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Protect Yourself From Bed Bugs As You Head Back To School

August 25, 2011

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To prevent a major bed bug infestation in your college dorm room, remain proactive and conduct regular visual inspections of your room

Bed bugs….ewwww, just the name is enough to make your skin crawl and with bed bug infestations popping up all across the country, college and university dorms, fraternity and sorority house as well as student apartments are not exempt from these blood-sucking insects.  McCauley Services, a longtime Arkansas pest control company serving Benton, Hot Springs and Little Rock as well as the entire state,  would like to offer students heading off to college some tips to help you identify bed bugs and prevent an infestation of bed bugs in your college dorm this fall.

Bed Bug Identification

Bed bugs can live up to 12 months without a meal, so just because your dorm room has been empty for 3 months doesn’t mean it won’t have signs of bed bug activity, so before you unpack you and your parents should inspect your room and be on the lookout for:

• Dark blood spots on the mattress

• Bed bug fecal spots

• Caste skins

• Live or dead bed bugs

Your inspection must be thorough and should include all of the most concealed places such as:

• Your mattress, paying close attention to the seams and the bottom side

• In all the crevices headboards, bed frames, upholstered chairs or futons, bureaus and desk drawers as well as other furniture

• Behind baseboards, electrical outlet covers and any existing wall hangings

• Along the room’s edge, where any carpet meets the wall

• Inside closets

Remain Proactive

If the initial inspection of you dorm room deems it bed bug free, you can finally move it, but you must remain proactive throughout the year to prevent a future infestation of these nighttime pests.  Bed bugs are excellent hitch-hikers and can be introduced into your room at any time on your or your roommate’s backpack, so throughout the year you should:

• Conduct regular visual inspections of your room

• Keep clutter picked up off the floor, including clothing and text books

• Hang backpacks, purses and jackets on a hanger

• Vacuum regularly

• Purchase an anti-bed bug mattress encasement and laundry bag

• Do not bring used furniture into your room, especially if it was left on a curbside, they may be the right price, but you may be getting more than you bargained for

• Put your bed on risers and do not keep it in direct contact with the wall

Bed bugs are extremely difficult to get rid of so remaining proactive and notifying your school administration immediately if you spot bed bugs is the best way to protect yourself. 

Tags: Little Rock  |  bed bug  |  bed bugs  |  McCauley Services  |  bed bugs in schools

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