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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2015-02-02, 11:04







I found one in my hotel a few nights ago. I came back at night, flipped on the night and the little bastard was crawling across the sheet. Killed him, grabbed all my stuff and took off for a new hotel around the corner, throwing all my clothes into a laundromat on the way. Went over every inch of my suitcase, looking in every seem to try and find the bastards. Nothing yet so far.

Before I took off I looked online about searching a hotel room for signs of bed bugs and I didn't see any other indications. I've learned more than I cared to know about finding bed bugs in hotels. I'm hoping I just found a straggler from a previous guest and that I didn't walk into a full-blown infestation. It also could've been a bat bug, there are some bats in the area.

I did find three small bumps on my neck but they don't itch. No other signs though. I've been checking my new room every morning for any signs of them feeding on me the night before, so far nothing.

Pain. In. The. Ass.

I've got another four weeks before I get home. My major fear is obviously bringing them into my apartment.

Anyone else dealt with this? Want to commiserate together?
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2015-02-02, 11:18

Burn all your things.




...
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2015-02-02, 11:53

Serioulsy. Unless your favorite thing ever is in that suitcase, my honest consideration would be to bring *none* of it back.

If you do bring any of it back, I'd relocate it to a plastic garbage bag and just put the suitcase and the entire contents inside there for about 6 months.

In the entire world of bugs, I think bedbugs are at the very top of the list of infestations I wouldn't want to have to deal with.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
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Elysium
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2015-02-02, 12:19

I routinely have to stay in hotels for weeks for work and I am always hyper vigilant about bed bugs.

I leave my bags in the car and then proceed to tear the room apart after checkin. Remove all the bedding, flip up the mattress, open all drawers and look behind all the pieces of furniture. I haven't been hit with the buggers yet. I did get nailed with a case of fleas that I dragged home from dirty Jersey. That was a real treat with two cats that had never had fleas before and just so happened to be allergic.

I also use that excuse to justify to my PMs as to why I am maxing out their hotel budget on more expensive options rather than staying in the dives.

Formerly known as cynical_rock
censeo tentatio victum
There is no snooze button on a cat.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2015-02-02, 12:50

Dude!!

Is there an online photo guide for how to turn a hotel room upside down?

That would be interesting to see.



...
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2015-02-02, 13:20

Drew: I think Van Halen published a guide to turning hotel rooms upside down, circa 1980. The ISBN escapes me. I used to have it memorized along with all other Van Halen knowledge.


Cursed bed bugs. As far as I know we haven't encountered any in our road trips, but we always turn the corners of the covers and sheets / padding back to see if there are any in there, check the pillows, etc. What I worry about is the chairs because you can't fricking see anything on the dark upholstery. I wonder if there is like a CSI "black light test" you can use to see bed bugs, without seeing semen stains all over your room.

The worst thing about bed bugs / lice / fleas... the second I start thinking about them, my scalp starts to itch. It's the worst. more

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean the little fuckers aren't out to get me.

...into the light of a dark black night.
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Ebby
Subdued and Medicated
 
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2015-02-02, 13:29

Last hotel I stayed at I found a couple bumps on my shoulder and bedbugs crossed my mind. I keep suitcases/clothes away from the bed and have not had any trouble at home. *knock on wood* I found one bug in my bed years ago but it didn't look like a bedbug at all. Sucked it up in a vacuum and never had a problem since.

I definitely have too many hiding places in my room so reeeeally hope that never happens.

^^ One more quality post from the desk of Ebby. ^^
SSBA | SmockBogger | SporkNET
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Dr. Bobsky
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: UK's most densely packed city. It's not London...
 
2015-02-02, 14:54

I know I am tempting an IP ban for re-registering to address this question, but since I do have experience with bedbugs and have gotten rid of them I thought I would chime in this once. Admins (Brad) feel free to ban me again, but please allow this post.

So bed bugs are awful. My roommates in Oxford brought them into our flat, and over the course of several months, I went from having itchy toes to forearms and ankles covered in glowing bites. My response to them was extreme (some fraction of the population are not sensitive to their bites, I was not so lucky) -- I still have slowly healing scars on my ankles (2 years later). The only way I could get rid of the itch was taking scalding showers at work every 3 hours. The only way I could prevent bites at night was to change my sheets, open my window (it was the middle of winter), and turn on a fan. This worked enough to get the number of bites down from several dozen a night to a few, and slowed the bedbugs down enough that I was able to systematically get rid of them before I moved.

So a few things to consider:

1) No bag, book, clothing item that has been in the presence of bed bugs is safe. Period. Accepting this is important.

2) Washing clothing does nothing. You have to cook it in a drier in a laundromat (far away from your house), wrap it in trash bags at the laundromat, open it in a high place in your room preferably away from walls and on a piece of furniture with metal legs. As soon as it is open, assume everything inside is contaminated.

3) Bed bugs can travel on clothing you are wearing, but it is unlikely. I only once was bitten during the day and that was because I wore a fleece that I had left on my floor the night before. Bedbugs decamp from you near dawn, and will only bite during the day if the opportunity presents itself.

4) Bags and books are their preferred travel implements. Burn 'em. With books you can maybe systematically go through and check for larva/adults on every single page, but honestly, it's not worth the risk that you might miss one. Unless you can cook your bag, toss it with a bold warning about bedbug contamination. It is not worth the risk that one pregnant female is carried in that bag. Not at all worth it.

5) Now that you are paranoid, good. Everything you want to keep needs to be carefully checked and double bagged (triple or quadruple if you want to systematically investigate them later). Waiting 6 months is not long enough. The adults can survive for up to 18 months without feeding. 18 months. If you do need something from the bag, I recommend opening it far away from your apartment in a setting with a hard floor and limited human foot traffic. Carefully check what you need, and reseal everything else in the bag for the remainder of the 18 months.

6) The buggers are sneaky. They will hide in places that you will not think to look. Everything that has been in a room with a bed bug should be considered infested unless you've done something to kill them (cooking laundry) or carefully checked every surface and hiding spot.

Since you are still traveling, it means that you have a chance to both leave behind the bugs at one of your hotels (it's a shitty thing to do, but you've got little control) and pick more up. My best suggestion is to really decide whether you want to keep everything you've been traveling with, and pare this list down to things you can deal with like clothing or cannot like bags and books (these can be separated and stored in bags for 18+ months, and then carefully examined)...

These things are awful. Even after you have gotten rid of them, you feel phantom bites months after the fact. There is a bedbug psychosis associated with the paranoia and sensation of being infested. They really truly are not worth it. I will say: bites on shoulders are odd, they tend to go first for finger tips and toes as well as the interface between shirt and underwear...

Hope this helps!
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2015-02-02, 15:49

Just an aside.

6 months should be adequete assuming that the bags aren't being stored at cool but non-freezing temps.

Bedbugs can go longer without food when it's cool vs. hot, and have been found to live over 1.5 years under optimal conditions, but we're going for non-optimal conditions here.

Freezing is also an effective way to kill them, and quite a bit quicker than cooking depending on where you live.

Quote:
The temperature of your freezer is very important. The lower the temperature, the less time needed to kill bed bugs.0 degrees to kill bed bugs
Freezers set to 0°F are effective in killing bed bugs, but the things you are freezing must be left in the freezer for at least 4 days.
If you are worried about ensuring that temperatures are low enough, use a remote thermometer and monitor the temperature inside the items you are freezing.
0°F must be reached in the center of the materials being frozen to kill bed bugs. Bulky items require more time. Start counting the 4 day exposure time when the center of the object has reached 0°F.
Do not use temperatures above 0°F (-15°C) as eggs and small bed bugs may survive.
http://www.bedbugs.umn.edu/bed-bug-c...edbug-control/

I used to work with the guy who does the bed bug research at the U of MN. Dude scared the *hell* out of me telling me about then when I stopped by to fix his machine.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2015-02-02, 16:01

All I want to know is:

Can bed bugs on a person "jump" to another person like fleas can, or anything approximately paranoia-inducing? Are they fast? If you see one on a sheet should you try to stomp it or just wrap the sheet up and throw it in a blast furnace?

I wonder if, for those with an infestation, eating certain foods can kill them. Sabotage the little dirtbags with "poisoned" (poison to them anyway) human blood!

...into the light of a dark black night.
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Dr. Bobsky
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: UK's most densely packed city. It's not London...
 
2015-02-02, 16:12

No, bed bugs cannot jump from person to person. They even seem to have preferred feeding partners when infesting couples.

They are not particularly fast; if you see one on a sheet, you are likely going to beat the hell out of it regardless of your best intentions to fry the little guys.

Apparently scattering bean plant leaves on the ground is a functional way of capturing them...

Edit: Also fair point Alci, I assumed the worst when dealing with the bedbugs so as to not let any eventuality go unchecked...

Last edited by Dr. Bobsky : 2015-02-02 at 16:24.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2015-02-02, 16:35

You'll be looking for brown dots on sheets and around wall fixtures typically.







You see anything at all like this and you should bail.

Google is your frenemy.
Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
I tend to interpret things in the way that's most hilarious to me
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2015-02-02, 19:50

Oh man that's awesome advice on the electical outlets, etc. I would never think to look there. Obviously drawn to the electrical field / hum or something like that?
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2015-02-02, 19:54

I don't think I'm going to go as far as trashing all my stuff. From what I've read, drying on hot will kill both the bugs and the eggs. Fortunately I have no books since I use a Kindle.

The suitcase is the primary concern but I can take steps to deal with that before I get home. I'm going to order some passive traps for my bed so I can set those up immediately, that way even if one gets into my apartment, they won't reach my bed. None of my stuff will go into my unit, fortunately the laundry room is right by the entrance so I'm going to leave everything there while it gets cleaned and inspected.

It's actually a pretty nice suitcase so I'm thinking about contacting an exterminator, apparently professionals can treat luggage fairly easily. Either that or just freezing it. I have a good freezer with plenty of space for both my suitcase and my laptop bag. It claims to get down to 0 but I'll throw a thermometer in there. That said, I still haven't seen any signs of bugs in my bag.

Looking at alci's photos (and photos on all sorts of bed bug sites), I didn't see anything like that in the room where I found the bug. Just one bug, no signs of any others, which gives me the slight hope that the hotel itself wasn't infested. Still taking precautions though.
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2015-02-02, 20:09

Another good place to look in hotels is (apparently) underneath picture / painting frames on the wall, near the bed. Evidently they like to hide in tight spaces.
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Elysium
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2015-02-02, 20:29

Quote:
Originally Posted by Moogs View Post
Oh man that's awesome advice on the electical outlets, etc. I would never think to look there. Obviously drawn to the electrical field / hum or something like that?
Not only that, the conduit running room to room serves dual purposes.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2015-02-03, 10:09

Found a pest control company in Denver that can steam-clean all my stuff. I'm arranging to go there before even taking any of my stuff inside.

Apparently the bastards die at 113F so heat is a reliable way to kill the live bugs and the eggs.

Knowing I have a solid solution waiting for me at home takes a lot of the stress away. Plus, still no sign that the bugs followed me from that first guesthouse.

I'm sure a few whiskey buckets in Thailand next week will cure me of the rest of my bug worries.
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Ebby
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2015-02-03, 14:56

Thanks a lot guys, I had a horrible bedbug dream last night. No, no bites. Just a dream.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
Join Date: May 2004
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2015-02-03, 15:20

Don't you dare bring those bastards back here!
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Mugge
Thunderbolt, fuck yeah!
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Denmark
 
2015-02-03, 16:14

This thread is as gross as it is useful.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2015-02-04, 11:12

Man, this is a very stressful situation.

I find a tiny little bug on my hotel desk today that looked a lot like a bed bug nymph. I of course freaked out. Fortunately I took some photos and uploaded them to the forums at bedbugger.com. Those guy saved me from a sleepless night! It's a book louse, which are common in humid climates (which I'm in) and are completely harmless to humans and don't bite.

If you ever have problems, definitely ask those guys for help. They've been fantastic.

That said, they are the ultimate example of:

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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2015-02-05, 23:20

Damn book louses. Another reason not to move to the south, or if south, then dry south.
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Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2015-02-06, 04:07

Just reinspected my luggage again, basically going over every seam with a flashlight and tweezers. Still no signs of any bugs hitching a ride with me.

Though my current hotel does have ants. I'll take ants over bedbugs any day though.
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PB PM
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, BC
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2015-02-06, 12:01

Quote:
Originally Posted by Moogs View Post
Damn book louses. Another reason not to move to the south, or if south, then dry south.
Bed bugs, and many other similar pests, don't care if you are north or south. In recent years we've had a massive influx in Vancouver. A friend of mine is a pest control company owner and said that bed bug related calls are up 200% in the past two years alone.
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Ryan
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2015-02-06, 19:15

Quote:
Originally Posted by PB PM View Post
Bed bugs, and many other similar pests, don't care if you are north or south. In recent years we've had a massive influx in Vancouver. A friend of mine is a pest control company owner and said that bed bug related calls are up 200% in the past two years alone.
Moogs was talking about book louses though, which look somewhat like bed beg nymphs but are completely harmless. They generally flock to humid climates.
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Ryan
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2015-03-17, 22:36



After treating everything I had with me but my electronics in a PackTite, I thought I'd be safe. I installed some passive monitors to be sure and after two weeks I think I may have just found a recently fed bed bug nymph. Waiting for confirmation.

The stress isn't fun at all.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
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2015-03-18, 10:03

I don't typically quote myself, but I'll just reiterate for anyone else who stumbles across this thread trying to figure out what to do.

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes
Unless your favorite thing ever is in that suitcase, my honest consideration would be to bring *none* of it back.
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Ryan
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2015-03-18, 12:42

Turns out not to be a bed beg after all. Either a bird or rodent mite, waiting for an entomologist to get back to me.
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alcimedes
I shot the sherrif.
 
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2015-03-18, 14:44

bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha.

so you pray.
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Ryan
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2015-03-18, 15:19

Quote:
Originally Posted by alcimedes View Post
bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha.

so you pray.
He identified it by my photo, I mailed it to him so he can put it under a microscope and be sure.
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