Disney Bed Bug Problem

[PrinceCharmingsMom]

I totally understand the bedbug fear...upon returning from a trip from Disney 9stayed offsite) I brought them home with me...and we are locals. I ended up with a huge exterminating bill for 3 months. I lost a set of luggage, a couch, a recliner, set of sheets, pillows, huge arm chair, camera bag, king size comforter and not to mention the bites were painful and lasted for a while and both my DS and i had to be treated. It is expensive and not an expected expense when you go to Disney.

Sorry Sammie but Bedbugs are much worse that a chigger. They can even live without feeding on you for a year and then reoccur. So not only do I check my room, but I also take pillows with me that I toss/ leave in the room when we leave. I also take my own sheets and blanket now.

It cost me a fortune and it was a fortune I didn't have and don't want to have to come up with again.

I have reported to the Bed bug registry myself and no there isn't proof on the site but I have receipts and photos to prove what I went through. Bottom line is if people take the time to post on a website about something like that they are probably not lying about it, however you have to take anything you read and interpret it for yourself and do what works for you and your family because if you bring them home it's your dime to get rid of them.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Leave your sprays at home. Disney takes care of the rooms and have their own methods to rid any rooms that have bed bugs.

If you fly, you might bring them in on your luggage since it may be next to other luggage that already has bugs.

But the bigger problem right now at WDW is the biting flies. They are horrible and leave big, red welts that itch like crazy. And the bites last forever.

I wonder if that is what happened to me last May. Does anyone know if there was a problem with biting flies at WDW last May 16-28, 2010? We were staying at BWV the first 5 nights, and I got bit by something and had huge red welts. Woke up with more each morning we were at BWV. When we moved to AKV, no more new ones. It looked terrible, like I had leprosy. My daughter firmly believes there were bedbugs. She was bit also, but hers weren't as bad.
Mine really looked like I had leprosy! It took about 6 months for them to get better. They were really bad.

 

[Sammie]

I wonder if that is what happened to me last May. Does anyone know if there was a problem with biting flies at WDW last May 16-28, 2010? We were staying at BWV the first 5 nights, and I got bit by something and had huge red welts. Woke up with more each morning we were at BWV. When we moved to AKV, no more new ones. It looked terrible, like I had leprosy. My daughter firmly believes there were bedbugs. She was bit also, but hers weren't as bad.
Mine really looked like I had leprosy! It took about 6 months for them to get better. They were really bad.

Yellow flies show up in Florida anytime in May and June so yes it could have been.

 

[WDWlover717]

I didn't just use the bed bug registry, I also googled and found several websites that contain very good information about bed bugs and how to check your rooms for them. I agree with PrinceCharming'sMom, if someone took the time to report an incident involving bed bugs on any website, I wouldn't neccessarily say they are lying about it. There's no proof to their stories, right, but it is known that Disney has, and will probably continue to have, bed bugs.

As far as the spray goes, I don't think it is harmful. It works like Rid Lice Spray works(the kind for bedding, furniture, etc.). It might not actually kill them( yes I understand that), but if it will in some way repel them, I'm still going to use it. Yes it might not work, but just "checking your room" doesn't always work either. You can still have bed bugs, even if you thoroughly check your room. They are not always visible to the eye. I do not want to bring bed bugs home with me, so I'll do whatever I need to do.

We're not flying either because we live in Florida. So, if we end up with bed bugs, it's because it came from the resort, not from a plane.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

I didn't just use the bed bug registry, I also googled and found several websites that contain very good information about bed bugs and how to check your rooms for them. I agree with PrinceCharming'sMom, if someone took the time to report an incident involving bed bugs on any website, I wouldn't neccessarily say they are lying about it. There's no proof to their stories, right, but it is known that Disney has, and will probably continue to have, bed bugs.

As far as the spray goes, I don't think it is harmful. It works like Rid Lice Spray works(the kind for bedding, furniture, etc.). It might not actually kill them( yes I understand that), but if it will in some way repel them, I'm still going to use it. Yes it might not work, but just "checking your room" doesn't always work either. You can still have bed bugs, even if you thoroughly check your room. They are not always visible to the eye. I do not want to bring bed bugs home with me, so I'll do whatever I need to do.

We're not flying either because we live in Florida. So, if we end up with bed bugs, it's because it came from the resort, not from a plane.

Or a movie theater or a clothing store.........bed bugs don't just live in hotels.

 

[MinnieLover616]

First of all 4orm, your comment "Type in your home address too - you'd be surprised how common it is." is RUDE. Really, do you honestly think that some one would PURPOSELY let bed bugs in their house and then report it. Negative ghostrider. Seriously..think before you speak.

Good point. DON'T spray anything that isn't approved by Disney! It is not your home and, to be blunt, you do not have the right to use any sort of chemicals on their property.

And Lily, suppose your daughter or son got lice while at WDW from say...trying on a mouse ears hat, a pillow, or just brought it from home and you didn't catch it until on vacay. Wouldn't you take all precautionary and treatable measures to rid your child of lice? So, in turn you would have to buy the shampoo that is full of chemicals, and the spray you are supposed to spray on the linens and other items.

Stating that, can you tell me what the difference is? Right, THERE ISN'T ONE!!!

The sprays for lice, and for bed bugs are found in the same area of any retail store. In most cases OBVIOUSLY they will do no harm to you or a family memeber...because if they are asking you to spray your linens and wash your childs hair with it then its fine.

And Deb&Bill, if Disney takes such good care of their resorts and cares for bedbugs and the like, then why are people still reporting on it? Its like PrinceCharmingsMom said, "Bottom line is if people take the time to post on a website about something like that they are probably not lying about it, however you have to take anything you read and interpret it for yourself and do what works for you and your family because if you bring them home it's your dime to get rid of them."

So WDWLover717, go about with your wonderful plan to check for bedbugs. If I was in your shoes I'd be doing the same. I guess the rest of you will just have to deal with the little friends in your bed and room.

 

[LilyWDW]

First of all 4orm, your comment "Type in your home address too - you'd be surprised how common it is." is RUDE. Really, do you honestly think that some one would PURPOSELY let bed bugs in their house and then report it. Negative ghostrider. Seriously..think before you speak.



And Lily, suppose your daughter or son got lice while at WDW from say...trying on a mouse ears hat, a pillow, or just brought it from home and you didn't catch it until on vacay. Wouldn't you take all precautionary and treatable measures to rid your child of lice? So, in turn you would have to buy the shampoo that is full of chemicals, and the spray you are supposed to spray on the linens and other items.

Stating that, can you tell me what the difference is? Right, THERE ISN'T ONE!!!

The sprays for lice, and for bed bugs are found in the same area of any retail store. In most cases OBVIOUSLY they will do no harm to you or a family memeber...because if they are asking you to spray your linens and wash your childs hair with it then its fine.

And Deb&Bill, if Disney takes such good care of their resorts and cares for bedbugs and the like, then why are people still reporting on it? Its like PrinceCharmingsMom said, "Bottom line is if people take the time to post on a website about something like that they are probably not lying about it, however you have to take anything you read and interpret it for yourself and do what works for you and your family because if you bring them home it's your dime to get rid of them."

So WDWLover717, go about with your wonderful plan to check for bedbugs. If I was in your shoes I'd be doing the same. I guess the rest of you will just have to deal with the little friends in your bed and room.

Not even sure I should respond since this is posters first post and, wow, what a doozy. However, if my child got lice while I was at Disney, I would let Disney know so THEY can treat the bedding and linens. Also, they suggest that you wear a shower or bathing cap while treating for lice so that it doesn't spread, so the chemicals from the shampoo would NOT get on anything either... plus, I would have told Disney so they could deal with it.

That answer wasn't hard.

As for the site, you have to take EVERYTHING you read on the internet with a grain of salt. Those reports give NO PROOF. Without that proof, you are only reading a one sided version of "he said, she said". The hotel has no way to defend themselves or respond to the accusations. That, to me, is a warning sign.

And you CAN NOT pretreat for bed bugs. Nothing you buy in the store will do it. It is a waste of time and money... for both you and now Disney because they will have to wash the chemicals out of the linens. You can get bed buys at the movies, at a clothing store, at your office, in an airplane... really anywhere that the public goes. Don't believe me? Look up news articles (not random web sites, but news articles). So, just because you ended up with bed bugs at home doesn't mean you got them at the hotel... unless you actually have photos and documentation that proves their existence there.

And the comment wasn't rude, it was trying to explain that it IS common and NOT just at hotels.

(Note: In no way am I saying PrinceCharmingsMom did not have bed bugs and did not bring them from the resort they stayed at. My post in made in response to the poster quoted and the general situation. I didn't want PrinceCharmingsMom to think I was directing any of this at them.)

 

[dzorn]

First of all 4orm, your comment "Type in your home address too - you'd be surprised how common it is." is RUDE. Really, do you honestly think that some one would PURPOSELY let bed bugs in their house and then report it. Negative ghostrider. Seriously..think before you speak.



And Lily, suppose your daughter or son got lice while at WDW from say...trying on a mouse ears hat, a pillow, or just brought it from home and you didn't catch it until on vacay. Wouldn't you take all precautionary and treatable measures to rid your child of lice? So, in turn you would have to buy the shampoo that is full of chemicals, and the spray you are supposed to spray on the linens and other items.

Stating that, can you tell me what the difference is? Right, THERE ISN'T ONE!!!

The sprays for lice, and for bed bugs are found in the same area of any retail store. In most cases OBVIOUSLY they will do no harm to you or a family memeber...because if they are asking you to spray your linens and wash your childs hair with it then its fine.

And Deb&Bill, if Disney takes such good care of their resorts and cares for bedbugs and the like, then why are people still reporting on it? Its like PrinceCharmingsMom said, "Bottom line is if people take the time to post on a website about something like that they are probably not lying about it, however you have to take anything you read and interpret it for yourself and do what works for you and your family because if you bring them home it's your dime to get rid of them."

So WDWLover717, go about with your wonderful plan to check for bedbugs. If I was in your shoes I'd be doing the same. I guess the rest of you will just have to deal with the little friends in your bed and room.

NOo many people have problems with sprays and chemicals. If it not your property you have no right to treat it with chemicals. It is used to treat lice at that point the benefits outway the risk for some. Others will try different treatments before putting pesticides on their bodies. Spray you family all you like but do not put chemicals places that can cause health problems for others.

The bed bug registry is not proof of bed bugs. People make mistakes either with identifying the bugs or where they got them. So many think it must be the hotel. It could have been any store you stopped at, restaurant you ate at, the plane and on and on.

There is no spray that will repel bed bugs. Using chemical treatment on property that is not yours is irresponsible. You many not care about the health consequences but who knows if the next occupant is allergic or chemical sensitive.

Denise in MI

 

[Deb & Bill]

...And Deb&Bill, if Disney takes such good care of their resorts and cares for bedbugs and the like, then why are people still reporting on it? Its like PrinceCharmingsMom said, "Bottom line is if people take the time to post on a website about something like that they are probably not lying about it, however you have to take anything you read and interpret it for yourself and do what works for you and your family because if you bring them home it's your dime to get rid of them."....

Do you realize how many hotel rooms Disney has? Do you realize how many guests they have arrive every day? Do you realize how many of those guests may have flown into Orlando? Bed bugs don't just show up on their own. They are transported to a location by someone who has them in their stuff.

The reports from Disney are very limited. There was one for "Saratoga Springs" and it was determined it was not Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, but another timeshare with a similar name. Disney has a special crew that takes care of any reports of bed bugs immediately. Heat is the most effective way of treating bed bugs at this time, not sprays that you find at a grocery store.

If a guest finds bed bugs in their room, they need to report it immediately to the hotel and ask to be placed in a different room. Disney will take care of it. Otherwise, they lose their reputation for taking care of their guests.

 

[NonScents]

Bed bugs can be anywhere, so I always check any room.

Before bringing ANY item in the room from my car (even my purse), I check both beds. I bring a flashlight, masking tape and ziploc bag for this purpose. (In case a "specimen" is needed to bring to the front desk.) This also gives me a chance to inspect the room for any other "deal breaker"; broken furniture, toilet leak, etc.

Then I forget about it and have a fabulous time at WDW!

 

[Princesca]

I've done quite a bit of research into bedbugs, and while there isn't a preventative, per se, you can use something called food-grade diatomaceous earth to kill them. It's basically busted up tiny little sea urchin thingies, and when insects (of most any type) walk through it, it literally cuts them to pieces like tiny shards of glass. That, however, is rather excessive if you don't have evidence of infestation.

Like other people said, the best thing you can do is check for signs. BUT... don't just check the bed. Also check paintings that hang above the bed, drawers in the nightstands, and anywhere someone would be likely to set their luggage down. Don't only check the bed. The little buggers like any dark nook and cranny near their food source (i.e. YOU) including upholstered chairs. It's a good practice to carry a penlight on your keychain (I've even needed mine in power outage situations when I was out and about) and use that to inspect all the likely areas.

Also don't just look for the bugs. Look for the husks, where they've shed their carapace, tiny black flecks (feces) and red flecks (blood). Gross, I know, and my DH laughs at me every time I check, but an ounce of prevention is worth a TON of cure.

 

[Boo Bear]

My DH used to work in hotels, and he taught me this trick. Leave all of your bags in the hallway, and enter the room, pull the blankets and sheets off the corner of the bed furthest from the windows ( or light source ), take a maxi pad, and unwrap it, stick the sticky side of the pad to the corner of the bed. If the sticky part of the pad is dirty ( little black or red specks) there are bugs in the bed. Take the pad down to the manager of the hotel and ask for a new room. Very few managers are going to deny you a request when you are waiving a maxi pad around the lobby! LOL!

Priceless

 

[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Many hotels chains (including Disney) use specially trained dogs to sniff out the bed bugs. It is an ongoing battle.

 

[Minnie72200]

A while ago I read a news article about bedbug sniffing dogs. There is evidence that some of those allegedly trained dogs out there are reporting false positives for bedbugs. The actual effectiveness of those dogs is not completely clear.

nytimes.com/2010/11/12/nyregion/12bedbugs.html

While I appreciate a place like Disney being proactive and using the dogs to try and keep infestations under control, for personal use, a bedbug sniffing dog could end up costing you a lot of extra money to treat your own home based on a false positive, especially if there is no other evidence of bedbugs.

Additionally, I've heard that the closet is somewhere you should look for evidence of bedbugs.

 

[GenieCat]

These critters have been with us for a very long time. Along with being a Disney geek, I'm also somewhat of a history nerd. Here is one way folks from 1762 dealt with the same issue. It might be worth a try if you cannot afford an exterminator!

Seriously folks, don't try this at home:
Bedbug treatment in early America

 

[goofy4tink]

First of all 4orm, your comment "Type in your home address too - you'd be surprised how common it is." is RUDE. Really, do you honestly think that some one would PURPOSELY let bed bugs in their house and then report it. Negative ghostrider. Seriously..think before you speak.



And Lily, suppose your daughter or son got lice while at WDW from say...trying on a mouse ears hat, a pillow, or just brought it from home and you didn't catch it until on vacay. Wouldn't you take all precautionary and treatable measures to rid your child of lice? So, in turn you would have to buy the shampoo that is full of chemicals, and the spray you are supposed to spray on the linens and other items.

Stating that, can you tell me what the difference is? Right, THERE ISN'T ONE!!!

The sprays for lice, and for bed bugs are found in the same area of any retail store. In most cases OBVIOUSLY they will do no harm to you or a family memeber...because if they are asking you to spray your linens and wash your childs hair with it then its fine.

And Deb&Bill, if Disney takes such good care of their resorts and cares for bedbugs and the like, then why are people still reporting on it? Its like PrinceCharmingsMom said, "Bottom line is if people take the time to post on a website about something like that they are probably not lying about it, however you have to take anything you read and interpret it for yourself and do what works for you and your family because if you bring them home it's your dime to get rid of them."

So WDWLover717, go about with your wonderful plan to check for bedbugs. If I was in your shoes I'd be doing the same. I guess the rest of you will just have to deal with the little friends in your bed and room.

Seriously??? Have you dealt with bedbugs before? I have...and it's not a pretty sight. There is no easy way to eradicate them. There is a reason they are so common now. The US has outlawed the use of the chemicals that kill bedbugs. So now we have to make do with lesser solutions. And the bedbugs are winning the war. They are in movie theaters, clothing stores, airline seats....everywhere human beings go.

Lice??? Bedbugs??? Huge difference. If I'm at home, then I know what I can use and what I can't use. I know who is in my home and how they will react to a chemical. If I'm at WDW, and am trying to do away with bedbugs, then anything that is sprayed around could very negatively impact a number of people..those in surrounding rooms as well as future occupants of that specific room. Why in God's name would anyone do such a thing when there is no product out there, for the consumer, that is going to work on bedbugs???
You must call an exterminator, who will come in, empty the room (all bedding will be destroyed as well as wood furniture in many cases), rugs replaced. Then it will be sprayed with the harshest chemicals they can use (but still often not strong enough). There is no way a guest can do this themselves. There is nothing you can do that will make one iota of difference.

My dd had several bedbug incidents at her camp. They thought they had dealt with the problem several months prior, but sad to say, that wasn't the case. My dd's room-mate was severely bitten by bedbugs. Thank God my dd was in the bunk above her....she got bitten but not to the extent her friend did. The staff had to take every single piece of washable material and wash and dry it several times. They moved the kids to a different bunkhouse..made it crowded but at least there were no bugs there. All the furniture was tossed..it was wooden and they felt it had been infested. Huge bonfire that night!! Those poor kids had to stay in the dining hall while the staff washed a change of clothes for them (undies and pj's). Then, they spent the entire night washing everything else....good thing my dd brings a fleece sleeping bag with her. Much easier to wash and dry. Even her poor stuffed Corduroy Bear got sent through the wash...in a pillowcase but the wash none the less. It was remedied but it took a lot of effort. When she got home, we took her clothes, a load at a time, and washed and dried it all over again, even if it was still clean. Her duffle bags were put into huge trash bags and stored in the trunk of our car for two weeks. Never had an issue.

But, truly, there is no easy way to deal with them. And since air travel has become so commonplace, bedbugs are seen more and more. You don't even need to get them in a hote room....they can get onto your luggage while on the plane, in the luggage hold. Disney does a very good job at keeping these critters under control. They do not knowingly put anyone in a bug infested room. Of course, many people 'think' they have bedbugs because they get bites while at WDW. But, it just isn't usually bedbugs. I'm not saying there aren't bedbugs at WDW resorts...there are...but it certainly isn't anything I'm concerned about. It just isn't that prevelant.

 

[1craftymama]

How do you check for bed bugs on a sleeper sofa? Our room has a twin sleeper sofa and I may put one of my kids on there for sleeping...wanna be sure what to look for.

 

[Princesca]

How do you check for bed bugs on a sleeper sofa? Our room has a twin sleeper sofa and I may put one of my kids on there for sleeping...wanna be sure what to look for.

It's pretty much the same thing you look for on a regular bed. When not feeding (which is most of the time), bedbugs like to hide in dark nooks and crannies. So take a flashlight and check the seams of the mattress, the corners of the frame of the sofa, furniture surrounding the sofa, the wall behind the sofa, etc. If you want to know what signs to look for, do a Google image search on "bedbug evidence".

 

[Jessica527]

Itchy all over!

 

[skater]

A good friend of mine recently stayed in a Richmond hotel and was severely bitten by bedbugs. She didn't discover them until her 2nd night . She got up at 3 a.m. and discovered three of them on her pajamas! She took a lot of precautions and it seems like she didn't bring any home, but it was a horrible experience and her arms still bear the marks of the bites - weeks later.