WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - Public interest in bed bug infestations has increased after it was reported by the New York Times they found evidence of bedbugs on every floor of their newsroom. Yuk! One of the most interesting comments on the topic is that the bed bugs had been complaining for days about an infestation of journalists. At any rate, concern over bed bugs is addressed at Williams College too.
According to the school's website, bed bugs are basically wingless mosquitoes. They have been an increasingly significant problem due to greater resistance to pesticides and increased international travel. The school's website seems to blame any bed bug issues on campus on the students. In particular, they warn the students not to bring their own mattresses from home.
The most important role you, as a student, can play is in preventing bed bug infestation in the first place, and the principal means of prevention is to leave your own mattress at home.
In general, bed bugs move from infested areas to non-infested areas when they latch onto someone’s clothing, or climb into their luggage, or nestle themselves into furniture or bedding that is moved into a dorm room. It pays for Williams College students to understand the geography of bed bugs if they wish to protect themselves from having bed bugs feed on them at night.
For example, as the experience of the Gray Lady indicates New York City is one of the worst places in the nation for bed bugs with a jaw-dropping 4,490 bedbug incidents reported. But New York City does not top the list of worst cities for bedbugs, that honor belongs to Baltimore, followed closely by Washington D.C. and Chicago. We see a lot of bed bug reports concentrated along the east coast and in California. The states of New Jersey and Massachusetts have a significant concentrations of bed bug reports as illustrated below.
If a student believes they are being attacked by bed bugs, the school asks them to immediately contact Student Life at 413-597-2555. Student Life will schedule an inspection and if bed bugs are discovered a pest control company will take over the situation.
The school's policy seems to be that anyone with a bed bug problem will be in a certain level of quarantine. They will be required to stay in their room as the pest control treatment moves forward. It is particularly bad if the student dumps their bed bug infested mattress in the hallway because this will promote the spread of bed bugs to other areas. The website notes that"...placing infested furniture (particularly mattresses) into common areas or on the street may simply help to spread bed bugs to the rooms of other students."
Since a student with bed bugs might bring bed bugs with them where ever they go the school recommends that you "don’t make plans to sleep in a friend’s room or at an off-campus residence" since this will only spread the infestation to others.
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