Parasite problem at the airport in Hawaii: A first attempt to remove the bed bugs failed, so several gates had to be closed.
Their bodies are hairy, reddish brown, and tiny. When they have sucked their fill, however, they are almost twice as big at up to nine millimeters. We’re talking about bed bugs. The small parasites now live all over the world, but always in combination with humans and animals.
The saliva from their bites causes itching and redness in humans. Bed bugs have an average lifespan of 6 to 12 months. Airlines have also struggled with them in the past. Air India had to ground two Boeing 777s for two days in 2018 for a deep clean. Numerous passengers complained of insect bites. Swiss, British Airways and others have also been affected.
Bed bugs paralyze Gates in Hawaii
Now the uninvited little parasites have appeared at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. They paralyze some gates, as the newspaper USA Today reports. The malware was first detected on May 29 at the E gates in Terminal 2 of Honolulu’s main airport.
The Hawaiian transport authority HDOT immediately had the gates cleaned thoroughly, but did not clarify whether they were actually bed bugs. The cleaning didn’t do much. A day later, Southwest contacted authorities and said the bugs were still there. The authorities then took samples and it was determined that they were actually the small bloodsuckers.
Transport authority brings out heavy artillery against small parasites
The Transportation Authority rolled out heavy artillery against the small parasites and closed gates E-5, E-6 and E-7 between May 30th and 31st for a deep clean. The airport hired a pest control company to do a thorough cleaning with non-toxic bug spray.
Honolulu Airport also had the carpet removed and replaced at the gates. Additional cleaning work will be carried out over the next three weeks to prevent a recurrence. Air traffic is not affected by the small parasites.
By Benjamin Reclies