Bed bugs in college dorms can easily turn into an infestation in your home. This is why your child needs to take precautionary measures to keep these pests out of their dorm room and out of your house.
For starters,
spotting bed bugs in a college dorm makes it easier to avoid bringing them home. An adult bed bug is flat, brown, and small. It’s also shaped like an oval and measures less than ¼ of an inch. It’s similar in size to an apple seed.
If you spot a baby bed bug, it will look more like a sesame seed and may be a reddish-brown color if it has recently eaten. Bed bug eggs look like two grains of salt, both in color and size.
Should your child spot anything that resembles this, they should immediately report it to their
Resident Advisor. But how do colleges deal with bed bugs once reported? They might fumigate dorm rooms or use heat or steam treatments.
There are other ways your child can avoid bringing home bed bugs. Consider the following.
Regularly Check Dorm Rooms
When your child routinely looks for bed bugs in college dorm rooms, they’ll reduce the incidence of bringing them home.
Your child should look for any reddish or black marks — this could be bed bug fecal matter or blood spots and would be visible on your child’s furniture, bedding, the wall coverings (such as posters), and any other hidden areas of their dorm room.
Bed bugs in university dorms also shed their skins (this is common with young bed bugs), which you’ll find near their daytime hiding spots. Your child may also find crushed, live, or dead bed bugs in their dorm room.
Another sign to watch out for is an unexplained rash or red marks on their body, especially found in the morning. These red marks will commonly appear in lines or in groups.
Protect Your Child’s Belongings
Colleges with bed bugs are caused by groups of people living together in close quarters, bringing with them suitcases and transporting these tiny pests. However, your child can protect themselves from bed bugs by taking some precautionary measures.
First, your child should
use bed bug mattress encasements with zipper locks. They should also remove clutter from their dorm rooms, as bed bugs tend to thrive in these undisturbed areas.
Next, your child should always keep a space between the wall and their bed, making it harder for bed bugs to access them and their bedding. Your child should regularly clean and vacuum their room and should use a vacuum with a bag if they suspect they have bed bugs, throwing out the bag immediately after each use.
There are also protector cups that your child can use for the legs of their beds, making it hard for bed bugs to climb up.
Your child should always wash their clothes and bedding using the hottest temperature possible. They should also keep their clothes clean and off the floor, and inspect their mattress when they change their bedding.
When possible, your child should avoid bringing in used furniture, especially anything on the side road.
Bed Bugs In College Dorms
By following a few precautionary measures, your child can reduce the likeliness of bringing home bed bugs. Although bed bugs in college dorms are a common occurrence, your child can follow the tips and tricks in this helpful guide, hopefully avoiding bed bugs in the first place.
If your child’s dorm has bed bugs and you encounter an infestation in your home, Serene Property Services can help. We offer residential and commercial pest control solutions in Sussex County, NJ, and the surrounding areas, including Warwick, NY.
Contact us today to learn more.
