Bed Bugs ?

[PennyAgain]

Bed bugs are a huge problem in Texas!

 

When I get back to my car after flying I put my luggage into the (most of the year) very hot trunk. By the time I get home everything is toasty hot.

 

I am very careful when returning from any trip not to bring my luggage into my house. I unpack in the garage and put each suitcase into a black plastic bag when it sits in my really hot garage until needed again.

 

All of my clothing is washed immediately as well.

[luv2cruz25]

Nope, not bed bugs on a cruise, but we did have cock roaches on the Glory last year.

[mamaofami]

I've never experienced bed bugs on any Holland America ship and haven't heard about anyone else having them.

[smeyer418]

I think BBs live on blood, not grease. They only need to feed every 6 months I read. Small, unless engorged with blood, they hide in comforter and luggage piping.. I am always wary of getting them from the airport luggage carts piled sky high ,then loaded onto planes.

lol the room steward cleaning out the grease traps is their punishment for not finding them at changing sheet time. not what the bes buds eat...

[Kamlhj]

Been on 5 cruises (3 lines), & never encountered or heard of a problem. They do change the sheets twice a day & use good sanitary washing proceedures, I heard.

[MandD]

Here is a link to a calm, rational discussion about bedbugs. It puts them into a more proper perspective.

 

http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/29/the-truth-about-bedbugs/

 

SMeyer, cleaning grease traps is for waiters who are in disfavor with supervisors. Stewards who fail to properly perform all of their duties would tend to be sent home (at their own expense).

[mafig]

Been on 5 cruises (3 lines), & never encountered or heard of a problem. They do change the sheets twice a day & use good sanitary washing proceedures, I heard.

 

 

Did you mean twice a week? Sheets aren't changed twice a day.:)

[Love.II.Cruise]

Here is a link to a calm, rational discussion about bedbugs. It puts them into a more proper perspective.

 

http://intelligenttravel.nationalgeographic.com/2013/07/29/the-truth-about-bedbugs/

 

SMeyer, cleaning grease traps is for waiters who are in disfavor with supervisors. Stewards who fail to properly perform all of their duties would tend to be sent home (at their own expense).

 

Thanks for the link!

[JustCruiseMe]

Two years ago while traveling through Asheville, NC we stayed at a highly recommended, by Trip Advisor, hotel and woke up to bedbugs..I was nauseated and I still am, thinking about it. They were tiny but when you pressed them they popped, filled with our blood. We quickly packed, put our luggage in plastic bags, made our way to our destination and washed and dried the laundry several times then placed the clothing inside plastic bags (bedbugs hate slick surfaces) and back in our suit case, we also soaked in the hot hot tub..lol. When placing the suit case in the car we put them in plastic bags entirely as the pp stated she did. Took everything out, outside and washed and dried everything in side, several times. The luggage stayed outside and heated up for months and months..haha my hubby left his outside for a year..lol..and even after that time before I brought mine in I placed one of those aerosol insecticide cans and zipped it up then let'er rip.

 

They are rampant but they are so gross. I check every single bed I lay in now and if possible the luggage stays in the bathroom on a tile counter or on a luggage rack with metal legs. It is best actually if you sit your luggage in the bathtub but I haven't done that yet.

 

BTW otherwise the hotel was very nice..but not sure how I can say nice after that experience. Freaked me out!

Edited August 9, 2013 by JustCruiseMe

[Ozarkmills]

I was in the pest control industry for 16 years and was an Associate Certified Entomologist. You are more likely to find a bed bug, in a hotel room for example, in the corners of the night stands, headboard, pictures, and drapes than in the edging of the mattress and box springs. If bed bugs are present in the mattress, that would be a sign of a heavy infestation and someone would have reported it to management. Bed bugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide you breathe out when you sleep at night. As posted before, never put your suitcase on any bed, whether in a hotel room or your own bed. Do all packing and unpacking away from your bedroom. Store your luggage away from your bed when traveling. At home store in a garage, attic, or basement. NEVER IN YOUR CLOSET. How you can tell if you have been bit by bed bugs, you will have bites similar to mosquitos. That is the only similarity. Bed bugs feed on you in straight lines, following your veins. The bites would not be in random sites. Usually you will find bites on your arms, since most people sleep with the arms close to their heads (source of carbon dioxide). Heat is the primary source of killing bed bugs. Should you discover bed bugs in any luggage you bring home, contact a pest control professional to inspect your home. Some companies utilize dogs to sniff for bed bugs. If the infestation is only in your luggage, some pest control companies will heat treat your luggage. Or you can throw them away (outside!) and treat yourself to new luggage. Remember, Bed Bugs have been around for a very long time and with the reduction of insecticides being introduced into our environment, the bed bug population has exploded. As for bed bugs on ships, it's possible, but any sign would be quickly taken care of. Their reputation is more valuable than say the local, independent hotel owner. I'm sure both are concerned, but the cruise industry has to keep "bad press" down to a minimum.

[JustCruiseMe]

I was in the pest control industry for 16 years and was an Associate Certified Entomologist. You are more likely to find a bed bug, in a hotel room for example, in the corners of the night stands, headboard, pictures, and drapes than in the edging of the mattress and box springs. If bed bugs are present in the mattress, that would be a sign of a heavy infestation and someone would have reported it to management. Bed bugs are attracted to the carbon dioxide you breathe out when you sleep at night. As posted before, never put your suitcase on any bed, whether in a hotel room or your own bed. Do all packing and unpacking away from your bedroom. Store your luggage away from your bed when traveling. At home store in a garage, attic, or basement. NEVER IN YOUR CLOSET. How you can tell if you have been bit by bed bugs, you will have bites similar to mosquitos. That is the only similarity. Bed bugs feed on you in straight lines, following your veins. The bites would not be in random sites. Usually you will find bites on your arms, since most people sleep with the arms close to their heads (source of carbon dioxide). Heat is the primary source of killing bed bugs. Should you discover bed bugs in any luggage you bring home, contact a pest control professional to inspect your home. Some companies utilize dogs to sniff for bed bugs. If the infestation is only in your luggage, some pest control companies will heat treat your luggage. Or you can throw them away (outside!) and treat yourself to new luggage. Remember, Bed Bugs have been around for a very long time and with the reduction of insecticides being introduced into our environment, the bed bug population has exploded. As for bed bugs on ships, it's possible, but any sign would be quickly taken care of. Their reputation is more valuable than say the local, independent hotel owner. I'm sure both are concerned, but the cruise industry has to keep "bad press" down to a minimum.

Do you mean inside the drawers of the nitestand? Wouldn't they have a long way to travel from the inside drawer to me on the bed? (longer the better in my book). I will say that I did smell that smell when I walked in but couldn't quite put my finger on it. It's a sweetish smell..oh gosh I am itching now...lol

[DDWW]

I don't know if this would help, but do to other reasons we bring a disposable plastic mattress cover for a cruise. They are cheap enough to throw away at the end of the cruise.

[OCruisers]

Way over 60 cruises on a variety of mass market cruise lines -- NO Bedbugs! :)

 

LuLu

~~~~

[cruisecritiquer]

Oh, I am so ick about this topic. I look for signs of bedbugs and any other bugs no matter where I stay.

 

We were all reserved at the Hilton Miami Downtown till I found out they had termites. I just cannot take the chance of taking home anything living that is not human. :eek:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1211

[cruisecritiquer]

What? There hasn't been any reports of bed bugs on Celebrity. Having fun spreading rumors? :eek:

 

Is that denial or are you being funny?

 

Bedbugs have been found on Celebrity Summit, Eclipse and I'm sure there are others. :(

[Love.II.Cruise]

Oh, I am so ick about this topic. I look for signs of bedbugs and any other bugs no matter where I stay.

 

We were all reserved at the Hilton Miami Downtown till I found out they had termites. I just cannot take the chance of taking home anything living that is not human. :eek:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1211

 

OMG!!!! Where did you get that picture! I love it! :D

[Kamlhj]

Did you mean twice a week? Sheets aren't changed twice a day.:)

Yeah, probably. I did see them changing (straightening) my bed sheets twice a day.

[Boozebabe]

#1--Put my luggage in my room

#2--Use the potty

#3--Pull back the blanket and sheets and check for bed-bugs.

 

Cruise ship or hotel--doesn't matter.

[wwcruisers]

Did you mean twice a week? Sheets aren't changed twice a day.:)

 

Yeah, probably. I did see them changing (straightening) my bed sheets twice a day.

 

Mafig is right. Most cruise lines change the linens twice a week. That means stripping off the old sheets and replacing them with clean ones. What you are talking about is making the beds and turn-down service -- which does happen mornings/evenings each day. :cool:

And, you are right about the sheets being washed thoroughly. But, the hot water they use in the laundries onboard can also wreak havoc with the clothes you that you send!

Edited August 11, 2013 by wwcruisers

[Kamlhj]

Thank you WW.

[NoobCruise]

What epidemic?

 

I've seen local news reports that many hotels in San Francisco are having real problems with bed bugs. Never seen any myself and we travel frequently, but I have seen it in the news.

[NoobCruise]

Been on 5 cruises (3 lines), & never encountered or heard of a problem. They do change the sheets twice a day & use good sanitary washing proceedures, I heard.

 

Sorry, I see that was already commented on. no need to repeat ;)

Edited August 13, 2013 by NoobCruise

[Kamlhj]

Well, I had my first case ever of bed bugs on a cruise. Happened on my recent cruise on the Grandeur of the Seas. They quickly did a thorough treatment of my cabin & I had no trouble since - even having none appear later at my home.

[SRF]

On 8/8/2013 at 12:04 AM, junetraveler2014 said:

Motels and hotels from Canada to Florida have been experiencing the critters. People are advised to check for brown spots at corners of the mattress, don't use drawers (keep clothes in bag on luggage rack), remove bedspeads, fold and put in closets and finally check yourself for red marks on skin. All this info is on the internet just look up bed bug epidemic. All the bug companies are very active in bed bug removal. They cause an awful lot of problems and ridiculous to get rid of.

 

Sorry, but none of those things will prevent the bed bugs from getting into your things.  They are insects, they do move around.

 

However, I travel a lot and never have run into them.

 

The big problem in the past was that the only way to treat a place for them was heat.  And that is complicated.  But now there are bed bug specific chemical treatments, which makes them much easier to deal with.

Edited December 28, 2018 by SRF

[SRF]

On 8/8/2013 at 3:47 PM, BruceMuzz said:

 

Actually it is exactly the opposite.

Most land-based hotels are lucky to hit 50% occupancy at anytime during the year.

Hotel rooms often go for weeks or months without being occupied by anyone.

 

All the major cruise lines are requiring 100% occupancy every day and week of the year.

Popular ships and itineraries are running anywhere from 120% to 140% occupancy, depending on family holidays. So in addition to beds being at risk for bedbugs, there are also many sofa-beds and folding beds at risk as well.

 

Even if a ship is doing 3, 4, or 7 day cruises (with the same people in a cabin for the entire cruise) the actual number of different people occupying a cruise ship bed over the course of a year is higher than for a land-based hotel.

 

What hotels are you staying at?

 

I know a lot of hotels run much higher occupancy rates.

 

And most people in hotels are there for a few nights, occasionally a week.

Edited December 28, 2018 by SRF