PLEASE check for bed bugs before accepting your room.

Now I'm scared!!!!:scared1:
We will be staying at POP in December! Is there anything you can take on vacation with you that's compact to spray? If I find evidence, it doesn't sound like Disney will be too concerned!:confused3 My DH will blow a fuse!:mad:
Thanks for the all info. and the "heads up"!!!!!!!:worship:

My head is already itching!!!!!:eek:
 
Thanks!

Alice - it was a beautiful German Shepherd. Gorgeous dog. The other is another kind of Shepherd but I can't remember what kind. I can't tell you how grateful I am to these wonderful creatures. They are so smart!

katybugsmom - I outlined several posts above what I am going to do to attempt to prevent bringing them home again. As for spray - if you actually see a bug I really believe Disney will take care of you (from what other posters have said). I'm sure your fear is what if you don't (which is my fear and why I'm going to behave as if we have been exposed even if not). That being said, Raid does make a bed bug and flea killer. That is what it is called I believe. It is the same pesticide my PCO has used (but a different concentration). I believe it will kill them on contact and has some residual effect. However, after what we have been through I don't know that I'd automatically treat a bed/furniture not knowing if bed bugs are present. Believe me, I understand your fear but those pesticides are some pretty potent chemicals. I think the residual could be what made my daughter break out in hives the other day (and it had been sprayed two weeks prior). I have been hearing about some natural products that repel or kill bed bugs. I may contemplate taking something like that with me. Cedarcide was one that was mentioned but there are others.
 
I checked it into that cedarcide product too and it sounds really great. I know it says it kills on contact but as I was glancing around the site, I couldn't tell if there was any residual killing. I would love to take something with me on our trip that I could spray around our room and on the beds but obviously this would not be cool, seeing as how some people are afraid of chemicals. I wonder if this cedarcide stuff would be acceptable to spray in our hotel room when we got there. What does everyone think about that???
 
Great news on the all clear!!

I totally understand the paranoia of any bite or bump and fearing the bed bugs. I am still like that and it's been a 1.5 years since our experience and we were fortunate enough to not bring them home. I can only imagine the fear after everything you've been through! We returned from Pop last week and after a thorough check my room appeared to be bed bug-free. Nobody in my family had any bites either. Even though I am pretty sure we were clear I did not bring the suitcases in the house and every afternoon this week I have laid them open in the hot, sunny driveway (heat index over 100*) to burn out any that may have hitched. I don't want to take any chances!

Those dogs are amazing aren't they! Congrats on the all clear!
 
Congratulations! I totally understand your wanting to have the dog come again in 2-3 weeks. That way if a critter or two got missed you would have a much easier time catching it and going forward, rather than not knowing until you have a major boom. I think it is a very smart thing to do that could end up saving you money!

Sending you even more pixie dust!
 
The small container of Cedarcide's Best Yet product is listed on this website:

http://www.cedarcidestore.com/catalog/item/3580888/5087374.htm

They also sell a pack of 2 for $15.

We bought gallon jugs and refill the small sprayer as necessary. We live in the woods and use it as a repellent. When we fogged our house, it did seem to have a residual effect.

We didn't react to the bites until 7 days after the first bite, so it doesn't help to just look for bumps. As TNDISLVR found out, bumps can be from many different things. Look on your sheets each morning for small spots of blood and black marks like they were made by a small marker (feces spots). These are the telltale signs of a recent feeding.

We looked by the headboard and mattress seams in our affected room and didn't see signs of them so we thought we were safe. Now, after the seam check with the sheet off, I pull the top mattress at least 1/2 way off the bed and look on the box spring. Box springs are their favorite hang out. Again, look for the black marker like stains. Also look on the floor around the bed. They often use the feet of the bed frame to crawl up into the bed. They also like to hang out under the box spring, so check the bed frame under the spring as well. Behind headboards is another favorite spot.

If you see evidence of them, change rooms. They hide during the day and only fogging (not just misting) will get them under control. It may take a few days of treatment since even the fogging may not kill all the larvae. The larvae are sticky translucent ovals longer than a grain of rice. Since they stick so well, it is easy to transport the larvae on clothing or bedding.

I keep a block of cedar that I bought from Walmart in the laundry/closet organizer area of the store in my luggage and resoak it with Cedarcide periodically to revitalize it. I'm hoping this will increase the residual effect in our luggage.

I hope this helps some people avoid these pests on their future travels.
 
Hi,

I'm breezing through this thread to learn about how to avoid bed bugs, etc. Did the OP say where she picked them up from ?

This is like, literally, my worst fear :scared1: I travel so much and I did get bit once...we don't let the luggage in the house after we come back from trips....but still...each trip I get lazier and lazier...
 
There was an article about this in the Baltimore Sun. Here is one of the suggestions that seems to be in line with conventional wisdom of how bb's don't like heat.

I managed to get a massive infestation under control by heating the affected rooms to 125-140 degrees F with a 40,000 BTU portable propane heater. I go the idea from a contractor who does the same thing to dry walls on damp days after drywall installers have put on joint compound.

I sealed the doors off with plastic, set the heater, and let the rooms stay hot for 20 mins or so. The bugs die on contact with 113 degrees F. An academic paper I read suggested heating a room up to 120 so that the heat gets into furniture and crevices. I gave it a little extra for good measure. While heating up the rooms, I put all clothing in the clothes dryer for 20 mins.

The propane heater cost me $58 at Ollies Discount. I used about $20 worth of propane to remediate 3 rooms. I did it twice last fall. This Spring, I got one bite and immediately repeated the exercise. I wouldn't use the propane indoors without also having a carbon monoxide detector in operation.



I don't know if this is safe or legal but it worked for this guy. If I was at wit's end, I would give it a try.
 
Yep, they hate heat. Kills all stages of them including eggs (which I only aware of one pesticide that claims to be able to do that where heat is a sure thing every time). However, there are differing opinions as to the temp it takes to kill all stages. I think the live bugs will be killed at a much lower temp than eggs. I believe I read somewhere something like nymphs can't survive more than 113 or 114 but adults can take 120 or more. Eggs (from what I have heard recently) take about 130-140. That is why I've learned just placing stuff out in the sun won't do the trick. Also why I am drying every load of clothes two more cycles on high heat even after they are dry. While according to the dogs the bb's are gone from my home I am not taking any chances for the next few months. This truly affects your way of thinking. I saw a kid today with two bite marks on his neck and my first reaction was "oh my gosh...I bet they have bed bugs". Crazy because pre bed bug I would have thought nothing of it and just assumed they were mosquito bites. Hopefully someday I will relax a little....however, I think travel for me will be an ordeal for the rest of my life. I think the fear of reinfestation will always be there.
 
I'm not sure I should be admitting this, and I don't know how I've managed it, but I've reached the age of 25 without realising 'bed bugs' are real... :eek:

I always assumed the 'Don't let the bed bugs bite' was just an expression.

Suppose I should just be glad I've always had clean beds! :rolleyes:
 
Don't feel bad, And. I was naive and thought bed bugs and dust mites were the same thing. Dust mites never bothered me so I thought no big deal. Only when we got the nasty critters our last trip and I realized they were blood sucking, stealthy, hitchiking (I have many more adjectives for them but this is a public forum) very real insects. This experience has changed me forever. Now I'm off to sleep where hopefully the bed bugs WON'T bite! ;)
 
First I am so sorry to hear about your problem, I know how frustrating it is. I have been worried about bed bugs and our next Disney stay in September.We are going to be staying at the Movies and I am trying to figure out everything I should do to try and prevent them and I have gotten a lot of great ideas so thanks. My only question is should we try those sprays like rest easy and see if it works and should we buy those bed bug covers for the mattress?
 
Do you mean bed bug covers for the bed at Movies? If so, no, I would not as IF you encountered bed bugs in a room most likely they are not only in the bed but in the headboard and surrounding furniture as well. That being said, a spray like Rest Easy might ease your mind and prevent you getting bitten on the small chance that bed bugs are present even if you saw no signs upon inspection (as they are very good at hiding). I think the best measure to take is bag all clothes before returning home, wash everything on HOT and dry on HOT for at least 30 minutes after clothes are dry, and possibly spray your luggage, leave it outside for a week or so and spray again before bringing it in the house. While the chances of you encountering bed bugs on your trip is most likely small, it can't hurt to be extra cautious upon your return home. Until these bugs are back under control (which could be many, many years) I will treat all my clothing, shoes, and luggage as if they have been contaminated when returning from a trip. Try not to stress too much about it (and I know that may seem easy for me to say but having been through it and bringing them home I have convinced myself to not stress), look for the obvious signs, and if they aren't there - sleep well and enjoy your trip!!!
 
I think the bed bug registry is a good idea but there is no way to know if people are telling the truth. Maybe it's an employee from another comparable resort who competes with that one and they write a false story to shed a bad light on another??? It's not like it's a site that let's you leave a good or bad review. It's a site that only lets you report something bad. I just don't know how much trust I put into it.
 
Thank you all for the warning and great advise but I have to unsubscribe from this thread everytime I get an email update I get all itchy!!!

makes me very twitchy :lmao:

:wave2:
 
So sorry, Blanche! I know the feeling though.....every time I think of bed bugs I feel itchy all over!

I have one request - please post about your cruise when you get back. We are debating a Disney cruise but I'm just not sure.

Thanks!
 

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