Bed Bugs In Schools…Can They Survive?

With the holiday season long gone and the kids back at school full time it’s not surprising to hear that sightings of bed bugs at colleges and schools of all levels have been popping up throughout the United States report Monmouth County, NJ pest control professionals.  The recent news of bed bugs in two Portsmouth, Virginia schools and two New York City schools have parents and students beginning to feel that dreaded itchy feeling.

The interesting thing that I find about reports of bed bugs being found is a school environment is that school officials are typically quick to report that the bed bugs were found, but in most instances deny that the school has an infestation.  Officials commonly claim that school environments are not hospitable to bed bugs and that bed bugs are brought into the school from the outside.

Unlike other types of pests, bed bugs do not walk into the school alone or with their friends.  Indeed, these blood thirsty pests do hitch a ride from students, parents, teachers, administration, maintenance, etc.  The simple fact is that bed bugs are able to go without food for over a year, schools have ample places for bed bugs to hide, schools have plenty of humans for bed bugs to nibble upon if they so choose, and bed bugs can easily hitch a ride IN or OUT of a school at any moment in time definitely makes schools an environment where bed bugs can survive in.

Parents should remember that it takes only one pregnant female bed bug being brought into a school to lay eggs for a school to become infested.  Parents should also remember that one bed bug could also hitch a ride home from school with their child.