Anyone ever run across Bed Bugs at a hotel?

[dragoneggs]

Bed bugs are a big problem in the northeast, New York City , Philadelphia, etc. Not just hotels but hospitals and nursing homes also having problems.

I will concede that in looking at the map from this link: Bed Bug Registry it appears to be somewhat of a regional problem beyond just population centers. I wonder what is driving this?

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I will concede that in looking at the map from this link: Bed Bug Registry it appears to be somewhat of a regional problem beyond just population centers. I wonder what is driving this?

What's driving this is visitors/immigrants from third world countries. There was a time when bed bugs were practically extinct in this country (along with a lot of other yuck things like Syphilis) until the influx across our borders. Our college dormitories are constantly battling bed bugs because the foreign students bring them in their baggage. Bed bugs have always been endemic in third world countries; like the poor, they are always with you.

 

[Otto Syracuse]

I will concede that in looking at the map from this link: Bed Bug Registry it appears to be somewhat of a regional problem beyond just population centers. I wonder what is driving this?

There was also a sudden increase in populations when many soldiers returned from the Mideast, another hotbed of bedbug activity. They are also in movie theatres, clothing stores, etc. Even the Waldorf Astoria, one of NYC finest hotels, has had a bedbugs there. It is not related to "how nice a hotel is" or even cleanliness. The little buggers travel easily on or in luggage or a gus to clothing. Finding one or two in a room is not usually a big issue, probably a recent arrival. Stains on the bedsheets or in the crevices of the mattress indicate a longer duration of infestation.

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

There was also a sudden increase in populations when many soldiers returned from the Mideast, another hotbed of bedbug activity. They are also in movie theatres, clothing stores, etc. Even the Waldorf Astoria, one of NYC finest hotels, has had a bedbugs there. It is not related to "how nice a hotel is" or even cleanliness. The little buggers travel easily on or in luggage or a gus to clothing. Finding one or two in a room is not usually a big issue, probably a recent arrival. Stains on the bedsheets or in the crevices of the mattress indicate a longer duration of infestation.

Very True!

 

[kiotiken]

The first thing I do when I get to my room is put my luggage in the bathtub. Then I pull the sheet off the corners of the bed(s) and check the seams of the mattress. Call me ****, but then I take the head board off the wall, that's a hot spot for them.

If you get them in your house, you'll spend huge $$$ dealing with them. Most insecticides for bed bugs are now banned and what's left are apparently not that effective. That part of the reason they're making such a comeback.

 

[Loadstar]

Wow pull the headboard! I thought I was bad pulling the disgusting AC filter, performance modding the unit and pulling the restrictor out of the shower head lol.

 

[NorTracNY]

No need to leave the hotel. If it's a good hotel, they will take care of any problem rooms as soon as it's reported. I was told that the bed bugs were common in Europe. I wouldn't say most countries in Europe are third world. Just check your room carefully when you arrive. I always life up the mattress and sheets before unpacking anything.

 

[dave1949]

Bed bugs can be more than a nuisance:
Bed bugs can transmit parasite that causes chagas disease -- ScienceDaily

Research has found they can transmit Chagas Disease. Not something you would want.

 

[dmccarty]

Disney resorts get bed bugs and Disney ain't cheap. They do try to stay on top of the problem because if it gets out of hand in a resort they will loose a fortune.

I have heard of people who return home and put their suit case in the trunk of the car during the summer to kill any possible bed bugs. In the winter, they leave the suitcases outside to freeze.

We just returned from a trip to Hong Kong and a part of China not visited by many westerners.

The Hong Kong hotel is a very nice, high end place, we got upgraded TWICE, which never happens to us. The first upgrade was to a suite that was about 1,100 square feet! :shocked: The second upgrade was to the Presidential Suite that was about 1,400 square feet! :shocked::shocked::shocked: :laughing: You should have seen the place. The shame of it was we got to the hotel at 7:30pm and had to leave at 5:45 am so we could not really enjoy the house, errr, room, errr suite. :laughing::laughing::laughing: The bath tub was like a small swimming pool.

I can safely report there were no bed bugs in the Presidential Suite. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

The room we had in China was not as nice. :laughing::laughing::laughing: The room was adequate, basically a Holiday Inn with old furniture but with a new bathroom. No bed bugs. :thumbsup:

In both hotels we kept our back packs off the floor. In hind sight, we should have kept the clothes off the closet floor but when we packed to return home, the clothes went into plastic vacuum bags. These bags are awesome. You put your clothes in the bags and seal the bag like a big zip lock bag. There is a cap on the bottom of the bag you open so you can roll up the bag which forces air from the bag through a flapper value that the cap covers. This allows you to compress the clothes so you can take up less space. The bags really worked and were easy to use. Also minimizes the chance of bed bugs getting into the house because the clothes were dumped right into the clothes washer.

Later,
Dan

 

[Cat_Driver]

What I do is pack a separate bag, in it I have an inflatable bed, by own linen and my own pillow. I cover the existing bed with visqueen, place my own gear on the bed and am good and safe