A Jersey City, New Jersey school has a confirmed case of bed bugs!  The buggers were spotted three weeks ago by a 13 year old boy who promptly reported the creatures to the principal.

Instead of treating the school entirely, officials have decided to try to confine the bed bugs to the third floor and “spot treat” the bugs when they make their presence known.  The biggest problem with deciding to follow this particular course of treatment is that NJ pest control experts report there is a higher probability that the bed bug infestation will spread into the school population.  Despite the fact that bed bugs are typically nocturnal, these opportunistic pests are hitchhikers and will take any opportunity to travel home with unsuspecting kids, staff, administration, and maintenance personnel.

School officials and parents need to be diligent and keep an eye out for creepy bed bugs as they will lurk in tiny cracks and crevices waiting for the perfect means of transportation.

Schools that become infested with bed bugs have a particularly difficult time getting rid of the blood sucking pests because bed bugs and their sticky eggs can be well hidden in a multitude of locations.  Hall lockers, libraries, school buses, gym lockers, cafeterias, computer labs, and the constant traveling of students from classroom to classroom make the transfer of a New Jersey bed bug infestation one that is very difficult to avoid under the best of circumstances.

NJ pest control experts are advising parents to take a few precautionary steps to help prevent a NJ bed bug infestation in your home…

1. Inspect their child’s belongings every day to see if they have inadvertently brought bed bugs home with them from school.

2.  In addition to a good visual inspection, you should also wash your child’s clothing on the hottest temperature setting possible.  Dry all clothing on hot heat as bed bugs and their eggs cannot withstand temperatures over 113 degrees.

3. Run all coats, hats and gloves through the dryer for at least 30 minutes each day on hot as well. See #2.

4. Consider buying the PackTite Portable Bed Bug Killing Heat Chamber.  You can easily bake all of your child’s belongings as soon as they come home from school and kill bed bugs and their eggs in a short period of time!

If you or your child happens to bring bed bugs to your New Jersey home, it’s important that you contact a NJ pest control expert immediately.