bed bugs

[JennK13]

I'll just hope all of his work here is in hotels too!

haha! nope, it's all residential - from Cherry Hills Village and the Pinery to Colfax. No one is safe!

And, no, 24 hours isn't enough time to do anything about them. After a job, my DH will spray himself down and disrobe his uniform in the garage before coming inside, then straight up to shower.

Also, don't think they only live in mattresses/couches. They can live in wood, too, so simply hanging your clothes in a wooden armoire won't protect you if there's an infestation. The good news - back in CA, the one to two bed bug jobs he did were in hotels. Here, the several a week he does are all residences - like I said, college kids coming home with them from buying used furniture, people picking stuff up on craigslist, people bringing them home from their OUT OF COUNTRY travels (most hotels here are pretty good about staying cleaning and taking care of problems).

[sundial]

When we were vacationing in NM I woke up one morning with a bed bug making its way up my sheet. It is shaped like a lady bug so it's easy to spot. I told the front desk about my plight and they had just treated the room last week for BB. They said that with the military coming home some of them are bringing the uninvited guests along for the ride.

My exterminator told me to use hot steam to kill the bugs and eggs and to look for them along the edge of the mattress and bed rails. Fortunately I didn't find any of them after we got home from our trip.

[Cataboo]

Not everyone who is bitten by bedbugs actually reacts to them. many people have no idea they have an infestation till a guest comes to stay that is allergic to them.

Bed bugs are being spread by travelers - so obviously, they're hitching rides on clothing and in luggage - so it's not unreasonable to expect them to hitch a ride in your clothing or your luggage if you've left them open on a soft surface. Bed bugs are becoming increasingly resistant to chemicals.

I do have a silk liner bag - but I'm not entirely certain why people think bed bugs won't crawl into a silk liner bag just because y ou're in it?

I know I'd be extremely upset if I had a bed bug infestation, so when I know that I have been around them, I take preventative measures. It doesn't cost me anything and it's not really all that much hard work. Just like if I have been staying with a friend or whatever that i know has roaches - I leave my suitcase & such in the shed or outside for however long and inspect very carefully before I will take it into the house.

A landlord once gave me roaches (gave me a used fridge that was infested with them) and it took me about 3 or 4 months of intensive chemical warfare before I managed to get rid of them. It wasn't fun.

[GLC1968]

Bed bugs are being spread by travelers - so obviously, they're hitching rides on clothing and in luggage - so it's not unreasonable to expect them to hitch a ride in your clothing or your luggage if you've left them open on a soft surface.

I should clarify - I understand that they DO travel by hitching a ride or they never would have spread at all. My point is that a little common sense goes a long way. If you suspect that you stayed in a place where they could (or do) live, then take precautions. My guess is that they travel to new and exciting places by accidentally ending up in suitcases/bags because they hitch a ride in clothing/sleepwear, not because they are malicious and trying to infest new homes. I would think that carrying around your own silk sleeping bag is actually inviting them to come home with you. Kind of like people carrying their own pillows when they travel - a perfect bed bug hiding place!

I think everyone should just sleep naked and shower first thing, then the bed bugs wouldn't have any place to stowaway for the ride to your home.

[badger]

and what of folks like me who don't have a garage or a shed to leave the suitcase out? I don't really have a place to spread my stuff out on white garbage bag or sheet to inspect my contents after a trip. I guess I'll just have to run the vacuum all over the outside of the case and dump the contents into the tub and sort things out that way.