I think I have bed bugs...

[reducereuserecycle]

This might be a good read about bedbugs.

looks like at least there may be some progress being made to deal with the problem

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We were at AKL last month for 14 nights. We did a split stay - 4 nts. savanna view studio, 10 nights concierge studio.

On the 2nd day in our savanna room there was a roach in the bathroom. DH flushed it. I went down tot he front desk for something else, but when a manager asked if she could help me I mentioned the roach. She offered to move us to another room, but I declined. She sent Pest Control up within the hour to treat the room. Not sure what he sprayed in there. We didn't see another roach UNTIL...

The second or third day in the concierge room. DH was in the bathroom and he called out "Someone is STARING at me in here!" He captured the roach in a sandwich bag.

I called the front desk and the girl was completely UNhelpful. So I marched down to the Concierge desk and told the CM I wanted a Guest Services manager NOW. I know it's Florida. I lived in Florida for 10 years before I moved to TX. I know the difference between a palmetto bug and a roach. THIS was a ROACH.

The manager was at our door in minutes. She took the roach and went to get a pest control guy. He said it is an Australian cockroach. The manager asked if I wanted her to try to move us, but there are only a few DVC concierge villas so there was no point in trying to move. She said they would treat our room while we were out (they couldn't do it with us in the room). Housekeeping changed all of the bed linens. We didn't see another one for the rest of our stay.

My main concern was that they would get in our luggage and we would end up with them in our house.

 

[sersee05]

you know as i was clicking on this topic ..my brain kept saying "don't do it!". blah now I am totally freaked out. Especially now that somewhere in this post someone who stayed at the POR said they saw them. ugh

My poor son will be sleeping on the trundle near the floor that is pushed under the bed...and now I am completely grossed out...I hate bugs..I know all hotels can get them..but the whole trundle close to the floor from under the bed thing is really getting to me.

Why did I read this thread? why oh why oh why!

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

We were at AKL last month for 14 nights. We did a split stay - 4 nts. savanna view studio, 10 nights concierge studio.

On the 2nd day in our savanna room there was a roach in the bathroom. DH flushed it. I went down tot he front desk for something else, but when a manager asked if she could help me I mentioned the roach. She offered to move us to another room, but I declined. She sent Pest Control up within the hour to treat the room. Not sure what he sprayed in there. We didn't see another roach UNTIL...

The second or third day in the concierge room. DH was in the bathroom and he called out "Someone is STARING at me in here!" He captured the roach in a sandwich bag.

I called the front desk and the girl was completely UNhelpful. So I marched down to the Concierge desk and told the CM I wanted a Guest Services manager NOW. I know it's Florida. I lived in Florida for 10 years before I moved to TX. I know the difference between a palmetto bug and a roach. THIS was a ROACH.

The manager was at our door in minutes. She took the roach and went to get a pest control guy. He said it is an Australian cockroach. The manager asked if I wanted her to try to move us, but there are only a few DVC concierge villas so there was no point in trying to move. She said they would treat our room while we were out (they couldn't do it with us in the room). Housekeeping changed all of the bed linens. We didn't see another one for the rest of our stay.

My main concern was that they would get in our luggage and we would end up with them in our house.

That's interesting because there is another thread I read a few days ago about someone who is scheduled to stay at the AKL. I think it was CL? They were contacted because they are closing down a section of rooms to deal with a pest issue. Maybe that is the same problem you had?? At least it sounds like it is being taken care of!

 

[maxiesmom]

I read that crawling insects hate cloves, bay leaves and sage, and flying insects hate basil. (No idea if it is true.)

So, if we all wrap ourselves up in a makeshift bouquet garni and dress in cheesecloth, we won't have to worry about anything!

Unfortunately with my asthma, not only would I not have any roaches, but I couldn't breathe either!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

That's interesting because there is another thread I read a few days ago about someone who is scheduled to stay at the AKL. I think it was CL? They were contacted because they are closing down a section of rooms to deal with a pest issue. Maybe that is the same problem you had?? At least it sounds like it is being taken care of!

I read that. They told her it is an "infestation" of something, but they didn't elaborate. But the regular concierge rooms are on the 4th floor. DVC rooms are 5th floor and DVC concierge rooms are 6th floor. So I don't know.

It would be kind of silly to just treat one area of rooms for roaches though, because they will just move to an area of untreated rooms. Especially with the DVC villas where most of them have a connecting door, the roaches will just scoot under the door. I'd rather keep my treated room than move to an untreated one.

The first pest guy we spoke with told us he thought it was probably an outdoor roach that feeds on decaying organic matter (like mulch) and they do not live in colonies. But he didn't see the roach. Which is what prompted us to capture the second one. I Googled Australian roach, and they do feed on mulch, but one article I pulled DID seem to indicate that infestation was possible. It said specifically if you are seeing them during the day it is a problem. We saw both roaches during the day. Ick.

Having said all this, we are still booked to return to AKL in Dec. and next June. It is our favorite resort. If we have roaches in Dec. it might give me pause about next summer, though.

 

[sjkwheeler]

Unfortunately, we experienced bed bugs first hand last summer. So I can say without any hesitation - they are extremely hard to get rid of in hotel and apartment settings. We rented an apartment between selling our old and building our new house. We rented furniture from a reputable company - as we didn't want to move our own furniture a bunch of times. After a few days on the rented beds (which by law are supposed to be rented as brand new - but can then be sold as used), my 7 year old daughter had what looked like hives on her ankles, elbows, and back.

I had always heard of bed bugs, but like most people, thought they were invisible to the naked eye - WRONG!. I looked on the bottom and seams of the box spring and mattress and they were everywhere. Their backs look similar to that of a sow or pillbug; however they are light to dark brown - depending on if they just fed (sucked your blood). We had everything removed from the apartment - we went to Walmart and bought blow up mattresses and plastic storage bins.

When the exterminator came, he told us that the only truly effective way to get rid of bed bugs is to heat them out. You would need to wrap everything in plastic and put in in an environment that causes items/property to sweat inside the plastic. In the case of the furniture they removed, we were told they would wrap them up and put them in an enclosed box truck in the hot Texas heat for a few days. They were actually going to rent/sell them to someone else afterwards!!!

Thank goodness that within two days my daughter's bites were gone and we've since moved into our new home with our own furniture.

We now always check every hotel room we check into before we unpack a stitch of clothing.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

If they are big enough, I hear they make excellent fish'n bait.

 

[a1tinkfans]

just GROSS!

In all our visits I have NEVER had any issue with bugs, but I have heard it here on the boards ad always thank my lucky stars!!

Meanwhile, we check the drawers and beds/mattresses and NEVER sleep under or use the bedspreads!


Hope it works out OP, what a terrible situation to "remember" from a vacation!

 

[diamondpixienc]

The previous post mentioned that they never sleep under the bedspread. So do I bring my own blankets etc. ? I would have no prob doing this as we are driving down. Also, I have read on previous posts that I should maybe use or get a plastic matress cover? Are these items effective as a means of prevention? or am I over reacting. We would hate to have our first trip to the world be ruined by bed bugs The horror!

 

[reducereuserecycle]

So do I bring my own blankets etc. ?

i don't think that using your own blanket or not using the hotel bedspead/blanket would keep you from getting bit by bedbugs....even with the mattress cover that would not neccessarily help cause they can hide in alarm clocks, in the walls, etc.

i think the main thing (from what i have been reading) is to check for signs of them when you get to the room before you even bring in your bags. then when you leave to seal all your belongings into trash bags before you put them in your car. then when you get home wash everything in hot water and that may kill them. there is still a chance of bringing infestation into your home if they get into things that can't be washed.

maybe the poster talking about the bedspread just meant they think the hotel bedspreads are nasty (as do I) because they are not laundered between guests.

if you do take your own pillows, sheets, etc. make sure you seal them in bags before putting them in your car then wash them in extrememly high temperatures when you take them out of the bags


and i was wondering....since bedbugs are nocturnal, if you sleep with the light on, would they not come out? or would they just go into the dark areas (like under the covers!)

i read they can live for 100 days without blood...so if they could just stay in their hiding place for a week while i'm there....

 

[tiki23]

Bed bugs are drawn to CO2 and heat..sleeping with the light on won't stop them.

 

[WDWTigger72]

Are you sure they were crockroaches, or were they palmetto bugs? Those look like cokcroaches and are very common to Florida. They are ugly as all get out, but it is not an indicator that your room is not clean. We have friends that live in Florida and they say that no matter how often you get your house tented for bugs, you are gonna have them.

I have seen this post so many times regarding Cockroaches, Bed Bugs, Snakes, etc within Disney hotel rooms. Most people seem to think that a cockroach and palmetto bug are completely different, and they are absolutely not, a palmetto bug is a cockroach...All you have to do is search online for Palmetto Bug and you will see numerous posts, hopefully I can post these ones without being blocked:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cockroach
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IG082 (University Of Florida)

I have had a few incidents of Palmetto bugs (1) Two times I have seen them inside the Wilderness Lodge while staying there and those suckers move fast and are hard to get (2) We have also seen them a long long long time ago in the Polynesian Resort (Use to be Polynesian Village I believe). Speaking with local friends and coworkers before they are a real problem once they start to make an area their home. Read more above or do some searches on Palmetto bugs, they are tough to get rid of and live both oustide and indoors. Also, I had a problem with sugar ants inside the Swan one time and had to be movesd to another room. The sugar ants where really nasty and the room was loaded along the wall, desk and inside bed sheet. Had a good conversation with the exterminator about them, but the hotel definitely accomodated me and moved me to another room. Glad I always check things out before deciding to just fall asleep like some folks probably do...

 

[reducereuserecycle]

Bed bugs are drawn to CO2 and heat..sleeping with the light on won't stop them.

 

[starwarsdisney]

My wife and I are thinking of joining the DVC. One of the places you can buy into is AKV, but we will not buy there because of all the problems that we keep hearing about there with bugs of all kinds. Part of it is because of the animals they are limited to what they can use to get rid of these pests. They certainly can't treat the outside of the building with anything harmful to the animals.

 

[TheRatPack]

My husband always enters our rooms when we get there with a small flash light and checks under the mattresses, along the cracks of the headboard...etc without turning on the lights or opening the curtains. We wipe out the drawers with clorox wipes before putting our clothing in them and our shirts are always hung in the closet in our zipper bags. We also leave all of our luggage in our garage when we get home since our washer/dryer are there. I pray we never get bed bugs....that would be horrible.

I heard or read somewhere that they leave a special bite pattern too, like 3 bites in a clump. And that you would see little blood dots on the mattress and pillows, and sometimes even little smooshed bugs that look like little brown/red spots on the mattress/pillows...etc.

The mattresses had just been replaced at POP when we were there last year, but we still checked really well at the other spots before bringing our stuff in. We found that housekeeping misses a lot...LOL We found some change, a pack of diapers.....LOL

 

[reducereuserecycle]

The mattresses had just been replaced at POP when we were there last year

wonder if they were worn out or they had to do this as a way to get rid of bed bugs...not that it matters either way....just a thought

 

[TheRatPack]

They were also repainting a lot of the outside of the resort, pressure spraying the loose paint off...etc so I think it was just time for them to be replaced. I've read somewhere that they replace them pretty regularly. We saw new mattresses begin delivered to a few different buildings while we were there, so again...probably routine.

 

[Lynne M]

wonder if they were worn out or they had to do this as a way to get rid of bed bugs...not that it matters either way....just a thought

Mattresses are replaced on a regular schedule at all resorts.

 

[MommaMouse411]

darn..i always check the mattresses but never thought of checking drawers and walls...ah man..I'm gonna be paranoid now..I stay at Pop in OCtober and Music in December!!! ahh