BOOKS, BACKPACKS & BED BUGS
September is a busy time of the year especially if you have children in school or are an educator. Summer vacation has just ended and the mad dash of getting ready for school and surviving the first few weeks takes over while everyone get’s into new routines, activities and schedules. It’s a lot of change to juggle and process, and can stress out even the most organized person.
Worrying about bed bugs this time of year is definitely not on your radar…but it should be because bed bugs love books. They lurk between the pages of books and lay their eggs in the spine of hard covered books.
And now that teachers and kids are back in school, they will be interacting frequently with books in the classroom, school library and the local community library. These books will come to and from school and home in backpacks, which can increase exposing your home and school to a bed bug infestation.
Bed bug issues in schools and libraries are not new, and they, along with bed bug issues at home and all over the world are increasing because these pests travel easily, multiply fast, and are extremely challenging to eliminate.
The good news is that being informed and proactive will help you protect against bed bugs at home and school.
To help make sure your kids don’t bring home bed bugs from school, here are some tips for parents:
- Inspect backpacks regularly. In a perfect world this would be done daily, as soon as kids get home, but that it not realistic or feasible for most families. Check weekly, every 2 weeks or monthly.
- When inspecting the backpack:
- Fully empty the backpack of all it’s contents. Tip – Use a plastic container for inspection which will help contain and hold any bedbugs that have hitched a ride into your home and fall out during inspection.
- Inspect the bag thoroughly, focusing on seams, folds and pockets.
- Pay close attention to the contents - books, binders, loose papers, pencil cases, lunch bags and loose clothing.
- If you suspect bed bugs, place the empty backpacks and loose clothing in a dryer on the highest setting. Depending on the fabric of the lunch bag and pencil case, you may be able to put them in the dryer as well.
- Regularly wash your kids’ backpacks, pencil cases, lunch bags, spare clothing and any outer wear that goes with them to and from school.
To help prevent bed bug issues in the classroom or library, here are tips for educators:
- Reduce clutter in the classroom and library.
- Avoid using rugs, but if used, keep them to a minimum.
- Avoid hanging curtains on windows.
- Frequently inspect, clean and vacuum classroom and libraries.
- Upon their return to school, inspect borrowed books. Tip - place them in a plastic liner for inspection which will help contain and hold possible bedbugs.
- Educate students and parents and encourage them to recognize the signs of bed bugs. Here’s some helpful information about bed bugs.
Bed bugs can also attach themselves to a person by their clothing so for both parents and educators, when handling recovered ‘lost and found’ clothing items, store these items in a sealed bag before they go into a child’s backpack to be brought home. Once home, put them in the dryer on the highest setting, and than wash and dry them before using them again.
If you suspect you have an infestation in your home or school, address the problem as quickly as possible by calling a trusted and licensed professional pest control company, like Environmental Pest Control. We’ve been solving bed bug issues since 1988 using safe solutions.
