Bed bugs in stateroom

[pkrchkr]

we live in the central canadian prairies. Temperatures here get to a balmy -40 C or Fin the winter ( doesn't matter much when it is that cold it is the same ..) anyway..We have a 2 hour drive back(psot cruise) in the beginning of March next year on the highway when it is that cold and the bags are in the trunk will the cold kill the litlle baggers?

[ehfl]

Where do we get that and what is the brand?

 

I admit I'm paranoid about BBs. I do not think this is a small concern, it's an epidemic. I read about a family with a lovely home who tried multiple options, finally resorting to tenting their home for treatment. All to the tune of about $40,000, not covered by homeowners.

 

Permethrin is the chemical used. You can get spray cans at any drug store (look in the lice treatment section, since it's the same spray used to treat bedding for lice infestations).

[snydermann]

we live in the central canadian prairies. Temperatures here get to a balmy -40 C or Fin the winter ( doesn't matter much when it is that cold it is the same ..) anyway..We have a 2 hour drive back(psot cruise) in the beginning of March next year on the highway when it is that cold and the bags are in the trunk will the cold kill the litlle baggers?

 

From www.pestcontrolcanada.com

 

"Bedbugs also succumb to cold temperatures below freezing, but the chilling period must be maintained for at least two weeks."

 

"Infested bedding and garments will need to be bagged and laundered (120°F minimum) Smaller items that cannot be laundered can sometimes be de-infested by heating. Individual items, for example, can be wrapped in black plastic bags and placed in a hot, sunny location for at least a few days (the 120°F minimum target temperature should be monitored in the centermost location with a thermometer)."

 

We bag our items in black plastic garbage bags and set them in the sun on our driveway, or inside our parked car for as long as conveniently possible.

 

Here is a story today (8-24-2010) from Comcast News:

 

"MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A leading pest control company has released a list of the 15 most bedbug-infested cities, and New York, Philadelphia and Detroit have scratched their way to the top.Terminix released its report Tuesday, basing it on an analysis of call volume to the Memphis, Tenn.-based company's 350 service centers.Bedbugs can be found in mattresses, furniture and clothing, and they feed off animal and human blood. Insect scientists say bedbugs are appearing on a scale not seen since before World War II. High-traffic areas such as hotels, airplanes and cruise ships are especially prone to infestations. Ohio has three cities in the top 10 — Cincinnati is fourth, Columbus is seventh and Dayton is eighth."

[Quampapetet]

You have not lived until you seen my 60 lB parapalegic aunt defend her Red Sox against my dad's NY Yankees. (Her BIL)

Some of my Best memories:D

 

They had a beer and a fierce discussion about their team and they loved every minute of it!:D

 

Hahaha, awesome! :D

[Quampapetet]

Look at all the places they are now found. Victoria's Secret, Abercrombie and Fitch, the Empire State building, movie theaters, etc.

 

I would think Victoria's Secret would be one of the worst places - who wants to find bedbugs in their underwear?!?! :eek:

 

 

They are showing up in hotels out in Vegas too.

 

Oh great. I have a trip there planned. :(

[Hulkling]

I would think Victoria's Secret would be one of the worst places - who wants to find bedbugs in their underwear?!?! :eek:

:(

 

finding them in your underwear is a horrible experience, now imagine finding them in every peice of clothing you own, when you wake up, half an hour before work

[Quampapetet]

finding them in your underwear is a horrible experience, now imagine finding them in every peice of clothing you own, when you wake up, half an hour before work

 

:eek: Not fun!!! Was that you? :(

[GOIN2C]

It's always a good idea to treat your luggage BEFORE the trip. That way, if there is contact with other luggage, or bedbugs in the room, you have some degree of protection. Most permethrin sprays will last a week or 2, so if you treat right before your trip, you should have some level of protection throughout the cruise.

 

 

Is that a relatively "safe" spray for humans? Do you spray just the outside or inside and out of your luggage?

 

Do you spray the stateroom? Where?

 

The bed bug epidemic was reported on national news last nite. This IS serious. I just want to make sure I am doing everything I can to prevent these creatures. EWW

[lillian marie]

As I said in another post bedbugs are found in the most expensive hotels today. We no longer use certain pesticides. I always check the mattress and behind the headboard when I check into a hotel. If you have a problem on CCL I would hope it would be quickly taken care of.

[dstone]

As reported on the news this week, bedbugs are hitching rides inside luggage, on purses, pieces of clothing, etc. Gotta check all of it to be on the safe side.

[adjburch]

Leaving on a cruise in a little over 2 weeks and I see no one has posted what Carnival's policy is.

 

We live close to the Mississippi Gulf Coast so I guess I will be putting everything in black garb. bags when we return and putting that in one of our extra cars or trucks in the SUN for DAYS along with the luggage!

 

Will treat said luggage before the trip but will our clothes stink?

[Hulkling]

don't look if you don't want to see, but it might be beneficial to everyone to know what bedbugs look like.

http://www.badbedbugs.com/

 

if you see even one of these in a hotel/motel you can guess there at least hundreds.

[GOIN2C]

Here are some quick tips to make sure your room (hotel rooms, bedrooms, living areas, etc) isn’t infested with bedbugs! Most people who end up having their home infested with bedbugs could have prevented it by looking for the signs below. If you have bedbugs (rather than looking for them), then check out our Bed Bug Treatment page.

The first thing you can do is find reviews of the hotel you’re staying at by searching the internet. We can do that for you if you prefer, simply leave a comment asking us to check your hotel [include the name and address of the hotel in your comment] and we’ll post the results under your comment. Keep in mind that a report about one hotel does not mean the issue wasn’t isolated to one room, or that hotel management hasn’t since exterminated the bugs.

When staying at a hotel, hang clothing in the closet that is farthest from your bed, place luggage on the folding rack usually found at hotels and always place your luggage in a plastic bag (hotel provided dry cleaning bags work great).

When you inspect a room for bedbugs, make sure you wear disposable medical gloves! Bedbugs gorge on the blood of humans, so much so that they can easily pop with very little pressure. When a bedbug pops, it will splatter blood and you may be exposed!

Picture of Bed Bugs, their eggs, shells and feces! This is a high resolution photo of what a bed bug infested mattress looks like including their shells, eggs and feces. You can zoom in on the picture if you need to.

• After you arrive at your hotel, the first thing you should do is to spot check the bed. Peel back the bed sheets and check the mattress, running your fingers along the upper and lower seams. Make sure to check the mattress tag and plastic around the edges (see the picture above); bed bugs often hide there.
  
• Check for tiny black spots (smaller than the size of poppy seeds) behind the headboard, translucent skins or actual bedbugs. Bed bug spots (fecal matter) are dark brown to black in color and stick to the surface. If it falls off, then it’s not a bed bug spot. You can also take a wet towel and wipe the spot to see if it smears and if so, then it may be fecal matter.
  
• Check the bedside table or any other furniture or fixtures near the bed. Bedbugs don’t like the light, so they’ll be hiding in areas that are usually dark or have very low light.
  
• Are there shed skins – as the bed bug develops, it sheds the skin which looks like the bug. Also look for tiny white eggs (like rice) along the edge of the mattress.
  
• During the early stages of infestation (if you or someone just brought one home), the bug bug(s) usually hide out in the mattress ( and headboard). If this is your home and you’re concerned you might have a few in bed with you, it would be wise to buy a mattress cover; this will seal in the bed bugs and over time, they will die. See our section on Mattress Covers to learn exactly what type of cover you need (standard covers will not work).
  
• Utilize the luggage stand in the hotel room to keep your bags off of the floor where bedbugs can easily get into your things and end up hitching a ride home with you.
  
• If you see powder in the drawers or on the headboard, it is likely that the room has already been treated for bugs by an exterminator.
  
• If you do see a bedbug or signs of one, inform a manager immediately. You may request another room but remember the bedbugs could easily be in other parts of the hotel as well. Personally, I would leave and find another hotel if there is any sign at all of bedbugs.
  
• Other signs of bedbugs may include itching or a foul smell. The odor has been described a number of ways, most say it resembles spoiled raw beef, musty odor or a sweet odor such as fresh red raspberries.
  
• Just because the room or hotel is new does not mean it’s free from bedbugs; bedbugs find rooms by riding on the cloths or luggage of others and may have been been hitching a ride on the last occupant.
  
• When you’re ready to leave double check your luggage as well as individual items within your suitcase. This may seem cumbersome, but preventing a bedbug infestation is a LOT easier than dealing with one!
  
• If you spot a bedbug within your luggage, wash the item in hot water and blow dry on high heat for 20-30 minutes. Then place the item in a zip lock bag, which should keep any bedbugs out.
  

Areas bugs bugs like to hide

 

Bedbugs love gaps in just about everything, so check:

• behind baseboards
  
• around door and window casings
  
• around window sills and frames
  
• behind electrical and telephone switch plates
  
• between flooring and wall components
  
• where materials meet to form a gap
  
• around pipes (water, drain, electrical conduits
  
• seams, creases, tufts, and folds of the mattress and box spring
  
• bed frames and head board
  
• under night stands and drawers
  
• storage units
  
• items such as furniture that may have hollow legs
  
• between upholstered furniture
  
• between the folds of drapery or curtains
  
• in your alarm clock
  

!

[eas2225]

Great info. It sounds like a lot of work, but it really only takes about 15 minutes to check.

 

Once you get into the habit of hanging up your clothes, keeping your luggage off the floor and and using plastic bags for your clothes, it just becomes automatic.

[adjburch]

I saw a thread on here last week with a photo of a lady and she said she got bedbugs on her carnival cruise and I think they took that thread off. Anyway I went to internet explorer and did a search for bed bugs on cruiseships and could not find anything for 2010 and ran out of time. I will google it tomorrow.

[Crystalies28]

I saw a thread on here last week with a photo of a lady and she said she got bedbugs on her carnival cruise and I think they took that thread off. Anyway I went to internet explorer and did a search for bed bugs on cruiseships and could not find anything for 2010 and ran out of time. I will google it tomorrow.

 

That thread was actually a thread from 2009. It was bumped up after people began posting on an old thread.

Additionally, the poster actually admitted the picture she posted was taken from another website, they never actually provided pictures of their own bites. While I have heard about bed bugs from NY to LA I haven't actually heard any cruise ship stories. But I still will be checking my room top to bottom ASAP.

[adjburch]

I googled it and read a story that said let's call our cruise ship pass. TIM. He had bed bugs on his cruise in 2010! On one of the MAJOR cruiselines. It didn't state which one so I guess if a cruise ship gets them they can keep it quite or just report it to their home office.

 

I wish the person that ask what their policy is would post what they found out. I would LOVE to know.

[kujobie]

Are we still talking about bedbugs? Seriously, that's something rookies worry about. I'm more concerned about the rats.. Y'all know there's rats on the ship, right?

[nothomeonacruise]

Yes, they leave flip flops on chairs by the pools.. oh I know those are hogs. I bet you can get leprosy and the plague, too. :rolleyes:

[Crystalies28]

Lived with rats, (keep two in a cage!) and lived with bed bugs.

I would rather wake up cuddled next to a rodent than covered in blood sucking insects...

Done both!