What precaution do you take for BED BUGS?

[fisherdvm]

Often we have to stay in hotels for diving. With incidence of bed bugs exploding over the last year, what precautions are you taking?

I've seen 4 cases over the last year. Zero the last decade before this epidemic. Suggestions I've read included not putting your luggage on your hotel bed, furnitures, etc. And also, when you return home, do not put your luggage on your beds or furnitures while unpacking. They also said to store your luggages in a shed, or somewhere far away from the living quarter.

They are very hard to eradicade, and hard to find unless you know where they hide.

 

[scubagal28]

Here is a link to a news story that just ran here about bed bugs.... it has good info but will totally freak you out. They are EVERYWHERE.

WZTV FOX 17/Nashville

 

[TwoBitTxn]

Also don't store your clothes in the hotel dressers. You can do a quick inspection of your room. Look at the mattress and pull back the rolled piping. You are looking for little black/brown specs.

Sheets are required to be changed. Comforters are not. You can ask for a clean comforter.

TwoBit

 

[bent1972]

Couple of things you can do. First everything that you take with you on the trip, all clothing etc should be washed and dried for an hour or more, before you bring it in the house. I would do this at a l-mat. Any bags, luggage or anything else that can't be washed, I would put in a black garbage bag and leave in the sun for a couple of days. Everything that can't be washed or treated in the sun should be kept far away from the house for storage and stored in a strong garbage bag. Those little bastards live off blood so eventually they will die if you cut off the food source, i.e. keep them away from you and your pets.

 

[fisherdvm]

Black plastic bags in the sun sounds like a good idea. How about leaving your luggages in the car with the window up in the full sun?? Apparently the lowly permethrins still works on them.

If there are any entomologists here, I wonder if liquid sevin will work on them. It is a synthetic carbamate, I believe, so should work as well as permethrin?

 

[BKP]

Those little bastards live off blood so eventually they will die if you cut off the food source, i.e. keep them away from you and your pets.

The little buggers don't die. You can step on 'em, starve 'em, put 'em in the microwave, and they just don't die...

George Romero invented 'em...

 

[tedwhiteva]

The little buggers don't die. You can step on 'em, starve 'em, put 'em in the microwave, and they just don't die...

George Romero invented 'em...

I believe breathing compressed gas at at least two atmospheres in a wet environment also works.

 

[dkktsunami]

I drink Jack Daniels and there ain't no bugs on me .............

 

[Don Wray]

I just sleep tight, that way they don't bite

 

[woodsandwatertoo]

Anybody ever watch VERMINATORS on Discovery Channel? They had to remove bed bugs.