Getting bed bugs is never fun. No one wants to deal with bed bugs or the social stigma that comes with an infestation. You might think that it’s hard to get bed bugs, but it’s as easy as sending your child off to school. If another student at your child’s school comes from an infested home, you’re already running the risk of a bed bug infestation. So, what can you do?
Why Bed Bug Infestations At School Are Notoriously Problematic
An incredibly common way for bed bugs to travel from home to home is through schools. Students are usually sequestered in school for several hours in close proximity to other students. These are the perfect conditions for bed bugs. Crowded hallways, packed lunch tables, and small classrooms allow bed bugs to hop from one person to another, eventually making it back to their home.
Bed bugs especially thrive in elementary schools, where kids roughhouse and play together. Any physical contact can give bed bugs the opportunity to travel from one host to another. They can even travel between stationery items, like bags and coats, if they’re touching or close together. If your child throws their belongings in a pile with other students, bed bugs could find themselves in your home at the end of the day.
Protect Your Family From Bed Bug Infestations At School
While school infestations aren’t great, you can reduce your child’s risk of bringing home bed bugs by teaching them to keep their belongings to themselves. Tell them to avoid throwing their coats, sweaters/sweatshirts, and backpacks in piles with other kids’ belongings. Encourage them to hang their belongings off the floor in cubbies or store them in their lockers.
Teach them that bed bug infestations aren’t a reason to make fun of another kid or exclude them. Inform them about what bed bugs are and how they are just difficult to get rid of, but not harmful.
When children come home from school, wash their clothes, backpacks, and fabric items in the washer and dryer on the hottest settings. Store their backpack in a resealable plastic bag or container and keep it away from bedrooms until it needs to be used again. Vacuum afterward to catch any possible stray bed bugs, taking care to empty the vacuum bag outside afterward.
Bed Bug Prevention Tips For Teachers And School Officials
When handling an infestation as a school employee, you’ll want to emphasize non-discrimination and discretion when dealing with a student that is coming from a home infested with bed bugs. Understand that while a widespread bed bug infestation wouldn’t be great, it also wouldn’t be harmful. Bed bugs don’t transmit diseases, inject venom, or cause death. There’s no reason to isolate or shame a student if they’re coming from a bed bug-infested home. Instead, work with them and the parents on being conscientious about physical contact and storage of their belongings.
If a bed bug infestation is occurring at your school, understand that it’s not a reason to keep children home from school. Bed bugs will not cause harm to students or faculty. Unless your school has a serious problem that requires professional intervention, you can continue to allow students to go to school.
The Secret To Stopping Bed Bug Infestations In Schools
Whether you’re a concerned parent or a diligent school employee, it pays to be prepared for infestations. At Neighborly Pest Management, our technicians are highly trained in handling even the worst bed bug infestations you can imagine. Call Neighborly Pest Management to handle a bed bug infestation before it comes home with you!