5 bed bug hiding spots in dorm rooms

During this time of year, when students head back to college, one of the things they need to worry about is bed bugs. Dorm rooms and other forms of student housing are ripe for bed bug infestations. Due to the fact that universities are home to so many different people, from all parts of the world, combined with the fact bed bugs are notorious for hitching rides in suitcases and clothing, colleges are one of the most common places for bed bug infestations.

If you're a student or you have a student headed back to start the new school year, there are five places they should check and keep an eye on to try and spot a bed bug infestation before it gets bad.

If you have a bed bug infestation in your home or business contact the experts in bed bug removal and prevention at Western Exterminator today.

1. Beds

This may seem obvious. These insects are called "bed" bugs, so of course, the first place you should look is in the bed. But, this doesn't just mean the mattress. They can hide in the smallest cracks in the bed frame. Bed bugs might also hide in the box springs. If the frame is wood, check it thoroughly. Look throughout the mattress and check every wrinkle and space. Bed bugs can hitch a ride on you or your clothing and end up in your room. Make sure that the sofa you grabbed from the sidewalk to add to your dorm room or student apartment is free of bed bugs. Check them thoroughly and remember that bed bugs can be very small, looking more like grains of pepper or apple seeds than insects. You can purchase bed bug mattress encasements for extra protection.

2. Couches and chairs

Make sure that the couches and chairs in common areas are free from bed bugs too. They can hitch a ride on you or your clothing and end up in your room. Make sure that the sofa you grabbed from the sidewalk to add to your dorm room or student apartment is free of bed bugs. Check them thoroughly and remember that bed bugs can be very small, looking more like grains of pepper or apple seeds than insects.

3. Baseboards

Although bed bugs are infamous for being in objects covered with fabric, they will hide anywhere. This includes the baseboards around the bottom of walls around the room. They can also hide in the electrical sockets found near the ground and behind anything else that ends up against the wall.

4. Dressers

Since bed bugs can get into clothing, or hitch a ride into a dorm room or bedroom by climbing into suitcases, they can end up inside the dressers. Check the drawers and look for the shed skins or the insects themselves. They can hide in the corners, pushed into the cracks or on the clothing stored there, too.

5. Clothing

Piles of clothing (not uncommon in college dorms and fraternity houses) are the perfect areas to hide for bed bugs. Make sure the drawers, closets, laundry baskets and laundry rooms are free of bed bugs. If you keep as much clothing off the ground as possible, you reduce the risk of bed bug infestations.

What if you find bed bugs in a dorm room?

Bed bugs can get into anything. That includes jackets and backpacks. They can spread throughout the campus very easily. Once they infest a room down the hall, they will move down the hallway and spread out, infesting an entire dorm. Here are a few steps you should take if you find bed bugs in your dorm room.

• Inform your RA and the management within the school and whatever form of housing you are in. Let them know that there's a problem and they need to contact a pest control professional.

• If you have bed bugs in your room, you do not need to throw out all of your clothing or bedding. You can wash the sheets and bedding, or the clothes, at a very high temperature and that will kill the bed bugs and their eggs and larvae. Keep clothing and bedding in sealed bags if you can to prevent them from returning.

• Keep your room clean. Pick up clothing. Make sure you hang up shirts, pants and other clothing. Vacuum and clean the room often and make sure that you dispose of the dust and debris effectively.

• Make sure that your bed is off the floor. Regularly clean bedding and inspect your bed frame, particularly if you have a wooden bed frame. Bed bugs will hide in the smallest cracks or crevices on a frame.

The important thing to remember is that if you keep an eye out and do all you can to keep your room clean, you greatly reduce the risk of bed bugs in your dorm room or infesting your student housing.

If you have any concerns about bed bugs around your home or on your property, make sure to contact a professional, state-licensed pest company. Contact the experts at Western Exterminator.