Key facts
- The mini-program launched in September 2026 and attracted more than 300,000 users at its peak, according to its creator.
- Users flagged more than 600 hotels nationwide, but a Wednesday check by Sixth Tone found 232 hotels still marked.
- The creator said he now reviews reports alone and requires photographic evidence of bedbugs.
- The app was taken down twice by Tencent, most recently in late October, citing restrictions on individual-run applications.
- Thirty-six hotels had successfully appealed reports by submitting third-party evidence, according to a Sixth Tone check.
A WeChat mini-program called Bedbug Map has drawn attention in China for letting travelers flag hotels where they claim to have found bedbugs, Sixth Tone reported. The app lets users report hotels with bedbugs, cockroaches or other pests, and shows a bug or question mark icon over the hotel's location. Tapping the icon reveals the number of user reports. The creator, a 26-year-old manufacturing worker who asked to remain anonymous, told Sixth Tone he built the app with AI in under two weeks after he and his girlfriend developed bites following a move.
The mini-program was originally released September 16, 2026. On launch day it attracted more than 100,000 users, according to the creator, and at its peak it had more than 300,000 users, Sixth Tone reported. Users flagged more than 600 hotels nationwide. The creator said he got the idea after searching online for bedbug information and finding most posts involved hotels.
After concerns that users could target hotels without evidence, the program was updated in late September to require users to upload photographic evidence. Photos can be uploaded or taken directly through the mini-program, and in the latter case the app adds a time and location watermark. The creator later announced in a Sunday post on lifestyle platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, that he alone would review bedbug reports, whereas evidence had previously been approved if a majority of users verified it. The next day he posted a review of nearly 300 rejected reports, explaining why each was declined.
The creator told Sixth Tone he had personally reviewed more than 700 pieces of photo evidence submitted over the previous two months. A Wednesday check by Sixth Tone found 232 hotels marked on the mini-program, down from more than 600 before Monday, and 36 hotels listed as having successfully appealed reports after submitting third-party evidence. Hotels can appeal reports and upload disinfection records, business licenses and photos of pest-control operations, with blue semicircular icons marking appealed locations. The app was taken down twice, most recently in late October, by WeChat parent company Tencent, which cited restrictions on applications run by and registered to individuals, according to Sixth Tone. The creator also said he recruited volunteers at one point to inspect hotels that filed appeals, but the function was soon removed because of concerns about volunteers' safety, among other issues. He said managing the mini-program alone has brought pressure and criticism, and he hopes the government will provide support.