The Camden Primary School in Eaton, Ohio, recently sent students home with notifications of a bed bug being found at the school. Along with the notification, parents were also provided with pages of information discussing how the school plans to proactively combat the bugs to prevent an infestation.
Following the Central Ohio Bed Bug Task Force Guidelines, the school district is cleaning all buildings at Camden and other schools in the area, as well as a local library, to make sure an outbreak does not occur. Other schools in the region were alerted to the bed bug discovery and are taking similar steps to treat any potential infestations by contacting professional pest control services, The Register-Herald reported.
After discovering an outbreak of bed bugs in its student housing facilities, the University of Nebraska is providing prevention information to students and faculty on how to recognize a bed bug and how to treat an invasion. In an interview with WOWT, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educator Barb Ogg said the resilient bugs are hard to kill, so early detection is key to treating the problem. Bed bugs are often picked up during travels, leading to infestations in homes.
To avoid acquiring bed bugs, Ogg recommends travelers inspect cracks and crevices in hotel rooms where the bugs will likely be living. Do not place luggage on the floor where they are more vulnerable to bug invasion, and if a bed bug is spotted in the room, promptly ask to be moved to another room.