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Original poster

How to not bring back bed bugs

26 replies

HellNoBedBug · 27/09/2023 23:47

DH has what to me looks like 2 bedbug bites. One on his lower abdomen and one on his hip. Hard to tell over video call. He is staying in a hotel for work.

If it is this,, how likely is he to bring them home. Will they be on him/his clothes or just the suitcase? Any tips or tricks to stop the invading your home? I’ve asked him to check the mattress before he leaves so we’ll know if there are any, but not sure if he will or will remember/can be bothered.

OP posts:
JuvenileEmu · 28/09/2023 00:04

Yes, bed bugs can be absolutely brought home in luggage. I would recommend not allowing his suitcase into your house until you've checked it very carefully

Signed: a person who didn't do this and had a nightmare having the whole house fumigated. Bed bugs are really the insects from hell.

PuffTheMagicDragQueen · 28/09/2023 00:47

If it is bed bug bites then there's a good chance they'll hitch a lift home with him in suitcase and/or clothing. When we encountered bedbugs, we quarantined suitcases and rucksacks and shoes in garage and washed clothes at 60 degree wash - heat kills them and their eggs. They are hardy little buggers and they can live for an insanely long time without a blood feed.

Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 09:36

Will they be in the clothes he’s wearing or just the clothes and shoes in the suitcase? Will they drop off him into the car?
will I be able to see them in the suitcase?

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Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 09:37

Hmm, had forgotten about his work rucksack which will be say on the floor. Don’t know how to wash that one as that won’t fit in the washing machine

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Beamur · 28/09/2023 09:46

Does fly spray work on bed bugs?
I'd put the rucksack in a black bin bag and either spray insecticide or get a fogging bomb and toss that in there. Not in the house - garden or garage maybe?

Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 09:50

Beamur · 28/09/2023 09:46

Does fly spray work on bed bugs?
I'd put the rucksack in a black bin bag and either spray insecticide or get a fogging bomb and toss that in there. Not in the house - garden or garage maybe?

Oh that’s a good shout actually with the bin bag and fly spray. I’m guessing spray like raid/or fly and wasp killer is all the same stuff and safe for humans afterwards if it says you can use it indoors? Take out laptop or leave that in there as they can hide in that under keys etc or fabric only??

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mindutopia · 28/09/2023 10:09

I was actually at a hotel last week and got some bed bug bites. I know them because dh and I lived abroad and our entire building got them once and it was absolute hell, so I am super hypervigilant about them. All clothing in a bin liner and into the freezer for at least 4 days. Then wash on 60C hot wash. Anything that would need dry cleaning, I don't know. I'd hang outside somewhere (garage?) and deal with it at a future time. My luggage is just a bag, so currently that is also outside in an outbuilding and will also go in freezer eventually and then be washed. If a suitcase, I would look to either bin it or get it sprayed, as not worth the risk. Bed bug bites tend to go in a row, 2-4 at a time in one spot. If not this, quite possibly just a mosquito bite, but again not worth the risk.

LucyAnnTrent · 28/09/2023 10:12

If he only has two bites, it's probably not bed bugs, as you usually get lots of bites, in lines or clusters.

Where is the hotel? If it's somewhere warm/near standing water, could they be mosquito bites? In which case, you probably won't need to do anything as they are very unlikely to come home with him in his luggage.

MegBusset · 28/09/2023 10:14

When in the hotel: put suitcases / dirty clothes on the bathroom floor (they don’t like water). Never ever on the bed or carpet. check in seams of mattress and look for telltale blood spots on sheets and mattress.

When back home: straight into the freezer for a few days. Hot wash everything.

Bed bug bites do tend to go in a row.

Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 10:47

Thanks. We thought no as they weren’t in a row, but they looked like the internet told me they would and a few places said occasionally you would only get one. He is one for putting dirty clothes in the floor in hotels. It is by a lake, maybe just mosquitos. But it’s the kind of thing you don’t want to risk if there’s any doubt so will try and freeze clothes and wash them and deal with the suitcase. Are they obvious to see?

Will they be on him/the clothes he is wearing or just the suitcase and clothes?

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Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 11:46

He’s on blood thinners so was reading the line is where they keep trying until they can get blood, but he’s far easier to get blood from!

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Augustus40 · 28/09/2023 12:53

Even your wheelie bin may have bed bugs in it if you end up throwing luggage away. It is recommended to not assume they have left the bin for 6 months! I didn't wash my black wheelie bin for 9 months I was so freaked.

Make sure all his shoes remain outside. Use disposable gloves. Send him straight up to hot shower by going upstairs naked wearing flip flops. He must wash his hair very thoroughly and all his body. When ds caught them this is what we did!

Oddly enough no washing shrank and I tumble dried it all too.

gotomomo · 28/09/2023 13:23

If you have hard flooring in your kitchen/utility empty the suitcase there, even better do it in the garden. They are sneaky creatures so do not let him empty his case onto the bed!

SirenSays · 28/09/2023 13:31

Has he told the hotel and moved rooms? I'm not sure about in the UK but some will hotels offer to treat luggage for bedbugs he got them from their hotel

InTheRainOnATrain · 28/09/2023 13:42

Seems much more likely they’re just mozzie bites if he’s by a lake and only has 2 that are not together. Also bed bugs are visible to the naked eye, maybe not instantly apparent, but if you go looking you should be able to see them or the black dots of their poop (sorry gross!) on stuff like white bedding. My DH had a similar episode of paranoia once and it was thankfully mosquitoes.

If it is bed bugs though then the tumble dryer on high hear is apparently the best way to kill them. If stuff needs washing first on full cycle at 60 degrees. Anything that won’t withstand that I’d be inclined to cut my losses and chuck it unless it’s a very expensive suit or something.

PencilsInSpace · 28/09/2023 13:46

Do not attempt to self-treat with chemical pesticides. They're immune to pretty much anything you can buy yourself and are far more likely to get pissed off and scatter than they are to die.

Unpack outside / in the garage and everything straight into a 60 deg wash or the freezer.

Get some Cimexa and watch a few YT videos for how to apply it (very sparingly). You can pre-treat your beds before he arrives so if the worst happens and you do get a small infestation they will be dead within a few days. The powder stays active indefinitely - i.e. until you hoover it up. It's safe around children and pets and, because it works mechanically, they don't develop immunity.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ROCKWELL-CXID032-CimeXa-Insecticide-Rockwell/dp/B0085HRWI8/

OlizraWiteomQua · 28/09/2023 13:56

Yes he will amost certainly bring them home.

After leaving the accommodation he should just throw away anything that isn't particularly worth the below rigmarole.

Anything that he wants to keep should be wrapped in plastic until it's decontaminated - smooth plastic is the one substance thr bastards can't cling to.

it all needs to be either washed at a very hight temperature or deep-frozen for at least 4 days at -20C or lower. Am ordinary domestic freezer may not be cold enough.

It's not just fabrics that should be considered contaminated. Eggs could be anywhere.

Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 14:59

Thanks. I think he thought it was a bit overkill when i was talking about quarantining everything.
@OlizraWiteomQua only got domestic freezer so will do 4 days in there and then the wash and tumble dry.

@PencilsInSpace so if we put his work bag in a bin bag and sprayed inside it with wasp killer and sealed it that won’t kill them?

@SirenSays he checked out this morning so didn’t ask to move rooms.

im not sure how much of a check he would have done I the room. And maybe if it was a new infestation, like the person before had left 1 new bed bug that might explain the few bites. As 1 then becomes hundreds etc. They’ve got to start out somewhere 😂

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Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 15:00

@OlizraWiteomQua you mention smooth plastic, can they climb the walls of a bath if say you put shoes in there for a few days?

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Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 15:15

Have ordered some cimexa powder and little plastic dish traps to stand the bed frame legs in thanks @PencilsInSpace

How far do they walk? So say bag comes in down stairs do they know humans are in bed upstairs? Can they smell us? How far can they climb/walk? How far do they travel each night?

the video I watched about cimexa that guy said he dismantled his bed and still couldn’t find them

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PencilsInSpace · 28/09/2023 16:15

so if we put his work bag in a bin bag and sprayed inside it with wasp killer and sealed it that won’t kill them?

No, probably not. You might kill one if the spray directly hits it but they like to hide in nooks and crannies.

PencilsInSpace · 28/09/2023 16:36

only got domestic freezer so will do 4 days in there and then the wash and tumble dry.

I wouldn't bother with the freezer, just wash or tumble dry at at least 60.

can they climb the walls of a bath if say you put shoes in there for a few days?

They can't climb the walls of a bath but they can easily stay hidden in the seams of a shoe for longer than a few days. One trick you can try (also useful for electrical items) is place items in the bath and use a hairdryer - high heat, low air flow - directed into all the little hiding places. If there's anything in there, the heat will make them scurry out.

How far do they walk?

They can walk quite some way. They will certainly find their way up to your beds from downstairs. However, most of the time they don't travel very far at all. They like to live in groups in what are called harbourages, so for a small infestation they usually only occupy one or two spots a couple of inches across, somewhere on the matress or bedframe, possibly behind a headboard or in a bedside table - in any case, within a few feet of where someone sleeps. This is also where they will almost invariably lay their eggs.

They're attracted by CO2 so can sense people's exhalations when they're asleep. They only need to feed every few nights so most of the time they just stay in the harbourage with their mates. Occasionally one will wander further afield and set up a new harbourage or hitch a ride in some luggage.

So your DH is very unlikely to bring home more than one or two, but all it takes is one pregnant female ...

Original poster
HellNoBedBug · 28/09/2023 18:00

Thanks for your help, really appreciate it.

Have got a couple of insect fogger/spider bombs we could use with the suitcase in the garage but I guess they wouldn’t work as some are resistant to permethrin?

Can they climb walls, I’m guessing wooden bed frames. What about metal ones? Never really crossed my mind before staying in holiday accommodations etc as assumed people would check/say something if they for bitten so it wouldn’t be an issue

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PencilsInSpace · 28/09/2023 18:33

Yes they can climb walls and wooden bed frames. Metal - it probably depends how smooth it is.

They are largely resistant to permethrin so foggers/bombs are unlikely to work.

There used to be a really helpful forum called Bedbugger but it closed - I think they're all on Reddit now:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Bedbugs/

For now I would say don't panic.

You don't even know if your DH's bites are from bed bugs. It's not possible to tell just from the bites. Sometimes they bite in a line, sometimes not. Some people get massive reactions, others don't react at all.

Even if they are bedbug bites, it's very far from certain that he will bring them home.

If he does bring them home then it will only likely be one or two and if you take precautions (cimexa, hot washes) then they should not take hold.

booksandbrooks · 29/09/2023 01:53

I stayed somewhere with bed bugs for 1 night. I saw one in the night too but Id read reviews that said the hotel had them so had laid on top of a towel on the bed and barely slept. My kid slept though. I didn't know to do any of this stuff and didn't bring them back. It was years ago now.
Good luck!