With the holidays over, it’s time for children to go back to school. While they may be excited to see their friends again, you may have to worry about an unforeseen threat: bed bugs. These hitchhiking pests can invade your home using their ability to travel on clothing and belongings. All they have to do is cling to your child and wait until they come home – instant bed bug infestation.
While bed bugs are extremely difficult to eliminate, you can educate yourself on how to try to prevent an infestation and take precautionary measures to get rid of them before they enter your home.
How do bed bugs find you?
Bed bugs have tiny, hooked claws that they use to cling to fabric and other objects: shirts, backpacks, shoes, etc. If another child comes into school with bed bugs, they can easily spread to surrounding children, including your own. From there, all the bed bugs must do is wait until they reach your house, spread out, and start growing and multiplying.
Can you go to school with bed bugs?
Bed bugs do not spread diseases, so your child does not have to stay home from school if you discover you have bed bugs in your home. However, you should contact the school administration immediately and let them know you have found bed bugs in your home. Whether the bed bugs originated from you or from other children, the school needs to know so they can immediately set up a treatment plan and contact affected families. You should also ask for your school’s policy on bed bugs. Different districts may have different rules.
If you suspect or know that your school has bed bugs, contact American Pest Solutions to schedule a consultation and inspection. Our trained professionals can help your school get rid of its bed bug infestation. We provide high-quality customer service, and our services ensure complete bed bug elimination.
My Child’s School Has Beg Bugs – Now What?
The first thing to do is to talk with your child about how to prevent bed bugs from attaching to them. It’s also important to teach your child about how to avoid stigmatizing children who you or the administration suspects may have bed bugs. Anyone can get bed bugs, not just "dirty" people. Here are some prevention tips that can help to prevent a bed bug infestation from coming home.
- Provide your child with resealable plastic bags that they can put their coats and backpacks in.
- Warn your child not to put their backpack and clothes in piles with other kids’ items.
- When your child comes home, empty the backpack outside and check for bed bugs.
- Place backpacks in resealable plastic bags or plastic storage bins and keep them away from bedrooms.
- Wash and dry your child’s clothing on the highest heat settings to kill any bed bugs. Toss any bags used to store the clothes.
- Teach your child how to identify bed bugs and their bites.
Eliminate Bed Bug Infestations in Your School
Whether you’re a parent or a school employee, you don’t want bed bugs in your child’s school. Don’t tackle this problem yourself – DIY solutions rarely solve the problem and only put your children and other students at risk. Instead, contact American Pest Solutions if your school has a bed bug infestation. Since 1913, we’ve provided high-quality pest control for Hartford. Our bed bug removal services will completely remove bed bugs from your school, giving you and your children peace of mind.