What is more exciting to a young adult than the first few months of their college experience? Being away from home for the first time, living in the dorm, new faces every day; everything seems new and exciting. It is a great time to discover who you really are, and who you want to be in your adult life. With all the focus on classes, study groups, and just getting to know some of the new people you will be spending the next four years with, the average college student will not spend much time thinking about a growing problem on college campuses all across the United States. Bed bugs.

The bed bug population, that up until recent years seemed to be a thing of the past, has made a huge comeback in recent years. They have now been found in every state across the nation, some of their favorite places to hideout are homes, hospitals, hotels, and of course, university campuses. The bed bug, so good at hiding, can go unnoticed for long periods of time, giving them the opportunity to hide in their host’s crowded dorm room.

Once even a few bed bugs are introduced into a dorm room, these pests can quickly become a widespread infestation if it goes unnoticed for too long. Bed bugs travel swiftly from room to room through electrical outlets, walls, clothing, and bags. Each adult female can lay up to 12 eggs each day that will hatch in about 2 weeks. Imagine the number of bed bugs that one dormitory would have in a single school year?

Parents and students would do well to remember a few things when they are moving them into their new dorm room. Inspect, inspect, inspect. Look over every part of the room before one bag is unpacked. Check over the bed, the closet, floors, and around all of the furniture. Then, a conversation should happen about continuing checks periodically throughout the year to make sure that bed bugs haven’t found their way in at a later time. Students should try to make it a practice to not let surplus clutter invade their room. Keeping a tidy space gives pests fewer areas to hide. It is also recommended that students make sure that they wash their laundry in hot water to kill any bed bugs that might have hitched a ride from another part of the campus. Finally, if there is a couch on the side of the road with a large free sign on it, leave it. This is, perhaps, one of the most common ways that bed bugs get introduced to a new area.

Professional pest control companies such as Schendel Pest Services specialize in bed bug removal. If your student has inadvertently brought you home some tiny friends from campus in their laundry, first, give the university a call to let them know. Then give us a call at Schendel Pest Services. Our professional technicians will work with you to make sure that your home doesn’t become a haven for bed bugs during Spring Break.