PLEASE check for bed bugs before accepting your room.

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

I guess I will keep staying in newer hotels then...yikes!! I guess the only other option is to bring zippered bed and pillow covers with but those still take up space and are difficult to put on the bed. It makes you wonder about what hotels on Disney property have new mattresses....

In the meantime, when traveling to Disney World, I will stay at the newly opened Holiday Inn at Downtown Disney - they just opened in March so there isn't much for bugs to feed off yet.

 

[tndislvr]

I'd love to say that new resorts won't have bed bugs but that just isn't the case. We are going again in September to a resort that just opened in June and I'm just as worried about getting them there. The resort we stayed in that caused this issue is only 4 or 5 years old. Unfortunately, the very first guest in a room can bring them in and the infestation begins.

I think the best advice is as previous posters have said - don't bring ANYTHING in your home upon returning. I'm going to have plastic bags in our garage with clean clothes we will change in to before even entering our house, will put our dirty clothes in the bags, immediately put them in the washer (HOT water) and dry them on HIGH heat for at least 30 minutes (probably an hour to be safe). I'll do this with everything in our luggage and the luggage will not come in the house until treated. There are some pest strips you can get now that even kill the eggs so I will be putting my open luggage in a large trash bag with the strips for at least 5 days after coming home.

As another poster said, once it has happened to you, you never forget it.

 

[dtum]

I guess I will keep staying in newer hotels then...yikes!! I guess the only other option is to bring zippered bed and pillow covers with but those still take up space and are difficult to put on the bed. It makes you wonder about what hotels on Disney property have new mattresses....

In the meantime, when traveling to Disney World, I will stay at the newly opened Holiday Inn at Downtown Disney - they just opened in March so there isn't much for bugs to feed off yet.

Taking zipper covers to the hotel won't stop getting the bugs, they love it hide in the headboard next to the wall. The zipper covers are for your pillow and bed at home if you are one of the lucky ones who brings them home. Just do a really good check of the mattress (especially along the seams), if you see anything like little black specs...watch out! Also, don't put anything on the floor-they travel through the carpet and along the walls.

 

[sanapp]

Unfortunately I have had some non-direct experience with this at my work. I work for a mental health center that works with adults in the community. Using plastic on something is not going to help in an way. They make special mattress covers that are bed bug rated which you can purchase to put you home mattress and box spring in. You can silicone any cracks and crevices in your headboards or other bedroom furniture. The bed bugs do not die from the heat in the covers, but they starve over a long period of time as they can not get out to feed. There is no product that can be purchased to spray and kill the bed bugs, so I wouldn't bother. The best way to kill them is through heat, but you have to bring it up to the high tempature slowly otherwise they flee the area that is being treated. We have had to have a heat van come in and treat consumers furniture. Basically they pile all of the furniture into the van and bring the heat up slowly and then bake the furniture for several hours. The best thing to do is put all of your possibly infected clothes directly into the dryer and that could cook any potential bugs that you have brought home. If you know that you have been exposed I would do this at a laundromat. I have also known staff to put alchol directly on their skin when they have potentailly come in contact as they do not bite then. You should also know that bed bugs typically feed during the overnight hours. What some people do is shut all of the lights off and throw the sheets off and shine the bed with a flashlight to try and detect any signs of bed bugs.

I am staying at Windsor Hills in October and I will be inspecting all 3 bedrooms before my family enters the home!

 

[mousetravel]

I have heard that RID spray (normally used for head lice) kills them but I don't know if it has a residual effect or not. I think I'm carrying some on our next trip just to be safe.

The RID spray does work! We went to Peru about 2 weeks ago, and my doctor told me to buy a spray with "Permethrin" in it (RID), and spray all over the sheets, bedding, curtains, etc to keep bugs (all kinds) off of us. It worked and there was no kind of residual effect on us, and my daughter even has asthma and it didn't affect her. I think the spray container says to let it dry for 24 hours, but we sprayed when we got there, and by the time we went to bed, it was OK.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

What sizes do they have for the spray? Is this something that you are going to have to check in luggage or are there small enough sizes to carry on the plane? I guess along with my clorox wipes, I am going to have to include this from now on.

 

[mousetravel]

What sizes do they have for the spray? Is this something that you are going to have to check in luggage or are there small enough sizes to carry on the plane? I guess along with my clorox wipes, I am going to have to include this from now on.

There was only one size, and I think it was maybe 5 or 6 oz. I put mine in checked luggage.

 

[Big_Disney_Fan]

This was posted a few months ago from a person who's husband managed a hotel. If nothing else it is funny. You will need a maxi pad. Leave your luggage outside of the room. pull back the sheets and rub the sticky side of the maxi pad along the bottom of the mattess at the foot of the bed. if you pick up red and black spots (blood new and old) you have bed bugs. Take the proof to the front desk and ask for a new room. If nothing else they will want to take care of the person waiving a maxi pad around the reception desk.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

This was posted a few months ago from a person who's husband managed a hotel. If nothing else it is funny. You will need a maxi pad. Leave your luggage outside of the room. pull back the sheets and rub the sticky side of the maxi pad along the bottom of the mattess at the foot of the bed. if you pick up red and black spots (blood new and old) you have bed bugs. Take the proof to the front desk and ask for a new room. If nothing else they will want to take care of the person waiving a maxi pad around the reception desk.

I work in the industry and it would be very difficult (albeit a long procedure) to keep trying out rooms. I would rather just spray to be on the safe side. As pointed out in previous posts, the infestation appears to go everywhere so it wouldn't just be a room with bugs...it would be a lot of them. Plus, it all depends on the age of the hotel (last refurbishment) because the less stuff to feed on, the less chances they will be around. I know that at home, we don't change out our mattresses very often so I bet they think they have gotten to heaven if any hitch a ride back. If I was actually still working in actual hotels I think this would be my worst fear. I think I would just have my housekeepers carry the RID and spray it on a weekly basis. What a nightmare! I never encountered this...I wonder why all of a sudden they have gotten out of control?

 

[drag n' fly]

When traveling do not sit your suitcase on the floor of the hotel room. Put it up on a luggage stand or on top of the dresser - same with your shoes - do not leave them on the floor. This helps to make it harder for you to pick up any hitch hiking bed bugs to take home with you. Be especially careful if your travel with your own pillow. It is my understanding the bed bugs love to get inside the pillow and then you take them home with you. Folks, - it is not just cheap hotels - 5 start hotels have bed bugs too. All the international travelling that we now do has brought bed bugs back to the United States after having rid ourselves of this problem back in the 50s when we were allowed to use products that are no longer on the marked. [DDT]

Unfortunately this is how we learned the hard way. After 10 days at POR (no where else) we arrived home with what I thought were some sort of mosquito bites. Well it just got worse and worse and worse...hundreds and hundreds of dollars later we finally got rid of them after the doctor said they looked exactly like bed bug bites and we knew what we were dealing with.
I always check the room before I even bring in my luggage now. I never keep my suitcases on the floor anymore. I always bring a cheap pop up hamper for any dirty clothes. I bring a black garbage bag to put our shoes on. It was pure...

 

[dtum]

Unfortunately this is how we learned the hard way. After 10 days at POR (no where else) we arrived home with what I thought were some sort of mosquito bites. Well it just got worse and worse and worse...hundreds and hundreds of dollars later we finally got rid of them after the doctor said they looked exactly like bed bug bites and we knew what we were dealing with.
I always check the room before I even bring in my luggage now. I never keep my suitcases on the floor anymore. I always bring a cheap pop up hamper for any dirty clothes. I bring a black garbage bag to put our shoes on. It was pure...

That hamper is a great idea. We have a large mesh laundry bag that i hang on the back of the bathroom door on the hook, but when it starts to get full it can get in the way. The house we are going to rent in Windsor Hills has a washer and dryer so everything will be cleaned before we leave. Can never be too careful, unfortunately, it only takes one of those little critters to ruin your whole life.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Good idea, Sandy! Thanks! The PCO is bringing a cover tomorrow to try it and see if we can make it work on our mattress but if it doesn't that is a great idea! My fear (and I'm having a lot of fears with these things) is that if I still leave the mattress connected to the air hose they can still get in and out via the air tube and escape via the pump. I really just want to throw that mattress away and get a regular mattress that can be sealed in a cover. My husband refuses, though, as we don't really have the money to buy a new mattress right now. However, if that is the only way we can get rid of them that may be what we have to do.

I'm so tired of this already. Tired of living in fear my babies will wake up with 100 bites on them. Tired of being scared I'm going to carry the bugs somewhere and pass it on to someone else. Tired of hiding when the doorbell rings because I don't want anyone to come in for fear they will take the bugs home. And I haven't even been dealing with this all that long.

Did you contact the resort? I am half way through this thread and I do not remember if you said what the name is. IMHO they should have housekeeping trained to look for signs of BB when they change the sheets. In fact I would assume that they do but who knows.

When I was in Home Depot yesterday I noticed they have a spray that you can take with you to hotels that will kill bed bugs. I do not know if it works but I am going to go back and buy it before vacation. The thing that worries me is my DH travels for work and I asked him if he would do this when he goes away on business but he said he would not. I hate to think your children are being subjected to this even more than the adults ....but then they most likely don't understand so it would not be as big a deal to them psychologically. That is probably worse.

 

[dzorn]

Did you contact the resort? I am half way through this thread and I do not remember if you said what the name is. IMHO they should have housekeeping trained to look for signs of BB when they change the sheets. In fact I would assume that they do but who knows.

When I was in Home Depot yesterday I noticed they have a spray that you can take with you to hotels that will kill bed bugs. I do not know if it works but I am going to go back and buy it before vacation. The thing that worries me is my DH travels for work and I asked him if he would do this when he goes away on business but he said he would not. I hate to think your children are being subjected to this even more than the adults ....but then they most likely don't understand so it would not be as big a deal to them psychologically. That is probably worse.

Well I hate to think of children being subjected to pesticide unnecessarily. I boggles my mind that someone would spray it in a sleeping area just to be on the safe side without proof that a problem exists.

By all means check for bed bugs and inform/insist that you be moved if found but don't randomly spray products that you truly do not no the health risks of.



Denise in MI

 

[SAGE]

What a nightmare for everyone who has dealt with bed bugs!!!
I'm so sorry!!!

Now I'm considering grabbing my own luggage instead of ME putting it in our room for the day.

A previous poster mentioned contacting the Health Dept if the hotel ignores the issue. I hadn't thought of that.

 

[dtum]

Well I hate to think of children being subjected to pesticide unnecessarily. I boggles my mind that someone would spray it in a sleeping area just to be on the safe side without proof that a problem exists.

By all means check for bed bugs and inform/insist that you be moved if found but don't randomly spray products that you truly do not no the health risks of.



Denise in MI

Having been through the bed bugs, I still wouldn't spray my bed when there's no sign of them. It's very easy to see it they are around, just turn the sheets and mattress covers back and look at the seams along the mattress, if they have little black specs...you've got them. If the mattress is clean, it should be fine...just take the normal precautions mentioned by others re: luggage, etc.

 

[tndislvr]

While I do agree that I don't want to spray pesticides unnecessarily I also know first hand that you can't always tell if bed bugs are there or not. We have been dealing with this for almost a month now. The bugs were identified in one room in my home (I personally saw them) but now they have migrated to another and we (nor the PCO) can find any sign of them. The only way I know without a doubt they are in that room, too, is because I am waking up with bites and blood spots on my clothes. They are so good at hiding. We are actually having the bed bug dog come out AGAIN today since the PCO cannot find where they are nesting. And it isn't for lack of trying as I have been there when they have been looking for the little blood suckers. I guess knowing that is why I MIGHT consider spraying even if there is no evidence of BB's. The best idea is probably just to treat all clothing and luggage upon returning home as if it IS infested with BB's. I didn't mean to give the impression I'd just randomly spray pesticides. Probably random typing on no sleep (which I have done VERY little of the past month)!

 

[tndislvr]

To Bella - I did contact the resort and they said they would file a report. They were supposed to call me back the same day to give me the report number for reference. It has been 11 days and no phone call. I'm calling them today, though. My guess is they assume most people will just drop the complaint. I can't, though. Even if they don't help us with the cost incurred thus far (at $1300 now and climbing....and think they may even be in my car now - YUCK!!!!!) I want to spare anyone else the same headache. While there are WAY worse things that could happen to me and my family these bed bugs seem pretty horrible right now.

 

[Craigdarroch]

When we had our bed bug issue with Disney I was told when Disney finds the bugs in a room they close off that room, the rooms next to it, above and below it. All rooms are given a high temperature steam treatment. They said there are no chemicals allowed in the US that actually kill bed bugs, only legal option is high heat. Disney then keeps the rooms out of commission for a month and rechecks and retreats as needed.

Did your pest company use a high heat treatment or some type of chemical? I would check around if it is a chemical as it may not be able to do the job!

Fortunately for us we found our bed bugs while still at the hotel so we never brought anything into our home and weren't infested. My thoughts go out to you!!

This is absolutely NOT true (or at least, not "always" true). 2 years ago we were staying at POP and our friends stayed in the room right beside ours. We had a knock on our door in the middle of the night and it was our friends letting us know they were being moved to another area of the resort because they had found their bed infested with bed-bugs and they had both been bitten.

We were never moved from the adjacent room (they said the resort was at capacity) and less than a full 24 hours later, there were new guests in the bed-bug room. We knocked on their door and told them about our friends finding the bugs and they went to look at the beds and sure enough, we saw the little buggers! They packed up everything and headed for the front desk to be moved. They were upgraded to Saratoga and before they left, came to thank us for alerting them.
Once again, in about 24 hours, the room beside us had guests. We went to talk to the front desk about the fact that this room was not being quarantined and they said they had sealed the room and turned the heat up for 12 hours to kill the bugs. Sorry, but that won't work.
We asked to be moved because we were terrified they would migrate to our room via the adjoining door but the manager said there was no evidence of a problem in our room therefore, they wouldn't move us.

We were lucky enough to escape the bed-bug problem, but Disney certainly didn't take it seriously.

On a side note. We also found 3 different live cockroaches in our room at the CBR a few years back and they were just as nonchalant as with the bed bugs. In fact, the CM's exact words were "so?"
I guess they felt that cockroaches were just part of the resort "theming".

While I realize Disney is far from the only hotel with these problems, their customer service when dealing with this (at least in our case) was appalling.


I'm so sorry this happened to you TNDISLVR, I really and truly feel for you and I pray your troubles will be over very soon and you will never again have to worry about these critters. Many blessings to you and your family and thanks for reminding us we can never be too careful.

One more note.... bed-bugs come from people carrying them into hotel rooms.
Please, please, please.... if you know you have an infestation of these critters in your home or elsewhere, and you are heading to a hotel while your place is being treated, make sure your clothes and luggage and "bodies" are free of these pests before bringing them into a hotel room and passing on the problem. You would only be perpetuating the problem which may come back to haunt you on another occassion.

 

[tndislvr]

Thanks so much Craigdarroch. I appreciate your kind words! I don't feel like this nightmare is ever going to end. Had the "bed bug dogs" back out yesterday and the bugs are still in the original infested room, still in our bedroom, now in our powder room (really weird and have no idea how they got there) and are in my son's car seat in my car. This with me being SUPER careful about everything. I have done everything the PCO recommended. Washed and bagged everything (and the dogs flagged one of the bags of "treated" laundry), taking off clothes before leaving affected room, being extra cautious....and still we are losing this battle. PCO coming again today for round three. And I know there will be a round four because they will have to come back to treat for any eggs that may hatch over the next week or so. I'm most disturbed by the car seat as if they are in the car seat they are probably elsewhere in the car. I am SO afraid of carrying them to my work or to my kids school. The PCO will treat my car tonight as well but cars are extra hard to treat because of all the nooks and crannies where these bugs can hide.

Everyone please forgive my continual ranting and complaining. I haven't slept or eaten in days and I think I'm starting to get a little delirious.

 

[Virgderon]

This is terrible. I'm so sorry for you. I use the steam cleaner on my mattress once a week and also wash my sheets in hot water. Do any of you know if that is an adequate defense should we pick up bed bugs somehow? We are staying at hotels 4 nights this month.