There was a time when head lice was the big bug on campus. But, since the return of the bed bug menace, back in the late 1990s, these insects have been making up for lost time. It is becoming far too common to hear about bed bug infestations spreading from one home to another by way of the school systems.
When parents are warned that bed bugs have been found, the usual reaction is shock. How is this possible? Doesn't the school have a pest control program to safeguard students? Before you get frustrated with the schools, here are a few things you should understand about bed bugs.
- These are hitchhiking bugs. If a home is infested with bed bugs, it won't be long before those bugs are hitching a ride with kids to school. It is a natural progression for these bugs.
- Bed bugs are experts at avoiding detection. If a family has bed bugs, they may not even know it. Bed bugs don't feed regularly, and they usually only come out at night. Bites can be limited at first, and not have the recognizable rash that usually accompanies bed bug bites. It can take some time for a bed bug infestation to become unmistakable.
- Bed bugs are small. A full grown bed bug is only the size of an apple seed. That is pretty small and easily missed, especially if parents, children, and faculty don't know what a bed bug looks like. The larvae of bed bugs are even smaller. An underdeveloped bed bug can be as small as the tip on a pen.
- Bed bugs avoid standard pest control plans. Since these are pests that are carried in on students, they bypass the pest control measures that protect the exterior walls and outside grounds of a school. They are sort of like a trojan horse.
- Bed bugs can be on any student. These bugs are equal opportunity infestors. They can develop a population in the cleanest and wealthiest of homes. Therefore, any child can bring them into school.
The solution has two parts. First, parents, students, and faculty should learn to recognize bed bugs and the signs these bugs leave behind. Public awareness is key in preventing the spread of bed bugs. Second, schools should have a pest control plan that implements routine inspections with non-invasive K-9 bed bug inspectors. Dogs have a powerful sense of smell. If bed bugs try to establish themselves in a school, our K-9 team will know it. Then we are able to use targeted protocols to arrest any developing infestation.
Before bed bugs strike, take action and get Action Pest Control with bed bug control services in Louisville.