There is a lot to think about if you own a movie theatre. One thing that you may not have considered yet, but should, is the possibility of a bed bug infestation. You should check for signs of an infestation frequently, and if you find them, you should contact commercial pest control services in Niagara to take care of the problem.

Can Bed Bugs Live in Movie Theatres?

As implied by the name, bed bugs can and do live in mattresses, but that isn’t the only place they can live. Bed bugs can live anywhere there are places to hide and human hosts to feed on, which includes movie theatres. Movie theatre seats provide plenty of places to hide between the cushions and underneath the seats. Theatres are frequently filled with people, providing a feast for bed bugs. When a bed bug bites, it injects an anesthetic chemical into the skin. Therefore, movie theatre patrons usually do not feel the bites as they happen. It is only when the chemical wears off after they get home that they realize what happened when the bites swell up.

How Do the Bed Bugs Know When To Bite?

Bed bugs are usually nocturnal; they hide during the day and come out at night to feed on their hosts. When the theatre is darkened to show a movie, it can simulate nightfall and signal bed bugs to become active.

Bed bugs are also able to detect an increase in the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which occurs when there is a group of people gathered together, all exhaling at approximately the same time. It is this, even more than the darkness, that prompts bed bugs to bite. A change in CO2 levels may draw bed bugs to their hosts even if there are relatively few people in the theatre.

How Do Bed Bugs Get Into Movie Theatres?

Movie theatre patrons unwittingly bring bed bugs into the theatre with them. More accurately, the bed bugs hide in the patrons’ clothing or handbags without their knowledge. When they sit down, the bed bugs crawl off them and start looking for new places to hide and new hosts on which to feed. Like many insects, bed bugs are prodigious breeders, so a few of them may grow into an infestation of thousands within a few months. Some of the bed bugs in your theatre could hitch a ride home on patrons’ clothing, and the process could begin all over again.

How Do You Know if You Have Bed Bugs in Your Movie Theatre?

You should perform a thorough inspection of your theatre on a regular basis. Bed bugs are very small; they are approximately the same size and colour as an apple seed, and they can squeeze into very narrow crevices. Therefore, even if you do not see the bugs themselves, you may find evidence of their presence.

For example, you may find reddish-brown stains on the upholstery of the seats from the bed bugs’ feces. Bed bug eggs are about one millimetre long and look like miniature grains of rice with a pearly white colour. One end has a hinged cap that creates an opening for the larva to come out when it is ready to hatch. Though bed bug eggs are very small, the female usually lays them in the same area, making them easier to see collectively.

Growing bed bug larvae shed their old skins at various points during the maturation process. You may find the shed exoskeletons, which are light grey and translucent.

What Should You Do About a Bed Bug Infestation in Your Movie Theatre?

If you see signs of a bed bug infestation, you should act fast. The longer you wait to deal with it, the more the infestation has a chance to grow. Do-it-yourself solutions are unlikely to be effective, so call Truly Nolen for commercial pest control services in Niagara.