Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Reader questions (do not fit into other categories)
Help!!!
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Paranoid..
newbite
Joined: Nov '08
Posts: 3offline
Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 4 2008 17:58:18
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Hi
I stayed in a five star hotel for one night last Friday night, woke up with several huge red swellings on parts of my upper body, they are classic 'Breakfast,lunch and dinner' group bites. I know from previous experience that they were not likely to be mosquito bites and I also noticed a few small lumps on my five year old daughter's face on the same day.
Upon my return home on Sunday, I did an internet image search and discovered that they were identical to bed bug bites. I visited my Gp who has since said that they are infected and I have been put on a course of antibiotics, but couldn't confirm the nature of the critters that bit me.
The bites haven't gotten any worse on me and I have no more than I left the Hotel de Critter with, however, I noticed that my daughter had another two on her leg this evening. I thought that the bites on her legs could only have come from an escapee bug and was horrified to find a juvenile bed bug when I pulled back her duvet, I have kept the specimin but am scared that there are more lurking. Are bed bugs asexual? Could it be that we came home with one and that will the end of it? Please help...
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BugsInTO
senior member
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 408offline
Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 4 2008 18:15:44
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So sorry to hear about your trip and your daughter.
Begin reading the FAQ's. It's a lot of information to take in, so try not to get overwhelmed. Did you take any precautions when bringing your stuff into the house from the hotel? If not, there may yet be things you can do to reduce the risk. Read the FAQ on travelling.
The "lone bedbug" theory is unlikely to be true. Bedbugs are male & female, and a fertilized female remains fertile for many weeks, allowing her to continue laying eggs. Eggs are very small and if any were laid in your luggage and belongings at the hotel, they will start to hatch in about 8 - 10 days.
Did you complain at the hotel and make them aware so that you can try to make a claim for damages, if necessary, and so they can treat the room? You can also report the hotel on BedBugRegistry and on Trip Advisor.
Good Luck
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parakeets
oldtimer
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 1,011offline
Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 4 2008 18:30:43
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Great answer from BugsinTO. I'm sorry this happened to you and your daughter.
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MyWorstFear
senior member
Joined: Sep '08
Posts: 610offline
Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 4 2008 18:36:19
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BugsinTO is right. Definitely get in a pco immediately so they can treat before the problem gets out of hand. While the lone male bug would be the best scenario, apparently it's the pregnant females who usually hitch a ride in/on your suitcase since they are trying to get away from other eager males. The pco who will treat your premises will probably have a checklist of things he'll want you to do, so don't start moving things around until you speak to him. I doubt your daughter will want to stay in her bedroom tonight but if someone doesn't sleep in her bed, if there are more bugs they could come looking for you and spread out. :((
What hotel, may I ask? Yes, it's no longer safer in a 5 star hotel than in a no star hotel. BB's will go anywhere and everywhere! -
Paranoid..
newbite
Joined: Nov '08
Posts: 3offline
Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 4 2008 18:36:35
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Thank you for your reply.
As soon as we got back to the flat, I emptied the luggage and washed all of the clothes within. The only thing I can think of that would have hidden the escaped bug was my daughter's teddy whom she cuddled up to during the night at the hotel and who was the only thing in the luggage not to have been put in the washing machine (rest assured, he is going round and round in there as I type!).
I read up from various sites about the life cycles of bedbugs and recognize that the bites I received at the hotel were considerably larger (and probably from adult bedbugs) than the smaller ones on my little girl and the very small bug that I found was about a millimeter in length and so would explain the smaller bites on her.
I haven't contacted the hotel as yet but rest assured I shall! I don't know if I will eligible for damages as I didn't have holiday insurance but I shouldn't like anyone else to spend 550 Euros for one night's stay in a hotel where happy memories aren't the only thing they bring home!
Many thanks for your prompt reply
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Paranoid..
newbite
Joined: Nov '08
Posts: 3offline
Posted 4 years ago
Tue Nov 4 2008 18:39:51
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The hotel in question is the Hotel Pierre in Milan. I am drafting a letter up and contacting the council's pest control first thing tomorrow morning.
My girl is staying at my sister's this evening. I couldn't bear for her to be bitten again.
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