PLEASE check for bed bugs before accepting your room.

[Legendofthehawk]

First, I am so sorry for the OP... I know how horrible this is!

Originally Posted by Virgderon

This is terrible. I'm so sorry for you. I use the steam cleaner on my mattress once a week and also wash my sheets in hot water. Do any of you know if that is an adequate defense should we pick up bed bugs somehow? We are staying at hotels 4 nights this month.

Really what they say is true. A once of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you are staying 4 nights, I don't think it would hurt what so ever to get mattress covers for your mattresses now. To be kept on a least a few weeks.

Pack all of your outfits in ziplock bags, make sure to pack one extra. So on our laundry day when washing everything you still have one clean. It also can't hurt to add some borax into your laundry, with everything washed and dried on hot. All outfits go back into the ziplock bag, so in the event you have some riders.. they aren't coming through your laundry.

It may see like a super paranoid thing to do, but once they get in, you never ever forget.

[Craigdarroch]

I hate to say it Virg, but no, steam cleaning will not defeat these little monsters. Washing your sheets in hot water may rid the sheets of any that may be lurking, but the fact is, they really only want to be in the sheets when YOU are there so they can feed. Most times they are hiding in the bedboards or along the seams of the mattress or in the carpet near the foot of the bed.

TNDISLVR.... I just can't even imagine what you are going through. You poor thing. I wish I could wave a magic wand and just have all your BB problems be over. Truly a nightmare indeed. Trust me when I say you have been in my prayers.
Just keep thinking.... one day this will all be over and life will be normal again. It won't happen overnight, but you'll get there. Hang in there sweetie, don't lose faith

[Blanche_Neige]

Originally Posted by mrzrich

This is what you are looking for. Bed bug poop.

Thanks for the picture, it will makes it easy to check the mattress if you know what you are looking for.

[victory-rc]

What the ! .... disney cutting costs on washing sheets or something ?
maid service SHOULD have a simple spray bottle for this.

They walk in the room and spray it around it kills everything,they have it up here in connecticut (mohegan sun)

This is cost cutting gone to far !.

[miprender]

Originally Posted by tndislvr

Thanks so much Craigdarroch. I appreciate your kind words! I don't feel like this nightmare is ever going to end. Had the "bed bug dogs" back out yesterday and the bugs are still in the original infested room, still in our bedroom, now in our powder room (really weird and have no idea how they got there) and are in my son's car seat in my car. This with me being SUPER careful about everything. I have done everything the PCO recommended. Washed and bagged everything (and the dogs flagged one of the bags of "treated" laundry), taking off clothes before leaving affected room, being extra cautious....and still we are losing this battle. PCO coming again today for round three. And I know there will be a round four because they will have to come back to treat for any eggs that may hatch over the next week or so. I'm most disturbed by the car seat as if they are in the car seat they are probably elsewhere in the car. I am SO afraid of carrying them to my work or to my kids school. The PCO will treat my car tonight as well but cars are extra hard to treat because of all the nooks and crannies where these bugs can hide.

Everyone please forgive my continual ranting and complaining. I haven't slept or eaten in days and I think I'm starting to get a little delirious.

OMG..that is awful...

But if they are in your car can you leave your car parked in the sun all day. I once read here on the DIS that if you return from your trip in the summer leave your luggage in the hot car for a few days and that will kill everything.

Luckily I never had to try it though.

[melancholywings]

If they can get in your luggage - then what's to stop them from getting in your check in luggage during a flight?

[Virgderon]

It does sound like it is a luck of the draw kind of thing- and terrible luck if you end up with them. I think all you can do is take the precautions mentioned and hope for the best. Thanks for the heads up and the good advice- I'll never put my suitcase on the floor in a hotel again!

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Originally Posted by melancholywings

If they can get in your luggage - then what's to stop them from getting in your check in luggage during a flight?

There's not! That is one of the many reasons they are spreading so easily.

AS for the PP about the mousekeeping spraying the sheets. The only pesticides that kill bed bugs is outlawed in the US so that is not an option. This too is another reason they are spreading so easily!

[tndislvr]

Craigdarroch - thank you! I really appreciate your kind words and prayers. Means a lot!

Well, I feel a little better tonight after the PCO came. The owner came tonight and he put my mind at ease a little (just a little, though). He was very encouraging and told me we will beat this it is just going to take a little longer than we had hoped. I hope he is right. We still have a lot of unknowns. He is trying to save our bed frame but he told me to prepare for the worst case scenario of getting rid of it (another $1500 down the drain if we have to do this). So far this is what this has cost us:

$149 initial inspection by dog (required by any PCO in my area before they will treat for bed bugs)

$650 initial treatment

$100 follow up treatment

$75 dog inspection again (due to the fact they were still here after 2 treatments and seemingly spreading)

$149 dog inspection in a month or so

$90 air mattress to sleep on while bed treated (we only had two beds in the house and had to throw out the other one)

$40 new cheapo bed linens (in case I have to throw them away)

$100 in new pillows and dust mite covers that I may have to throw away to get bed bug free

$109 bed bug mattress cover for mattress we hope to save

This is just what has been incurred thus far. I did contact the adjuster handling the claim for the resort. I have to fax him all receipts tomorrow and he will then follow up with the resort. I'm not really expecting much....but if they pay anything it will help!

[Enter User Name]

This is really terrible. I am very sad to hear this is happening to your family.

The first thing I do when I walk into a room is peel back the covers. I look in the folds of the mattress then under it, under the lamp, behind the headboard (sometimes I even remove it) then in the bedside tables. If I find anything that looks like frass (bug poo) I put it on a wet piece of toilet paper. If the suspect poo makes a red spot when wet there is a good chance it is from either a bed bug or a flea.
I thankfully have never found anything.
My husband jokes that I should take my "CSI" lamp too. It makes any organic matter turn blue. I would probably never sleep in a hotel again though.

Once again I am sorry you are going through this. I can really sympathize as we once got clothing moths and I remember what I went through to get rid of those-and they were not hurting anything other than our clothes. I hope this resolves for you.

[victory-rc]

I had to call a friend to find out the name but it works good I was just told,sounds like you need alot.I hope this works,I may order some for myself and try it before checking in the room give it a good spray,like disney SHOULD be doing.

---> http://www.garden.com/item/permacide...-quart/G21899/

[Bella the Ball 360]

Originally Posted by victory-rc

I had to call a friend to find out the name but it works good I was just told,sounds like you need alot.I hope this works,I may order some for myself and try it before checking in the room give it a good spray,like disney SHOULD be doing.

---> http://www.garden.com/item/permacide...-quart/G21899/

Any idea how long you need to wait before you can use the area after you spray? I Looked on line at the link and I could no find the specs on this product.

[a1tinkfans]

This is HORRIFYING to me.........

SO sorry to hear this OP! I really feel for you/r family!
Check out bedbugregistry.com
free service that LISTS the hotels/places there were infestations..........though I doubt a hotel would report it, I guess patrons do........

[kato0627]

OMG you poor thing to the OP!!! I am dying reading this thread. One question from a few post ago. Can they live under lamps??? I do check the matress when I check in. Never thought to look in the drawers. Can you see the poop??? I am freaked out. Good luck to you!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't even say, go check into a hotel...

[tndislvr]

Unfortunately sometimes there are no obvious signs (if the infestation is not bad yet). We had none of the typical signs you hear about (poop stains on mattress or headboard, molted skins, blood spots on sheets). I just started getting bites. Now since then I have had blood spots on my clothes and we saw a few squished ones in the bed but that was only once. I am going crazy with this. Still not sleeping, not eating, worrying all the time. I'm terrified I have taken them to work. Oh, and spending more money tomorrow getting carpets steamed, furniture treated, another pest control service.....this is bleeding us dry in more ways than one.