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Currently in Jakarta. Arrived about 36-hours ago (1am Saturday morning) and while riding the shuttle to my first hotel (Sheraton) near the airport felt an itch on my forearm. Thought I might have been bitten by a mosquito, but didn't notice any. Check in and settled into the hotel. Had a good sleep but felt more itchy spots and discovered more bites along my arm and back.

Can only think of three possible places where I might have been "attacked": first overnight hotel (Wednesday), my business class seat (AA, ORD-NRT) or my economy class seat (JL, NRT-CGK). Have checked the underwear/socks I was wearing on the flight but no trace of bugs, same with slacks and shirt. And the bag these "dirty" items were placed in my suitcase. All negative.

According to wikis on the subject, welts start to appear several hours after bites actually made, so couldn't have happened at home before departure on this trip. Pretty sure the bites originated at one of these three places, but should I contact these three operators and advise them of a possible infestation? (Not seeking compensation, but just want to save others from the discomfort...) Likeliest source would appear to be the JL seat since no itches on the AA flight nor in the lounge waiting for that flight at NRT.

fwoomp

The bites can appear up to 14 days later; they are more likely to appear sooner if you have been exposed to bedbugs previously.

As far as plane or hotel, yes, you could have gotten them on the plane. (That appears to be how my husband brought them home--he contacted the hotel. Staff there were very helpful and the process of inspection very transparent, but they didn't find anything.)

They are pretty good at hiding--they could be in an inaccessible (to you) part of your bag, or in your shoes. Or you may not have brought them home.

fwoomp

As someone who's been through the resulting trouble, thanks!

JDiver

You never know - I got a Sarcoptes scabei mites infestation (scabies! ) from an airplane seat once.

Third world busses, even shared taxis and matatus and the like, can get you some many-legged, blood sucking corporeal hitch hikers. And these days, even the best hotels can experience bed bugs.

DirtyDan

I was in a similar situation a couple years ago where I could see five distinct bite patterns but, due to travel, couldn't pin-point the location of the attack: two on my right ankle, one on my left ankle and one track along each side of my waist - all places that would have been exposed during a lengthy flight (FRA-->KIX in a C seat). They were so itchy!

I still think my attack happened on the plane because: 1) I always check my hotel rooms and 2) It was only I that was bitten despite sharing the sheets with Mrs. Dirty throughout our entire trip.

Once I saw the tracks on my body I knew to wash everything and spray down my luggage. I'm lucky I didn't transport them home.

sxytxn

Bed bugs are nasty little creatures.I got attacked in Hong Kong and Pakistan by these things.
Hotel and or long bus rides were the culprit.

All you can do is sanitize everything..

RogerMurdock

I'm curious. What do you suggest as the proper way to sanitize your suspect luggage/suitcase? Do you place it in a chest freezer for a few days?

seekinghelp

I think you can freeze them or kill them with heat. Nasty little critters.

gobluetwo

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/rid-b...age-63907.html

With the temperatures in Chicago lately, killing these suckers would be a no-brainer!

txflyer77

I found a bed bug last night at a guesthouse in Penang. Just one running across the sheet. At least I think it was a bed bug, based on what I read it could've been a bat bug. I looked online for instructions on searching the room for others and didn't find any signs. No little blood marks on the sheets or anything like that.

I immediately checked out and went to another place (which I was planning on doing anyways). I bagged up all my clothes in garbage bags and took them straight to a 24-hour laundromat and washed everything in hot water and went over every inch of my suitcase with an LED flashlight.

It's been >24 hours since I slept in that bed, no signs of bites yet, though I realize it could be days before any show up.

I've never had to deal with this before. I'd really like to not have to toss everything. I'm most worried about my suitcase (Red Oxx Air Boss). The hot water wash should've killed any stragglers on my clothes at least.

I never put my bag on the bed, but it was somewhat near it. Since I live in Colorado I plan on wrapping my suitcase in garbage bags and leaving it outside for a few nights when I get home, hopefully the cold at night will kill anything. Also going to give it a good scrub.

Is there anything else I should do? Am I overreacting since I only saw one bug and no other signs?

RogerMurdock

Sounds like a good plan to me txflyer77. I don't think you can be cautious enough.

txflyer77

I certainly agree.

It's been a fully 24 hours since I discovered that bug and I reinspected everything tonight and still don't see any signs of bed bugs in my luggage. I'm cautiously optimistic.

Ironically, just before leaving I had a conversation about this with a coworker who is also extensively traveled, and both of us agreed that despite many nights in cheap SE Asia guesthouses, we'd never encountered bed bugs.

Talking about jinxing yourself...

Hengilas

Yikes...will be following this for updates txflyer! I have some sort of deep-rooted paranoia of this and your experience sounds like a minor nightmare. I remember when I stayed in NYC one night and had just read a NYTimes article about bed bugs..phantom itches all night resulted in a terrible sleep.

txflyer77

So far, nothing new. I found one bite near my knee today but I'm fairly certain it was a mosquito bite. Last night I did find a row of three on my neck but my hope is that those came from the one night I spent in the bed I found the bug in. They don't itch though. Apparently it can take a few days for the bites to show up.

No other signs of any bed bugs yet. I've been checking every morning for blood spots on my sheets and bed bug excrement, haven't found any.

I've also been rechecking my suitcase, going through all the seems with a flashlight to try and flush them out. Haven't seen any signs there yet either.

I remain cautiously optimistic.

bedbugger.com has been a good resource. Apparently leaving the bag in the cold won't really do anything but I contact the manufacturer and they said it's safe to steam clean this bag so I'm going to do that when I get home. I'll bundle it up in a garbage bag and take it straight to my shower and take care of it there. That way it'll be easy to spot any escapees.

My hope is that the one bug I saw was just a straggler from a past guest and not a sign of a full-blown infestation.

txflyer77

Well, ten days on and no signs of bugs. I did find a professional in Boulder who can treat my luggage with a steam cleaner.

I'm actually thinking about buying one of these bed bug "ovens" that can fit an entire suitcase. Only about $200. Seems like it might be a decent investment.