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For more information:

Roger Williams Commons
18 Butterfield Rd

Kingston, RI 02881
Phone: 401-874-2215

Fax: 401-874-2965
E-Mail: housing@etal.uri.edu

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 Department of Housing and Residential Life

Bed Bugs Called “Pest of the 21st Century” in USA Today

 

The Associated Press and the USA Today recently reported on the serious resurgence of bed bugs in the United States.  Underscoring the severity of the problem, USA Today reports that New York City “faced with thousands of complaints about bed bugs in the past few years, announced Wednesday (Jan. 16, 2008) a series of seminars to teach people how to deal with the apple-seed size vermin.”    USA Today goes on to report “[the bed bug problem] is not just in New York…bed bugs have become a problem in every state…there are some who call it the pest of the 21st century…they are as likely to be found in a fancy hotel as they are in a flophouse.” 

Any pest infestation in a densely populated facility such as a hotel, motel, cruise ship, or dormitory/residence hall is a major problem.  The University of Rhode Island contracts with a large extermination agency that provides services on the Kingston campus on both a routinely scheduled and as needed request basis.  We respond quickly and deliberately to any reports of insects of any kind in our halls, and our track record in this area is outstanding.  However, the recent increase of bed bugs in our country is a cause for concern both in terms of the inconvenience to the residents and the difficulty of extermination. 

All of our student mattresses are wrapped when purchased and meet strict Rhode Island standards for health and fire safety.  The biggest culprits for bringing bed bugs into a campus residence hall are mattresses and furniture from home or from a yard sale, or via hitching a ride on clothing and/or laundry.  Please pay attention to these basic guidelines to minimize contact with, and the transport and spread of, bed bugs:

  • do not bring mattresses and furniture from unknown sources (e.g. yard sales) to campus
  • if you are returning from traveling, especially abroad, thoroughly wash all clothing in hot water before re-entering your residence hall
  • report any suspected bed bug activity immediately –
    • have a nurse in Health Services verify the type of bite you have
    • if it is a bed bug bite, Health Services will report it to Housing and Residential Life immediately

Thank you for working together to keep our residential communities safe and healthy.  For more information on bed bugs, please see http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/ (link).