Massive Fear about Bed Bugs

[maxiesmom]

I do a bed bug search now as well. What do people do if you use magical express and your bags are dropped of when you aren't there, just hope the search is negative?

You could pack everything inside sealed plastic bags. That will at least keep your clothes and things totally free from bugs, if not the luggage. Or use hard luggage.

 

[IrishNYC]

I do a bed bug search now as well. What do people do if you use magical express and your bags are dropped of when you aren't there, just hope the search is negative?

They just put the bags right inside your room on the floor, not on the bed. Bedbugs wouldn't be out in the open on the carpet.

 

[disnut8]

I'm just going to post this for a laugh but I don't think bed bugs are in someone else's luggage and/or clothes saying "we are going to Disney World!". Humor for the thread, sorry.

 

[soniam]

I would suggest the following:
1) Check the room. There have been good instructions on how to do that in this thread.
2) Don't set anything clothing, fabric, bags, or suitcases on the beds. Don't use the drawers.
3) When you pack, put all of your clothes in a black garbage bag inside of the suitcase and retie it after you open it every time. Bring extra ties. Keep the bag in your suitcase.
4) Bring extra garbage bags for your dirty clothes to keep them separate from your clean clothes and tie them up too. Keep the bag of dirty clothes on the floor or on a top of furniture.
5) When you get home, take the bags of clean and dirty clothes and set them in the sun outside, like on your back porch or on the driveway. Depending upon where you live and how warm/sunny it gets, you might need to leave them out there for a while. You could also leave them in a the garbage bags in a car parked in the sun. That may help if it's cooler outside. I know someone who got rid of a nasty infestation doing exactly this. Also, set your suitcases out in the sun, in case there are any bugs on the.

The garbage bags will help keep your clean clothes from getting exposed to the bugs and keep your suitcases bug free, at least on the inside. The bag for your dirty clothes will help isolate them from you clean clothes. I suspect worn clothing is more likely to get bugs, since it may have come in contact with the bed. The bags will also keep the bugs trapped in the bags, instead of getting them in your home. The black color allows the heat to be intensified, which will help to kill the bugs.

EDIT: By the way, normal washing or the dryer won't usually kill bed bugs. They need extreme heat. That's why I suggest not even bringing the bags or suitcases into your house; just immediately setting them out in the sun.

 

[IrishNYC]

As @soniam said, if you suspect infestation, black garbage bags and sun are key, even for your suitcases. Putting them in the sun makes the interior of the bags hot enough to kill the bed bugs. The dryer isn't hot enough.

 

[Govols1997]

We encountered bed bugs at Disney. But it's so rare. I'm posting this to tell you disney was amazing at treating and taking care of us. Check your room nightly. You'll do fine. And follow procedures when you come home. Now that I've learned all about them, nothing from any sort of trip ever comes into our house without trips to the drier or days in hot bags.

 

[Disneylover99]

Love the black garbage bag tips.

 

[L&Lfan]

The only hotel where I've experienced bed bugs that I'm aware of was in Atlantic City, NJ.

 

[Apopper74]

Google bed bug detection kit. There are numerous Tavel kits to provide early detection.

 

[jcjen519]

We usually do a search but sometimes forget. It can be a problem anywhere as I'm sure you know. If you are used to travel just think of it as any other trip. No reason to think Disney is more likely to have bed bugs. I've seen what I suspected was a dog being used for bed bugs at the Polynesian before. Hopefully that means they are on top of it.

Anxiety is awful, sorry this is bothering you. If it helps we've been to Disney several times a year for more than 35 years and never seen a bed bug.

 

[Rikariko12]

Roseann- this sounds like a great idea.

SPAM- This was my concern too! Does anyone know if they can just hold your luggage for you?

 

[4leobeans]

You've got several tips already, but I would suggest contacting a pest control/exterminator, to see if they might provide some 'industry' advice.
One of my friends' brothers is an exterminator, and has given her some great tips for pre-checking hotel rooms, where and how to look, and what to do when you come home as well.

I think probably the best thing you could do (or your spouse, if your phobia wouldn't allow), would be to do a thorough check before going into the room. No luggage in (or on the bathroom floor/bathtub), and full sweep. However, if you were able to deal with lice, I think you'll do great! Lice seems more common than bedbugs (and honestly, more 'icky' to me). Good luck

 

[disneydeegs]

I travel frequently and have stayed in some odd places, and still have never encountered a bed bug in a hotel room. (hopefully my luck doesn't run out) I have seen one of those buggers one time in my old apartment though. Saw one bug in a bucket I had in my room, freaked out, hunted my whole apartment, found no more, never saw another one in the next 2 years of living there. I assume the little guy crawled out of the vent in the ceiling and fell into the bucket. My upstairs neighbors were gross though, I was glad when they moved!

 

[Dakota731]

Garbage bags in the sun outside when we come back won't work when we get back to the northeast and it's ten degrees outside!

 

[dmband]

Not to freak out the OP or anyone else, but I would be more concerned about transfer at the airport/plane then in a room at Disney

 

[oceanmarina]

Hi Rika,

Bedbugs are no joke, you are not a nervous Nellie to be afraid of them. I am too, but here's what I do to alleviate some of my fears;

1. Check the hotel Bedbug Registry;

http://bedbugregistry.com/search/n:disney-'s/l:orlando-fl/

As you can see some hotels (like Grand Floridian, Boardwalk have no reports at all), I would avoid staying in a hotel that had a lot of reports on this registry. Have I stayed in a Disney hotel that had a few bedbug reports on this registry (like animal kingdom), yes - and have not had any bedbug problems (Thank God!!) in all 8 of our Disney stays. As long as you check your room thoroughly, you should be ok. In all of the reports I have read on the registry I have never read a report that said - I checked my room thoroughly upon check in, many reviews said that they never even thought to look (not blaming anyone, I never thought to even look until a friend told me she got them from a very fancy NYC hotel, only after that did I start checking) . So i'm not sure how many people who had an issue really inspected their room - just my observations here after reading quite a few of them.

2. Check the room thoroughly before you unpack. Here is what I do;

I bought a high powered LED flashlight from Target, I check all 4 corners of the bed (lifting up all the sheets and pay close attention to the mattress seams), lift up the mattress as much as possible and look underneath, examine the headboard as best I can (many of them are attached to the wall), check the boxspring (now at this point I've practically unmade & stripped the bed , it drives Dh crazy, he laughs at my thoroughness) ,then I check the two dressers carefully , look under the lamps, room phone, clock (I read once they can hide in crevices underneath these nightstand items), in all of the drawers.

Also if there is a fold out daybed in the room, do the same thing. Inspect any furniture that you are resting your suitcase on.

I do unpack and put my clothes in the dressers (I don't keep my clothes in bags), I don't leave my suitcases outside - only because DH brings them right in. (But I think it's a really smart idea to leave them in a black bag as heat kills those suckers.) I do wash every article of clothing packed in the hottest water cycle and dry the clothes in medium size batches on our driers "antibacterial" cycle - which is 110 minutes of high heat. So yes my clothes are a little snugger after this, but as long as I'm not bringing any hitchhikers home so be it!

Hope this info helps & wishing you a fantastic trip! Marina

 

[Rikariko12]

We encountered bed bugs at Disney. But it's so rare. I'm posting this to tell you disney was amazing at treating and taking care of us. Check your room nightly. You'll do fine. And follow procedures when you come home. Now that I've learned all about them, nothing from any sort of trip ever comes into our house without trips to the drier or days in hot bags.

So you didn't end up bringing them home? I think that's my biggest fear. Not so much bug or the bites..but a home infestation that will cost thousands of dollars to get rid of them.

 

[Earl Wright]

When you enter the room make sure to check out ceiling and corners of the room.

 

[MJB87]

At one point back in November I almost told my husband to cancel the trip b/c of my huge phobia of bed bugs. I mean, I get panic attacks and all. I read somewhere that Disney uses Beagles to sniff them out. And each resort has their own heaters to kill them. Is this true? Looking for anything to put my mind at ease. Any tips or tricks to avoid them completely?

I've done a lot of research on these hotels and bed bugs are basically never a concern.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

Never had a bug problem in dozens of WDW trips, but my DSis got a home infestation after her DH was in the hospital! The exterminator told her that hospitals are his best customers! **shudder**