Bed Bugs!!

[wcw57]

Bed bugs like to hide in seams, cracks, folds, etc....they are HARD to detect with a visual "once over", thus the sniffers.
Thus I am surprised when so many people come across them casually.
I like the word "thus"

 

[wcw57]

addendum-- they range between 1/10th to less than 1/4 of an inch.

 

[Mome Rath]

People don't like to think about it, but you are just as likely to get them from someone else's luggage, so when you travel anywhere and everywhere there are some simple things to do;

1) When packing, get giant Ziplocs and pack everything in them inside your suitcase. This does several things (including keeping your stuff dry if it should rain on your luggage at the airport); it can help prevent bugs getting into your clothes, esp. if you leave your stuff ziploced when you stay there, and you can easily take all of your belongings out of the suitcase still in the ziplocks when you get home.
2) In your room take all of your stuff to the bathroom and if the shower is dry put it in the shower until you check the room. Also, never put any of your suitcases or purses on the beds.
3) You can see the bugs, or their traces if they've been there any length of time. You need a bright light to shine on; the sheets, the mattress itself, the side tables, the headboard, the drawers. Look for the bugs, their casings, and any blood spots. (BTW, this is one reason Disney has made all the beds all white, as bed bugs don't like white, and if they are there, they are easier to see.)
4) Don't ignore bug bites (some times they appear right away, sometimes it takes awhile); they bite in a pattern of 3.
5) Put all of your stuff back in the ziplocks, and when you get home, take all your clothes and put them in the DRYER, not the washer. Water doesn't kill them, heat does. Crank up the dryer and let it run over an hour and bake your clothes, then wash them. Don't bring in your suitcases until you've inspected them thoroughly, or have baked them in a car's trunk on a hot summer's day. lol

This sounds like a lot, it's not, it really doesn't take up much time, it's just a routine to learn and do. Make sure you check both beds, not just one.

 

[SLim501]

You can pick up bed bugs anywhere. I have a friend that got them from a rental car.

 

[wcw57]

People don't like to think about it, but you are just as likely to get them from someone else's luggage, so when you travel anywhere and everywhere there are some simple things to do;

1) When packing, get giant Ziplocs and pack everything in them inside your suitcase. This does several things (including keeping your stuff dry if it should rain on your luggage at the airport); it can help prevent bugs getting into your clothes, esp. if you leave your stuff ziploced when you stay there, and you can easily take all of your belongings out of the suitcase still in the ziplocks when you get home.
2) In your room take all of your stuff to the bathroom and if the shower is dry put it in the shower until you check the room. Also, never put any of your suitcases or purses on the beds.
3) You can see the bugs, or their traces if they've been there any length of time. You need a bright light to shine on; the sheets, the mattress itself, the side tables, the headboard, the drawers. Look for the bugs, their casings, and any blood spots. (BTW, this is one reason Disney has made all the beds all white, as bed bugs don't like white, and if they are there, they are easier to see.)
4) Don't ignore bug bites (some times they appear right away, sometimes it takes awhile); they bite in a pattern of 3.
5) Put all of your stuff back in the ziplocks, and when you get home, take all your clothes and put them in the DRYER, not the washer. Water doesn't kill them, heat does. Crank up the dryer and let it run over an hour and bake your clothes, then wash them. Don't bring in your suitcases until you've inspected them thoroughly, or have baked them in a car's trunk on a hot summer's day. lol

This sounds like a lot, it's not, it really doesn't take up much time, it's just a routine to learn and do. Make sure you check both beds, not just one.

and you will have to pack your suitcase in a REALLY giant ziploc, as well, cause those buggers can hide in there as well as anyplace.

The whole bedbug thing is overblown. It DOES exist but the odds of being exposed are small.

Relax and enjoy.

 

[Mome Rath]

As I mentioned, you do have to deal with your suitcase as well. You don't have to pack it in a ziploc, just don't take it inside your dwelling. During summer, you can check how hot it gets in your car, and roast your stuff inside the trunk. The bedbug thing isn't overblown, they are spreading and becoming worse in large parts of the country. The more you travel, the more hotels you stay in, the more times your luggage comes in contact with other people's stuff the more likely it is for you to pick up the little buggers. Here in the US we aren't used to systematically checking for things like bed bugs, it's not the end of the world that they are spreading, but with just a bit of effort you can really minimize the chances you'll get your house infested.

Disney is at the top of the heap when it comes to dealing with bed bugs, they are really good at it, and getting better.

 

[capegirl]

Whenever I come across a thread like this I really don't want to click on it, but It's better to be informed. Like some of you, I check bedding and do the Lysol patrol, but I'm afraid I will have to improve my bug detection skills.
We have a trip planned for February; I will have to prepare the family for bug war.

 

[kandb]

My wife was just talking to a co-worker who said she was cleaning her daughters room and found a bed bug. She called the exterminator to ask what to do now and during the discussion she said she had no idea where it could've come from. The exterminator told her it could take up to 90 days for them to manifest themselves and when she did the math it tied into the time they visited WDW in April. She called Disney and told them what she found and where they stayed, POFQ. They said they would have somebody call her back. Well it went a few days and she sort of gave up when she got a call. The person confirmed that they found bed bugs in the room number she gave and then told her that they will pay all costs to remedy the situation at her house and this may end up being in the thousand of dollars. It will be interesting to see how this all is fully resolved but WDW is certainly extending itself to make this guest whole.

I am a health inspector and know a lot about bed bugs. What I find strange about this is that for 3 months nobody else complained about bed bugs in that room if it had an infestation??? Bed bugs come out at night looking for a blood meal (a human) and even if it was in the early stages of infestation, I am surprised nobody who was in that room for over 3 months got bed bug bites. Also, I am sure Disney has a great pest control program that is constantly checking for bed bugs (they usually have monitoring boards to make sure there is no infestation), so the whole 3 months without any other complaints from other guests in that room seems strange.

 

[kandb]

For all the people that are checking the beds. They do not always live in the mattresses. We have seen bed bugs living in nightstands, curtains, picture frames etc. A lot of hotels have their mattresses wrapped in a special plastic wrap, so bed bugs cannot live in the mattress.

 

[Mamabun]

I am a health inspector and know a lot about bed bugs. What I find strange about this is that for 3 months nobody else complained about bed bugs in that room if it had an infestation??? Bed bugs come out at night looking for a blood meal (a human) and even if it was in the early stages of infestation, I am surprised nobody who was in that room for over 3 months got bed bug bites. Also, I am sure Disney has a great pest control program that is constantly checking for bed bugs (they usually have monitoring boards to make sure there is no infestation), so the whole 3 months without any other complaints from other guests in that room seems strange.

I don’t think we know when they caught it. They may have caught it the very next guest, but didn’t realize when the bugs arrived so didn’t proactively contact past guests. They could have easily called the OP to say yes we did find bugs in your room (3 months ago). I don’t think we know, but I too find it unlikely that 3 months worth of guests stayed there without a complaint, so I’m guessing they caught it well before the OP called to inform Disney.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I am a health inspector and know a lot about bed bugs. What I find strange about this is that for 3 months nobody else complained about bed bugs in that room if it had an infestation??? Bed bugs come out at night looking for a blood meal (a human) and even if it was in the early stages of infestation, I am surprised nobody who was in that room for over 3 months got bed bug bites. Also, I am sure Disney has a great pest control program that is constantly checking for bed bugs (they usually have monitoring boards to make sure there is no infestation), so the whole 3 months without any other complaints from other guests in that room seems strange.

Its not unusual. Had I not seen the bug, had i not shown them the picture i took, who knows when Disney wouldve caught the pests. Who knows how many people before me were exposed to it. And no, i dont think disney has a pest control program that checks for bugs constantly. If they did, i wouldnt have been in the situation i was. Can you imagine the leg work involved in checking EVERY SINGLE ROOM after someone checks out?? I cant.

 

[kandb]

Its not unusual. Had I not seen the bug, had i not shown them the picture i took, who knows when Disney wouldve caught the pests. Who knows how many people before me were exposed to it. And no, i dont think disney has a pest control program that checks for bugs constantly. If they did, i wouldnt have been in the situation i was. Can you imagine the leg work involved in checking EVERY SINGLE ROOM after someone checks out?? I cant.

If there were enough bugs in the room for the OP to take some home with them, I find it hard to believe that there wasn't many more in the room and if there was, the possibility that nobody had an allergic reaction to their bites would be slim. It's possible as others said that they were discovered shortly after the OP checked out of the room when they were discovered. Yes, it's interesting about the pest control issue. The last thing that Disney wants is people saying their hotel rooms have bed bugs in them. Perhaps the housekeeping supervisor is trained on how to detect bed bugs and if they see any then they contact a pest control operator. I just doubt nothing is in place to try control an outbreak.

 

[goofyintoronto]

If there were enough bugs in the room for the OP to take some home with them, I find it hard to believe that there wasn't many more in the room and if there was, the possibility that nobody had an allergic reaction to their bites would be slim. It's possible as others said that they were discovered shortly after the OP checked out of the room when they were discovered. Yes, it's interesting about the pest control issue. The last thing that Disney wants is people saying their hotel rooms have bed bugs in them. Perhaps the housekeeping supervisor is trained on how to detect bed bugs and if they see any then they contact a pest control operator. I just doubt nothing is in place to try control an outbreak.

I have no doubt that there werent more in the room. Im not arguing about that. As for for housekeeping, my initial complaint to them was about how they should be trained to detect such things. They replied by saying its difficult to detect if you only have a couple of bugs. If you have a full blown infestation, its easier to spot. Who knows. Either way, the only way to truly detect it is with the sniffer dogs they have. And like I said, I doubt they're sniffing out every single room after guests check out. Would be nice! But I doubt it.

 

[wcw57]

I am a health inspector and know a lot about bed bugs. What I find strange about this is that for 3 months nobody else complained about bed bugs in that room if it had an infestation??? Bed bugs come out at night looking for a blood meal (a human) and even if it was in the early stages of infestation, I am surprised nobody who was in that room for over 3 months got bed bug bites. Also, I am sure Disney has a great pest control program that is constantly checking for bed bugs (they usually have monitoring boards to make sure there is no infestation), so the whole 3 months without any other complaints from other guests in that room seems strange.

CLEARLY correct.....

Friend of ours works/manages a LARGE pest control company here on LI...where there is a diverse cross-section of cultural highs and lows. They do very little bed bug work....VERY little

 

[nkereina]

Odd that WDW would take responsibility...
THIS IS NOT meant to be an incrimination of the OP:

There are way too many variables here.

People could've brought them TO WDW in that same 90 day period...ANYBODY after the OP was there...
.
Why would WDW tell ANYONE they have bed bugs in their rooms? As previously posted: what about the planes, public transportation, blah blah blah...

Just doesn't make any business sense to me.....and here it is on the web for EVERYONE to see...

My thoughts too. The OP's friend could have picked up bed bugs from anywhere at any time, so for WDW to admit liability is surprising to me. Usually its near impossible to identify the source, and hotels will emphasize that to get out of paying for anything. Especially when they complainant can't prove there were bed bugs in the room.

 

[wcw57]

another unsolved mystery....where's Robert Stack when you need him, dammit?

 

[cinnaminny]

Not that I want to raise anyone's level of fear over bed bugs, but you can thoroughly check a hotel room and still end up coming home with them if you fly. On a plane, chances are high that your luggage will come into contact with other people's luggage. That is another source of these unwanted critters. In that scenario, you might actually be bringing the bugs into the hotel room.

True! I was planning a trip to NYC earlier this week but stopped planning after reading about all the bedbugs...and how you can get them from cabs, planes and subways.

 

[Dug720]

True! I was planning a trip to NYC earlier this week but stopped planning after reading about all the bedbugs...and how you can get them from cabs, planes and subways.

Subways would be very difficult as they are lit, always busy, and none of them have padded seats.

Are there bedbugs in NYC? Yes. There are pretty much everywhere. But there have been no outbreak reports up here for several years (since the Abercrombie and Itch headlines).

If you're going to stress about them that much, honestly? Vacationing in general may not be for you. Because they can be anywhere.

 

[Princess Katelet]

Waaaaait a minute...you can ask Disney to have the dogs sniff out your room before you get it? Seriously, they'll do this?? Is there a charge?

 

[dansdad]

Waaaaait a minute...you can ask Disney to have the dogs sniff out your room before you get it? Seriously, they'll do this?? Is there a charge?

Yes, yes and no.