Bed Bugs and Mites

[arlene905]

Does anyone know if AOS replaced there mattresses lately. I just read that someone was on the carnival Spirit that had bed bugs. :eek: That would be terrible to get bit all up on your cruise.

 

arlene

[Nliedel]

Most cruise ships do not whole hog change their matteresses, it's expensive. Most cruise ships do not have bedbugs, but they can happen in any hotel.

[Happy ks]

I haven't read of any recent bed bug attacks. There was a couple this year, one on Jewel and perhaps the one you mention. Remember, there are thousands of people who cruise every week, so the chance of this happening is very minimal. I'm not sure that replacing the mattresses would do the trick, the bed bugs hide in the carpet, under the baseboard, in the headboards. If there are any, they need to exterminate and get rid of all the bugs, a new mattress would just be re-infested. From what I've read in the news, the problem is more significant in hotels.

 

Any bed bug specialists out there?

[samdham]

:mad: I don't know the answer to your question, but just the title made me all itchy! :)

[dk4537]

Hi guys,

I'm an exterminator by trade and this pest is prolific. Before occupying the room, do a visual inspection of the mattress, box springs, headboard,etc. These bugs are easily visible to the naked eye and especially after a "blood meal." I haven't heard of any incidents aboard cruise ships yet, but these guys are easily transported in luggage, carry-ons, etc. With the popularity of pre packages at hotels, it would be very easy to give these little beasts a ride aboard. A visual inspection before and after travelling is imperative. Hope this helps- Hope you sleep tight and...well you know the rest! Enjoy your trips and I'll be inspecting my room aboard the NCL Spirit to Alaska on 7-30-05. :D Dk

[Coolcruise02]

Is there anything you can spray (like Lysol) that would kill them?

[Cotton]

:D I'm a Lysol kinda gal. I take a can with me on each cruise. I spray the carpeting, bedding, bathrooms, closets, drawers. Before you laugh, I really don't OVER DO it....just a quick spray. Makes me feel better anyway.

[Nicki_p100]

There was an article in the newspaper (Toronto Star) that said the best way to rid a mattress of bed bugs is to use a high pressure steam machine. There is no spray that is effective- that is one reason they are so hard to get rid of. The main problem is how mobile people are. It can happen anywhere people sleep, check your hotel too. From the web: "They are also found under mattresses, floorboards, paintings and carpets, behind skirting, in various cracks and crevices of walls, within bed frames and other furniture, and behind loose wallpaper. Bed bugs tend to stay in close contact with each other and heavy infestations are accompanied by a distinctive sweet sickly smell. Blood spotting on mattresses and nearby furnishings is often a tell tale sign of an infestation". I have heard that an infestation is easy to spot- or rather smell, it is instantly apparent there is a problem as the scent is so common.

I also heard that bed bugs are geotropic- they can only travel up, or opposite to gravity. So top floors are more likely to have bed begs as they move upward. DK can you confirm this?

[arlene905]

Thanks guys,

 

I'll make sure I bring my can of Lysol just sraying it around might make me feel alittle better also, even if it doesn't do anything. I"ll have to keep my fingers crossed hoping that there isn't any in my room :eek: .

 

ARLENE

 

 

[joleda]

Cripes>>>> I don't think I

m going to sleep anywhere, anytime. anyplace, ever! Just stay up! Dam bugs!

[smudge's mom]

if you dwell on them, you won't leave your house.

 

Heck, I can't live in my house either - I've battled mice, ants, etc. etc. etc.

 

We can't escape, so why even think about it.

 

However, after reading the long thread about bedspreads, I do have the bedspread removed on the first day and stored away for the duration. I'm not hysterical about things, but this is an easy thing to do.

[Sunrunner3]

Now I want to scratch after reading this!!!!

[arlene905]

smudge"s mom

Do you mean you have them remove the bedspread for the duration of your trip or do you do it your self??? Yep I remember reading about the bedspread.:eek:

ARLENE

[creek42]

this day and time, bed bugs are about as likely to happen as a yellow fever out break! I think it was a scam....if you will notice, that couple received a full complete refund! there was no complaints from previous passengers occuping that same cabin....can't happen over night!

[Nliedel]

Lysol will not kill bedbugs.

[arlene905]

we know lysol won't kill bed bugs.:D

[smudge's mom]

I merely asked the steward to make my bed without using the bedspread. I thought he had removed the bedspread from the room, but found it was being stored under the bed.

 

Actually, the removal of the bedspread was more a convenience factor than a hygiene factor. Bedspreads get in the way of napping. LOL

[vmom]

I've seen these devices that you plug in and emit a high frequency sound wave that is supposed to keep bugs and other pests away.

 

Would something like that keep bedbugs away?

 

Also, I've read about the bedspreads and blankets. They don't get washed that often. How do you deal with that? It gets cold without a blanket.

[smudge's mom]

Most of the hotels/cruislines put a top sheet both under and over the blanket. That works for me.

 

As I mentioned, I don't put that much thought in it - but if there are simple things I can do, I'll do it. If it's a hassle, I won't.

 

I'm more upset when I go into a hotel room and find they've sprayed deodorizer all over. One time, we left a hotel at 2:00 in the morning and found another hotel - all because the deodorizer burned my throat and management didn't have another room - or didn't give a darn about my problem.

 

Now, when I come into a room, I do a sniff test and if I can smell deordorizer, I ask for a change of room. Hotels also have ionizers that remove the smell.

 

With the non-smoking issue - some hotels handle the problem with deodorizer - I find stale smoke easier to take than chemical smells.

 

You know - really - life's too short to worry about food poisoning, Norwalk, bed bugs, etc. Take normal precautions - and enjoy life. Americans, especially, carry some of this stuff to extremes.

[takeavacation]

I bought a small personal ionizer that I take with me when I travel - and just plug it in. It's always worked to clear the air of any little smells left over from the previous guests - you should think about getting one - it sure beats looking for a new hotel at 2am!:)

[smudge's mom]

Where did you get your ionizer and what was the cost? Sounds good to me.

[bostoncruisegal]

To many of people's questions:

 

Bed bugs can move up or down, side to side, but they do not fly. In heavily infested rooms, they will live behind picture frames, crawl down to eat, and then go back up.

 

As for this day and time, bed bugs are actually more common than twenty years ago. When extermination began, it was not specialized. They would come in, bomb places, and it would kill everything from mice to cockroaches to bed bugs. Now with such specialized extermination, only certain poisons will kill certain bugs. The result is that bugs that were thought to be gone have slowly come back and bed bugs are one of them. They are one of the hardest bugs to get rid of and require extensive work.

 

There have been some outbreaks recently, especially in apartments in cities such as NY and Boston.

 

And yes, many people can sleep in a room with bed bugs and never notice. People have varying reactions to them. Some get painful, itchy bites, while others get bites very similar to mosquito bites or have no reaction at all. People can even sleep in the same bed and only one get bitten.

 

The sticky sweet smell only comes in a very infested room. When they are born they are the size of a poppy seed, and as an adult they are the size of an apple seed. Very flat, and brownish/red in color.

 

The one positive is that they do not carry any sort of disease.

 

To get them out of mattresses, steam cleaning is an option as well as vacuuming (HEPA approved) and sealing your mattress in vinyl for one year, which causes any that survived to die as they cannot go that long without feeding. If you notice in dorms and places like that, the mattresses are always sealed in vinyl.

 

If you are worried to be safe do inspect your room on arrival. Note blood spots, especially around mattress corners and bed skirts. During your stay if you feel that you have bitten or just want to be extra safe, when you get home take all your clothes out in the garage, outside, etc., vacuum your bag (if you are very worried, the best vacuums are HEPA approved), seal and throw out the vacuum bag, wash all your clothes in hot water and dry on hot, and throw shoes/purses/etc in the dryer for a few minutes or in a sealed garbage bag in your trunk if its the summer or winter (as extreme hot or cold can kill these creatures.)

 

As for those high-frequence things that you plug in, they do not work on bed bugs, they really don't work at all. Or else the mice in my apartment are just special.

 

Sorry for the long post, unfortunately I have become a bed bug expert recently and trust me it's not something I wish I knew about. Sorry if you're itching as you read this, I know I am.

[arlene905]

Bostoncruisegal,

Thanks for the information on bed bugs.I guess we"ll have to deal with it when and where we run into those :eek: little critters. Been on two cruises haven"t ran into any yet and hope not too soon either.

[vmom]

Thanks for all the good info. I hope its info I never need to use, but it sure helps to be informed. Thanks!!!