Bed Bugs And Schools…The Truth Revealed

Many school officials throughout the United States would like parents and students to believe that bed bugs cannot live or breed in schools.  From coast to coast, it is not uncommon to hear from school officials that the bed bugs that were found were an isolated incident.

Some schools focus on the fact that bed bugs must be brought into a school, therefore they must not live within the school.  Here’s the real skinny on bed bugs within a school system…

Bed bugs can exist any place that humans frequent, which includes a school.  Bed beds are hitchhikers and yes, they are indeed brought into a school environment by a human.  Bed bugs can arrive on a person, in the coat, hat, gloves, backpack, purse, briefcase, shoes, lunchbox, or other personal item.

Finding one bed bug in a school does not mean that the school is infested, but it does not mean that the school is NOT infested.  That one bed bug could have crawled off of a person or out of someone’s belonging, or it could have crawled from it’s month long hiding place looking for a blood meal.  Nobody knows for sure.

Bed bugs are prolific breeders.  If one pregnant female that escapes into a school, it can have thousands of offspring in a matter of weeks.

Should parents be concerned if one bed bug was found at their school?  Yes! Because there could be many more.  Consider how large schools are, and how many cracks, crevices, walls, ceilings, paper, and pieces of furniture that the bed bugs can live within.  Schools should hire a licensed pest control professional for examination and treatment when bed bugs are found within the school.

One final thought…Although creepy, bed bugs should not cause panic for parents.  Learning about how to avoid the pests is the best way to keep them out of your home.


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