Entering college is a big change for many people. While attending college you are forced to share many things. This includes bedrooms, bathrooms, washing machines, to name a few. With sharing all of these things people become more susceptible to sickness because this is a jurassic change. In addition to things people may be get from the college, problems can be created as well. Part of the college experience is living in small dorms where a lot of items are packed into a small space. Many people may not think of this as much, but there are many issues that can arise from something like this. Recently one issue that has effected many colleges is bed bugs.
Bed Bugs are one of the most significant and detrimental problems that a college campus can face. Buildings, specifically housing at Penn State tends to have structures close together. Bed bugs can produce hundreds of legs which would support the fact that they can spread and multiply easily. In addition to all of this, they are extremely hard to find without professional assistance. Students are constantly on the move bringing their belongings in and out of different building not knowing what they may be carrying with them.
Some things that college students can do to avoid bed bugs are as follows:
-examine room the day you move in
-wash clothes frequently
-do not allow things such as backpacks to be on the floor
Identifying them is extremely difficult because they travel quickly and can often times be the size of a speck of dust. If you can’t identify them while trying to look there are other ways. A bed bug bites and withdraws blood from people at night. If you notice any itching or irritation when waking up, it may have been a case of bed bugs. To find out more about identifying bed bugs look here.
As a college student I do not prioritize things such as this do to the work load and other activities that I’m focused on. Thankfully there are other ways to determine and eliminate these pests. Terminix is one of the major providers of pest relief in the U.S. They serve over 2.8 million people. They will develop a custom plan to eliminate the issue using RapidFreeze, which is a solution they own. They are extremely effective in getting rid of any pest or rodent. For more about there services and tips to avoid bed bugs read this article.
All in all college campuses are an ideal environment for bed bugs. People aren’t necessarily always cleanly in college and have no concern for these issues. However it is very important that students do what they can to avoid and/or eliminate any bed bugs. There are so many different ways they can get into a college and once they are in they spread like wild fire. Every student should start by searching their mattress thoroughly and go from there. If there is any doubt or possibility that their might be bed bugs, consult an RA because it’s better to be safe than sorry.
It is funny that you bring this topic up because just last year, my neighbor from home found herself in a battle with bed bugs. She spent an entire weekend relocating and putting her belongings into bags so pest control could come in and take care of the bugs. It seems a bit unfair that we as college students have to balance so much already without having to worry about bedbugs. However, when you do get bedbugs, it is extremely time consuming. I feel as though it really is the universities job to ensure the students have clean facilities that prevent bed bugs. At Fairleigh Dickinson, they work closely with Cooper to make sure their students know how to detect bed bugs. This article gives more details on the program- http://www.bedbugcentral.com/fairleigh-dickinson.