Guests, Pests, and Bagels (AKA: Not paying rent)

I’m currently on a semi-holiday, and let me tell you: work is a whole lot better when you’re watching the Atlantic Ocean, sipping tea, and enjoying a pastry from the local bakery. (Shout out to the amazing Bagel Stop here in Florida!)

But even with the salt air, I can’t help but think about the unique challenges of pest control in vacation rentals. Whether it’s a tiny one-room cottage or a massive condo complex, one thing is certain: there will be guests... and there will be pests. Sometimes, they’re practically the same thing!

Know Your Region

The first step in any troubleshooting puzzle is identification. Where you are dictates what’s trying to get in, and that changes by the mile and the month.

• The Northeast: In the middle of summer, you’re battling the infamous black flies.

• The Southwest: Come fall, you’re looking out for scorpions and spiders in the desert heat.

• The Florida Coast: Right now, the "no-see-ums" are out, but luckily, lovebug season hasn't kicked off just yet.

Rentals are a different beast. Indoors, we see the usual suspects—German cockroaches, ants, and bed bugs—but vacation rentals differ from standard residential accounts for three big reasons:

1. High Turnover = High Risk. Even a seasonal three-month rental sees at least four different parties. If a place is rented weekly, that is 52 chances a year for someone to accidentally hitchhike bed bugs into the unit. Plus, let's be honest: when people don't own the place, they take a little less care. Doors stay open longer, and suitcases are constantly moving in and out, creating a revolving door for pests.

2. The "Vacation Diet". Rentals usually host families and groups, which means more food. Even if you hit your favorite local restaurants (which I certainly am!), there’s still that big grocery run for staples, snacks, and breakfast. More food—and more takeout eaten on the balcony or in front of the TV—means more crumbs. Combine that with less frequent vacuuming than a permanent home, and you’re basically rolling out a red carpet for ants, roaches, and rodents.

3. The Danger of Downtime. In your own home, you spot an ant trail immediately. In a rental, a unit might sit empty for weeks or even months. That silence allows a small pest problem to explode into a massive population before the next guest arrives. And as we know, the larger the problem, the harder (and more expensive) it is to fix.

Here is the reality: a guest walking into a pest infestation isn't just a "bad experience"—it’s a business killer. Between scathing online reviews and the very real threat of lawsuits over bed bugs, the stakes are incredibly high.

If you own a vacation rental or service these types of accounts, you can't just "hope" it stays clear. You need a proactive strategy to mitigate these risks before a guest checks in. We can help you build that program!

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get back to enjoying the rest of my holiday.

Lagniappe: Did you know that "no-see-ums" (biting midges) are actually so small they can fly right through standard window screening?