Any reports of Bedbugs?

[sillysassy]

With all the current reports of bedbug infestations being widespread accross the country, has anyone encountered them in the on-sites or has heard about anyone who has or them being in the rooms? Just the thought of them literally makes me nausous. We are thinking ahead to next year , and I am already worried about it.

 

[damo]

There was one report of it at Portofino on Trip Advisor. No sense worrying about it. You could just as easily pick them up when you purchase new clothing, go to a movie or many other places. Just check the room when you get there and if you see any signs, ask for a room change.

 

[bookgirl2632]

We just back from HRH and we saw no signs of bedbugs. I wasn't overly concerned, but I did check the beds when we got there and throughout the trip. None to be seen, thank goodness.

 

[ducky_love]

There was one report of it at Portofino on Trip Advisor. No sense worrying about it. You could just as easily pick them up when you purchase new clothing, go to a movie or many other places. Just check the room when you get there and if you see any signs, ask for a room change.

Please take Trip Advisor with a grain of salt. Just because a bug is near the bed doesn't make it a "bed bug". When I worked in hotels I can't tell you how many times a guest would call and demand a manager go to the room because of bed bugs. What we would find was maybe an ant near the bed. True bed bugs you almost never see.

I haven't read this review on Trip Advisor but the above is just good to keep in mind. Plus nice hotels train their housekeeping staff to keep an eye out for the signs of bed bugs. If they are found the entire room is pulled apart by professionals until they are gone. The hotel will also inspect all rooms around that original room. Normally hotel staff finds them before guests would ever notice. At my property we did quarterly proactive inspections to look for them.

Remember - bed bug normally get into a hotel because guests brought them! This isn't a new problem. Just now the media has gotten hold of it. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Magpie]

For your own peace of mind, make sure you look up how to spot bed bugs and what to do if you're exposed to them!

I used to be freaked out at the idea, too, especially after hearing some horror stories on the news. But after doing some research, I've learned that they're actually something we can deal with, if we ever pick them up. And hey, on the plus side, they don't spread any kind of disease at all! They're just incredibly annoying.

1. Peel back the fitted sheet and check in the seams of the bed before you sleep in it. You'll see either bugs or little spots. I've been doing this for years and honestly, all I've ever seen is a clean seam.

2. Put your suitcase up on the suitcase rack, and leave your clothes inside. Bedbugs won't crawl up the legs of the rack to infest your clothes.

3. Keep your clothes and belongings off the carpeted floor and bed. Don't let them pile up - keep your belongings tidy.

4. If you ARE exposed, then seal your bags (and all belongings) in plastic and inspect everything carefully before you bring it into your house. Launder everything you can in very hot water. Steam clean the rest.

You don't have to throw your belongings away, especially not if you're Canadian. A few days out on the back porch (or in an unheated shed) in sub-zero temperatures will kill them all. (Me, I think I'd go for a couple weeks, but YMMV.)

The two things that kill bedbugs are heat and cold.

Be prepared!

http://green.yahoo.com/blog/care2/77/10-tips-to-avoid-bedbugs.html

 

[spewey]

I unfortunately have way too much experience with bed bugs. I work in supportive housing in Toronto, where there have been serious infestations starting as far back as 2003. In that we are far ahead of the curve, which is nothing to be proud of. I have personally cleaned and help treat hundreds of rooms, some so overrun it was hard to believe. Dozens of my colleagues have brought them home. As such we've got a pretty good handle on what works and what doesn't.

We too were advised that cold kills these critters - but then a downtown shelter tried this by putting all their bedding in a walk-in freezer for three days. When they thawed, the bugs just started moving around again. Yikes.

Steam cleaning and hot water will do the trick, but you can skip that if what you're trying to rid bugs of can be put through a dryer at the hottest setting for an hour or so. That will kill 'em all.

But this is all stop-gap until either PCO's develop a gel-type poison aimed specifically at bed bugs, or DDT is brought back.

Of course, re-legalizing DDT will also save millions of lives in Africa, which may be a tad more important than ridding a hotel of bed bugs ...