More Than Students Heading Back to School
Bedbugs Can be a Concern in Dorms

When students think of bloodsuckers, they may envision the characters of the popular "Twilight" series of books and movies. However, other creatures that feast on blood may be turning up in students' bedrooms and dorm rooms.

College campuses can be the perfect setting for a bedbug infestation, warn experts. With thousands of students coming together, it's inevitable that some sort of bug may hitch a ride to school. All it takes for a bedbug problem to occur is for one bedbug to turn up in a dorm room. It will eventually multiply and steal a ride on a host to visit the rooms of other students, where the problem compounds.

Bedbugs are nocturnal creatures who hide in the nooks and crannies of bedding and mattresses by day, and prey on their hosts for a blood meal at night. While they do not transmit diseases, they can leave welts and itchy rashes on some people.

A recent public survey in Cincinnati, Ohio, found that 1 in every 6 people in this city alone has had a run-in with the biting bugs in the last 12 months. The bedbug problem is actually a national concern. In 2007, Texas A&M spent $27,000 to rid dorms of bedbugs. Stanford and Ohio State have also had to deal with an infestation of the pests in recent years. And the University of Florida has resorted to baking dorm mattresses at 113 F to kill off the parasites and their eggs.

The adult bedbugs can be the size of an apple seed. Immature nymphs may be the size of a speck of dirt. Colors of the bugs can range from amber to rust depending upon whether the parasite has fed. Since they dine late at night, people may never realize they have bedbugs unless they notice the bites, which could resemble other skin conditions.

Students need to be aware of bedbugs to prevent bites, but also to avoid transporting the parasites home when they visit on school breaks. While schools may have the budget and the means to eradicate bedbugs, for the general homeowner, it can be very difficult to get rid of the parasites -- requiring several professional treatments. The good news is once the bedbugs are gone, they're gone for good unless reintroduced to an environment.

Taking the Bite Out of Bedbugs

Here are some steps to take to prevent bedbugs from being your dorm roommate.

• Use vinyl mattress and pillow encasements to prevent ease of movement of bedbugs.

• Use light-colored linens so you can detect bedbugs early on if there is a problem and take care of it promptly.

• However inexpensive and appealing it may seem, don't take used furniture from a curb into your dorm room. It may be harboring bedbugs.

• Heat is the nemesis of bedbugs, so hot laundering can remove them from bed linens.

• Report bedbugs to school health officials if they are bothersome or if you suspect a problem.