My Brothers Ex Wife's House Has Bed Bugs and We Are Going to Visit

Updated on February 24, 2012
✩.!. asks from Boulder, CO
20 answers

Do I need to be concerned? My brother just called and said his ex wife just informed him she has bed bugs in her home. Their daughter is in both homes daily. He has had an exterminator come out and gave him the all clear. We were scheduled to visit tomorrow. Do we need to worry about bringing any unwanted guests home with us?

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Featured Answers

☼.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

My only experience w/ bed bugs was meeting a fellow American traveler in Costa Rica who had contracted them there. She showed us her body; you DON'T want to go there!!!

2 moms found this helpful

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

I'd try to visit somewhere else. Bed bugs are nasty and expensive. He may have the all clear, but I'd still avoid it.

2 moms found this helpful

More Answers

F.H.

answers from Phoenix on

repeat after me: "h.o.t.e.l." Good luck!

5 moms found this helpful
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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

Do not stay there.
It will "travel" back home with you, then your home will become infected. As well.

And, your brother's home would probably get affected too, being his daughter is in both homes.

It is HIGHLY difficult, to get rid of bedbugs.
And is expensive to do so.

People also get them from staying at hotels. Then their home gets affected when they go back home.

Even if his home may be all clear, the fact is: his Ex Wife's home is not all clear and their daughter still goes back and forth between homes.

4 moms found this helpful
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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My ex's wife's son is a professional exterminator. He is making a fortune off spraying hotels and has been for about a year. It costs over $1000 per room to get rid of them.

I say stay home...but I know that people want to travel.

My question is, why do you worry if the bed bugs are not in his home but in someone esle's? Do you think they crawl around on people and get carried from person to person? I have never heard of that.

I think I would be on the computer looking up information about them for sure.

What do they look like?

Can you see them with normal eyesight?

Do they live on people and get carried from person to person?

I think that finding out the details would be more correct than from moms who are not professionals.

2 moms found this helpful

N.A.

answers from Chicago on

If I were you I would definately stay at a hotel or maybe not even go! I recently watched a show called "Infested" and there was one about bed bugs and it was bad! I know you can get them from other places too like going to the movie's and so on but just knowing that they have bed bugs would just freak me out! But it was nice of your brother to let you know! Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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K.R.

answers from Dallas on

YES BE VERY VERY VEERRYYY AFRAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I work in the apartment industry and seen/heard of SO MANY people having to throw away beds, tons of furniture and clothes because they simply can't get rid of bed bugs!!!! Not to mention the THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS it costs to have your house/apartment sorayed multiple times.

DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT go to her house, you will be praying to God to turn back time so you can NOT go there

2 moms found this helpful

C.P.

answers from Columbia on

Bed bugs are RIDICULOUSLY difficult to get rid of. I'd stay elsewhere. They'll get into your clothes, pajamas, etc. There's no way I'd stay there.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

If he's had the exterminator out, I'd go. You can get bedbugs from an airline seat or hotel, too.

1 mom found this helpful
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R.M.

answers from San Francisco on

Yikes, that would freak me out. I don't know what advice to give. Hopefully the exterminator knows what he's doing.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.W.

answers from Santa Barbara on

Ughhhh, what a nightmare. I stayed in a hotel for two weeks in May (King of Prussia, PA) for sales training and the hotel was infested with bed bugs. I was told by the exterminator in my room that they can be passed from a person to the next location so I am concerned with their daughter going back and forth.

Has he had an exterminator come to his house to give an "all clear"? Truly, it was an awful situation for us, even being moved to a "clean room".

1 mom found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Lake Charles on

Reschedule NOW. Yeah, it might not be an issue but why would you chance it? Do you know how much it costs to get rid of bed bugs?! Like thousands! Why risk it? Wait until the exterminator comes and says it's okay, and THEN wait a few weeks more. Sorry but I've heard WAY too many horror stories about bringing bed bugs home, since he's telling you about it he shouldn't be offended just say that you can't afford a problem like that right now and you'd rather play it safe.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.G.

answers from Boston on

Do NOT go!!! What did the exterminator do to clear their home? If the ex has them and the daughter is traveling back and forth your brother most likely has them but they're not showing up yet.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.B.

answers from Tulsa on

Sit on wood, metal, or plastic chairs. Don't take your purse in.
Avoid furniture with fabric or the beds.

I visited a friend who was too embarrassed to tell me. I woke up with itchy huge bug bites all over my shoulders and back. YUCK!

1 mom found this helpful

L.M.

answers from Dover on

You're visiting your brother's home and not the ex-wife's right? Since getting the all clear, has your niece been back to her mom's? If so, there is reason for concern.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from Tampa on

my question is WHY is he allowing his child to go back and forth if his ex has them in her house, knows it, and admits it? If I was the ex, I would ask him to keep DD until I remedied the issue so the poor kid wouldn't get bit up and she didn't infest HIS house too. I would ask him that, and stay at a hotel. Don't bring anything to his house that has to travel home with you like blankets, coats, etc that cannot be put in the hotel dryer on HOT HOT heat BEFORE you go home, or postpone the trip. I hate creepy crawly things! Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Las Vegas on

You can avoid the house, however, there are bed bugs in many hotels. Do you ever inspect the beds when you are in a hotel? I don't, but take a look at this registry. http://bedbugregistry.com/

My daughter travels outside the country about 2 - 3 times a year. The first thing she does when she comes home is LAUNDRY.

Also, after glancing at the map on that registry, the near solid red markings are near the coast or other water bodies.

If he doesn't have them, you should be fine. But do your laundry when you come home. It's just a gross thought no matter how you look at it.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Tulsa on

I do not believe that bed bugs travel on people, like lice. When people carry bed bugs home from hotels, they are usually carried inside of their suitcases.

I think that you would be safe visiting your brother's house. But he might want to be very careful what his daughter carries back and forth between the two houses.

1 mom found this helpful
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☆.A.

answers from Pittsburgh on

(Silent scream!)

No way should that child be going back & forth between their houses.
He won't stay bedbug free for long doing that.

I don't have personal experience but have heard they are SO hard to get rid of and VERY expensive to treat.

I think I'd be staying somewhere else.

IF you stay--put your suitcases on chairs--NOT the floor or beds.

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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T.M.

answers from Philadelphia on

EEEEP! I would not risk it!

1 mom found this helpful
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