Boardwalk Bed Bugs!

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by jekjones1558
What does a bed bug look like? How big? What color? Where do they lurk?

Here is an actual bed bug below from Pam's article..........

 

[KNWVIKING]

I just make DW roll around on the sheets for awhile then make her sleep on the pullout sofa.

 

[Sammie]

This can happen anywhere including your own home. They are a pest but not life threatening.

As to avoiding this particular room I am sorry, but to me that is being unreasonable. For one thing it is the only room that has been treated, and basically the only one I would consider not likely to have a repeat of bugs anytime soon.

Any room at any time at any hotel can have this problem. Unless you are not going to stay anywhere you might as well stay in this room. You could avoid the treated room only to take one far away from it that has a problem that has "not" been reported.

I am glad that the OP let them know so they can deal with it before it gets worse.

 

[nntucket]

We are planning a trip to BWV on Sunday, so being concerned, I called the BWV Manager to ask him about this situation. He was very nice and told me that Disney is very careful about any pest infestation in the rooms. He said that Florida is, itself, a very "buggy" place, but that they do everything they can to keep the rooms free of pests. He said that there is not a "bed bug" problem at BWV or any other Disney hotel, and that any complaints by guests are immediately investigated. He was very reassuring, and I was, in fact, reassured by what he said. My conclusion was that problems like this can occur even at Disney, but that Disney will not ignore a problem like this. I E-mailed the link to this thread and the thread on the Resorts board to his office and received a reply that they were reviewing the information.

 

[twinmomplus2new]

I tried to stay out of this really I did, But after tossing and turning all night with the heebie jeebies, I just had to respond, (of course in all fairness I in addition in reading this thread yesterday I watched Oprah and it was on similar topics)
Do you all remember a few months back when people posted what cleaning they do when they check in? People poked fun at those of us that are a little neurotic...
That being put out there I always wash the sheets, Blankets, and mattress pads in hot water when we check in. Of course DVc and having the laundry makes this so much easier to do.
The spreads always get folded and put in the corner for the duration of the trip.Sure it takes a litle effort and I am on vacation, But It balances out in my comfort level for the rest of the trip. I am not relaxing if I am grossed out by the kids rolling themselves up in a blanket that may or may not be clean. It simply Is not worth the hassle. It is easier to eliminate the unknown, it is not like you are scrubbing it on a board in the creek just throw it in the wash.
I do not wash the bedding when I move to AKL for the weekends. The spreads are removed, and I ask for another sheet if the blanket is not already between two sheets.
As far as bringing them home in your suitcases. I never unpack Everything stays in the pullmans which are set up on the luggage racks, we take what we need and I rezip the bag. Toiletires and things of that nature are in ziplocs. Not because I am afraid of somthing getting in, But rather it is easier to travel with a bunch of kids If everything is kept together. Lots of people use these rooms and lets face it things of this nature are bound to come up just be aware and minimize your risk of having a problem.

 

[lenshanem]

I think this is particularly creepy to me as we just had termites. When I read these bed bugs can get in under the wallpaper I about freaked! really don't want those little suckers tagging along back home!

My daughter's Kindergarten class had lice at the start of the school year. Thank goodness she didn't get it, but I became so freaked out about it that every day I make her wear her long hair pulled back in a ponytail and I spray it down with hairspray cause I was told lice don't like it. I do this everyday she goes to school.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Originally posted by twinmomplus2new
That being put out there I always wash the sheets, Blankets, and mattress pads in hot water when we check in.
....I never unpack Everything stays in the pullmans which are set up on the luggage racks, we take what we need and I rezip the bag.

According to what I've read, bedbugs don't stay in the sheets during the day. They hide under the mattress, under the bedposts, between baseboards and walls, etc. They are flat so can squeeze into unexpected places. So washing sheets would not help with this problem.

They travel in suitcase linings -- crawl in at night. So zip locking clothes may help a little but would not be 100% reliable.


AS far as detection goes, from what I've read they have a distinctive smell which is pretty obvious. So sniff around when you get in your room.

 

[3DisneyNUTS]

Originally posted by jekjones1558
What does a bed bug look like? How big? What color? Where do they lurk?

I saw the dateline also they are about the size of ticks BLECH!!!! UGH I am sick now UGH!

 

[lenshanem]

They don't attach themselves like ticks though, correct? Do they leave bite marks? Does it itch afterwords or hurt while hey are biting I wonder?

I found a tick on my stomach last summer while staying in a cabin for a family reunion. I about had a FIT!!!

 

[barb45]

They don't attach themselves like tics. When it happened to my brother and sister-in-law they were covered with bites. He actually felt the first bite on his arm but didn't pay too much attention. They weren't really thinking about bed bugs. Then they went to sleep and woke up with an itchy rash all over their backs, stomachs and chests. She said they looked like measels. She said it was a nightmare!

 

[crisi]

Apparently, it doesn't hurt while they are biting, and will only itch if you are allergic (a lot of people are, but some aren't and won't even know that there are bedbugs unless they notice the spots of blood on the sheets. No, they don't attach.

 

[Terry S]

Shan, actually, the article I read said that when they bite, they release some type of numbing agent so that you don't realize you are being bitten. (Isn't that nice of them)

 

[Ms. WDW]

Great.....bugs!!! I am NOT mentioning this to DH or DS!!! This is really creepy and really hope BWV takes this seriously enough to do something.

I may just re-think how I'll do things this summer. I usually unpack everything and put them in the drawers. I may just keep everything in plastic bags and in the suitecase zipped up!

As for the bedding, well, let's just hope that the BWV does the right thing and those nasty little blood suckers are eliminated!!!!

Gosh I just feel creepy now!!!

 

[twinmomplus2new]

Washing the sheets originally wasn't to prevent bedbugs.. I twas because well DVC may be like a family but I have relatives that I wouldn't share bedding with. And seeing as my kids tend to roll themselves up in linens like a hotdog. It makes me feel better.

As for that not getting rid of the little buggers, I know I read the good housekeeping article as well.Did anyone read the old Method of keeping them off the bed. I wont post it as it is flamable and I would think Suicide , But It was pretty interesting, It involved sitting the legs of the bed in a particular compound.

I have great faith this will be taken care of, Disney is after all is a bussiness and this would greatly impact the bottem line for them. If in fact it was them. It is spring... Could it have been fire ants? It was last year right around this time, That pest control indicated the Feral ones were starting to surface. You may not have noticed if you were sleeping and they were the little ones.

As for me let me keep my illusions that washing the sheets will save me.