When you send your kids to school, you might not be thinking that your children might bring an unwanted hitchhiker or two back home with them. Most parents simply hope their child learns something new and perhaps makes a new friend – but not this kind of hitchhiking friend. We are talking about bed bugs.
Why are bed bugs becoming common in schools?
The reason for bed bugs infesting schools can be traced back to infestations that begin in many homes during summer break. As families travel to the beach or friend’s houses and take flights to vacation hotspots, they increase their risk of bringing bed bugs back to their property. Anywhere with high human activity is likely to have high bed bug activity as well. A public bus? Bed bugs could be lurking in the seats or in someone’s luggage. A hotel room? There’s a possibility that the guest before you brought bed bugs into the room. Airports? These happen to be prime locations for the transportation of hungry bed bugs. Any vacation or traveling done during summer break provides the opportunity for bed bugs to spread.
When homeowners arrive home, they may not notice the bed bugs that crawled away from their belongings and into the lining of their beds. As the days pass, these bugs can feed and lay eggs that hatch and grow into adult bed bugs. Ten when children from bed bug-infested homes go back to school, chances are high that these bugs will spread. This long line of travel is exactly how bed bugs invade new properties, which means if you don’t keep an eye out for the signs, you might not know when your home has been invaded.
Signs Of A Bed Bug Infestation
If bed bugs have gotten into your property, it’s good to know about an infestation sooner rather than later. The longer bed bugs are in your property, the more time they have to reproduce and spread.
- Bed bugs typically feed when humans are asleep. If you wake up each morning and find rows of tiny bite marks on your skin, it’s a good indicator that you have a bed bug problem.
- While tiny, bed bug eggs are also a sign your home has been invaded. These eggs are no larger than a pinhead and are white.
- Bed bugs are messy eaters and often leave spots of blood behind after they’ve finished feeding. Look on your sheets, blankets, and pillowcases for small bloodstains.
- When an infestation has gotten very large, you might be able to smell bed bugs. This smell comes from the hormones they produce from special scent glands. Some describe this smell as “musty” or “sweet.”
For a bed bug infestation of any size, the best thing you can do is contact the professionals here at Augustine Exterminators. When students return to school this year, your home might be under threat of a bed bug invasion. Bed bugs are difficult to prevent and even more difficult to eradicate without professional bed bug control. We specialize in the identification and removal of bed bugs, so contact us today to learn more about how our bed bug services can work for you!