to 500 during their life span.
Bedbugs bite people, often at night, and become engorged with their blood. The bites cause welts, itching and swelling.
Officials say bedbugs prefer beds and stationary furniture such as couches and recliners because they don't like disruption when they feed on people. But they may also be transported to offices, daycare centers or myriad other locations in personal belongings such as backpacks, briefcases and purses.
There are many methods to get rid of the pests, but officials say the best way to remove bedbugs is to call in professional exterminators.
Copyright 2012 WNEM (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
Bedbugs are very troublesome pests.
