Now that summer is in full swing, many kids are off to camp. There they’ll discover lanyard making, s’mores, campfires, horseback riding, swimming and quite possibly bedbugs.

Once rare in North America, bedbugs are on the rise.  Bedbugs are most often found in hotels, motels, hostels, shelters, apartment complexes and any overnight facility where large numbers of people come and go. That includes summer camps.

Because bedbugs hide in small crevices, they can sneak into camp on luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes, and other objects. The bugs can hide in beds, floors, furniture, wood, and paper trash during the day.

Last summer, a camp in Maryland became infested with bedbugs. All parents had to be notified so that they could have their homes inspected and treated if necessary.

People who run camps (like hotel and hospital managers) need to devise a system for inspecting for signs of bed bugs. Visitors will bring bed bugs to camp, and other campers will bring them home.

And parents need to take a little extra precautions these days. Put your child’s pillow in a zippered Protect-A-Bed encasement. Also include a mattress encasement and encourage the child to put it on their bunk. Pack your child’s gear in BugZip luggage encasements and advise to keep their stuff zipped up. Kids loathe creepy crawly bugs that bite and make them itch. This will not be a hard sell.

It’s also worth taking precautions when kids come home after the summer.  Duffel bags, soft backpacks, and clothing can be washed and dried, sleeping bags can be carefully treated, and other items can be inspected in an attempt to avoid bringing home any hitchhiking bed bugs. If you suspect bedbugs, call a professional NJ, NYC pest control company that knows how to eliminate those little buggers.