NewsWest 9
ODESSA - A lot of new people have moved to the Basin due to the boom but they're not the only ones moving in. Bed bugs are finding their way into local hotel rooms. The Midland Health Department says this is the most bed bugs they've dealt with in years.
"It's an issue in both cities Odessa and Midland but we've had issues here also with multiple hotels," Celestino Garcia with the Midland Health Department, said.
It doesn't matter whether you are staying at a one star hotel room or five star. Bed bugs invade all rooms. In the past two years, Midland has seen an increase of these bugs, Garcia has an idea of where the critters are coming from.
"We have more people coming in and people bring the good stuff and the bad stuff too," Garcia said.
Garcia says housekeeping personnel are the frontline of maintaining the cleanliness of a room, they make sure all bedding is washed daily, vacuum and check behind curtains for any signs of bugs. If they spot any bugs in the room, there is a protocol they must take.
They isolate that room and the surrounding rooms around them and then they get an exterminator to exterminate that room and the surrounding rooms also. Not only are these critters found on beds, they are also found behind headboards, art work and even electrical outlets.
That's why it's important for housekeeping and management to be on the same page regarding the proper cleanliness of a room.
"We just have to make sure that the housekeeping staff, as well as myself, when we come to inspect rooms are really looking, if you know what they look like and you can spot them, you can catch it early on," Veronica Abila, General Manager at the Hampton Inn in Odessa, said.
Abila suggests some things a traveler might want to buy for their next stay in a hotel room.
