Has anyone experienced or heard of getting "Bed bugs"??

[laohann]

:eek: This is gross! I am taking a cruise in Europe next month and I am worried about getting them.

Has anyone heard about them on any ship? Or any advice?:eek:

[Sue L]

they can be at hotels too and they are all over the world.

[trixietx]

I haven't, never even thought about it.

[djmutters]

New York City has been riddled with bedbug infestations since the early 21st century. Bedbugs have found their way into hotels, schools, and even hospital maternity wards. In 2004, New York City had 377 bedbug violations. However, in the five-month span from July to November 2005, 449 violations were reported in the city, an alarming increase in infestations over a short period of time.

[Arizona Laura]

Oh no not a bed bug thread again!!!

I hate when someone brings out the pics and the stories of being bitten.

I stay at hotels that are recommended by CC most of the time now.

I do check for them though.

Laura

[Gracie115]

I'm in the hotel business..here's how you can tell if a bed is likely to be infested with bed bugs. Look for little dots of brown on the mattress, I mean pin head size, they are dried blood, also look in the cording that runs around the seams of the mattress, lastly look between the mattress and box spring and on the seams of the box spring, if you find nothing in those spots then chances are there is no infestation. It takes about 3 minutes to do it all ... if you're worried about it ... should help relieve the worry, anyway... cause when a room has them it is EXTREMELY difficult to get rid of them!!!!!:eek:

[yogimax]

Never heard of it on a ship, although I'm sure happens on a rare occasion. Cleanliness is supreme

[ziggypup]

Never heard of it on a ship, although I'm sure happens on a rare occasion. Cleanliness is supreme

 

Neither have I.

[sillysailor 1955]

:eek: This is gross! I am taking a cruise in Europe next month and I am worried about getting them.

Has anyone heard about them on any ship? Or any advice?:eek:

 

Check ***************** for sanitation reports, ratings, etc. It will be very enlightening:eek:

[Sue L]

Neither have I.

 

 

 

there was a thread on here last year or so about someone getting bit. Cleanliness has nothing to do with it. Some of the swankiest 5 star hotels have had infestations.

[Mark]

I heard places like NYC became infested due to the high percentage of international travelers...read that bed bugs have always been a problem in Europe and the bed bugs in NYC arrived from Europe!!!

[onevacationlover]

Scratch...I'm starting to itch:p

 

Sounds gross to even check for them..I'll give that job to hubby:D

[gerif]

Gracie is absolutely correct in how to look for an infestation - and, yes, it can be in the nicest of hotels. There was a big article in our local paper just last week on the magnitude of the current investation all over the place and how to be vigilant as the little critters are nearly impossible to extinguish. They now even have dogs trained to find them, just like drug trained dogs.

[cb at sea]

Washington DC is having a major problem in their hotels right now...and they aren't "cheapy" places!

It really has nothing to do with "sanitation" per se...it's like head lice---even "swanky" schools get infestations!

[laohann]

Thanks for all the replies and for the information on what to look for. This has been so helpful & scary. I have been hearing a lot about them & from what I have read they are found in cleanest places. I might look for some type of spray to use on my suitecase so they do not get in there.

[sillysailor 1955]

Thanks for all the replies and for the information on what to look for. This has been so helpful & scary. I have been hearing a lot about them & from what I have read they are found in cleanest places. I might look for some type of spray to use on my suitecase so they do not get in there.

 

listen bed bugs have been around for hundred (thousands) of years... I know its gross but I think you will be AOK on a cruise - it just that folks are so much more aware of them now. Its not worth ruining your trip worrying about them;)

[wraithe]

Yet one more thing you can thank the EPA and Rachel Carson for. DDT had nearly irradicated bed bugs in the U. S. Now they're back, and getting worse. Here's a good link to some information about them: http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp. Check your luggage carefully and you should be good.

[sharpasahmarble]

I'm sure it happens more on cruise ships than we think. People wake up the next morning and attribute it to getting bit in port the previous day or a bug bite on one of the decks. Or maybe they don't realize that it is a bite at all and think they are itchy becuase they had too much sun. You never know what it is your suitcase. Maybe you stayed at a hotel the night before your cruise departed and just gave the little critter a free ride on board in your luggage.

[temple1]

Yet one more thing you can thank the EPA and Rachel Carson for. DDT had nearly irradicated bed bugs in the U. S. Now they're back, and getting worse. Here's a good link to some information about them: http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef636.asp. Check your luggage carefully and you should be good.

 

 

Good grief, by the time it was banned most insects it was used against had developed a resistance or avoidance of it. Not a very effective weapon. In addition, because the US does not use it, it is still used in other countries.

 

Plus, I doubt if anything that was as destructive to wildlife would have been approved for use around humans.

[crisp1]

I just read in the local travel section about an organic spray that comes in 2 ounce bottles ( admissable carryon) that kills and repels bedbugs. On their website there is a list of retailers that carry the product- it's called 'Rest Easy' killsbedbugsdotcom

I don't think I'll ever travel without it again :D

[mjldvlks]

Never heard of it on a ship either except maybe 2d/3d hand hearsay. But if the Captain starts his [or her] final announcement of the night with "good night, sleep tight . . . " you might want to check carefully.

[JRS2010]

As someone who has experienced them first hand they are not fun. The best way to test the bed is to pull back the sheets and check the mattress for little black dots around corners and little nooks- almost looks like the little black fuzz that might come off a sock or something. If possible, put your bags on the stands and avoid putting them on beds and chairs. I'm still not sure how mine got into my home but they were very annoying and can be very costly to get rid of.

[wgraves]

This thread makes me itch!

[nubble88]

I have never had to deal with that on any vacation I have taken. But, that is one reason why I do not like to stay in a hotel, and I have never heard of complaints on any cruise line. Scratch, scratch, scratch! Now I'm itchy!

[andrzej5914]

My job took me to just about every corner of the world in the last 9 years, Middle East, Asia including Afghanistan, Europe, Africa, South Pacific, South America. Stayed at some wonderful 5* hotels but also stayed at some basic 1 or 2* hotels. I'm talking about staying in hotels for about 180 days during any given year. Never experienced bed bugs. I have been on 4 cruise ships and 3 navy ships and never experienced bed bugs.

 

Not saying it can't happen, but my experience tells me it's not a very common occurrence.