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Pest Control Information

Lake Retreat is committed to the health and safety of each guest and camper.

Common Pests:

About Scabies: This mite that causes itching, can travel from the infected person to another person. Most people get scabies from direct, skin-to-skin contact. Less often, people pick up mites from infested items such as bedding, clothes, and furniture. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, there are millions of cases of scabies each year. Scabies can be treated by your doctor.

About Bed Bugs: Bed bugs have become a major issue in the US over the last few years. Seattle is listed as one of the most affected areas. Bed bugs are “hitchhikers” and are passed through luggage, clothing, furniture, people, etc. Any place that has people and luggage are at high risk. Bed bugs cause a rash and itching. For more info, you can visit WA State Department of Health: https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Pests/BedBugs

About Rodents: As a camp, we generate a lot of garbage through food service and serving our guests. This can attract rodents. You can help us by making sure that all trash gets into a trash receptacle, especially if it is a food product. If your bag of garbage is full, please tie it tightly and put it in the appropriate receptacle.

What is Lake Retreat Doing about it?

  • Each mattress is disinfected and wiped down after each guest.
  • Lake Retreat requires that any guest, camper or staff member known to have bed bugs or scabies, MUST report it to the Lake Retreat Staff BEFORE they or their luggage enters any building or lodge. We then launder and treat guest’s items so as not to spread the bugs to others luggage, people or to the buildings. Our goal is that this would happen as discreetly as possible for the comfort of the affected guest.
  • Lake Retreat uses a variety of professional, approved bed bug chemicals according to their labels.
  • Lake Retreat owns and operates a heat treatment system that heats the rooms to the appropriate temperature in order to kill bed bugs at all life stages.
  • Lake Retreat employs a professional company to assist with additional  preventative bed bug treatments.
  • Lake Retreat constantly monitors for bed bug activity through a variety of methods.
  • Lake Retreat uses a professional company to assist with rodent control through a variety of methods.

 

What Should I Do?

  • Because of the way pests travel and spread, it is best practice to treat your items as exposed after leaving ANY hotel, vacation rental home, hospital, cruise ship, camp, retreat center or any place where guests and luggage are found.
  • Lake Retreat requires that any guest, camper or staff member known to have bed bugs or scabies, MUST report it to the Lake Retreat Staff BEFORE they or their luggage enter any building or lodge. This allows Lake Retreat to treat potentially exposed items before they can be passed to another guest/camper or to the building.
  • Do not share bedding, towels, clothing or personal items with other campers/guests.
  • If bed bugs or scabies are suspected in your room, report it immediately to the Lake Retreat Staff.
  • Use a bag that can be easily washed and run through the dryer.

 

How Do I Treat So That I Don’t Bring Pests Home?

 The key is to contain all items suspected of carrying bed bugs/scabies in plastic bags until the items can be laundered, washed by hand, heated, or frozen.

When washing, set the washer and dryer for the hottest setting that the fabric can withstand.

Items that cannot be washed in the washing machine/dryer may be inspected, hand-washed, heated or frozen.

Bag any questionable small items in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. For freezing, a minimum of 23°F (-5°C) must be maintained for at least 5 days. If you are unsure of your freezer temperature, leave items for two weeks.

Suitcases and other items that cannot be placed into a washing machine should be carefully inspected, washed and treated. Suitcases may be hand-washed. If hand-washing any items, use soapy water and make sure that the hottest water possible is used. Use a scrub brush along the seams and folds.

We recommend avoiding suitcases entirely and instead use bags such as backpacks and duffle bags that can be run through the washer or dryer.

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