Have you heard about the bed bug epidemic? How to fight back.By Magdalene Castro.Last semester, bed rumors hit CCNY. Students whispered that bed bugs had invaded the NAC Library and Hoffman Student Lounge. One female student, the story went, had so many bites that college officials sent her home.Last year in New York City, rumors of bed bugs turned out to be true: According to the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation, bedbug violations have increased almost 70 percent in the last two years. The New York Times reported recently that in the last year, 311 help line logged 12,768 bedbug complaints, 16 percent more than the previous year and 39 percent above the year before.City College officials denied rumors of infestation. Said Mary Lou Edmondson, CCNY’s vice president for communications, “The exterminator has been called about bed bugs on a few occasions that they are other small, common insects.”Still, places where large numbers of people are in close contact—like on campus--are especially prone to bed bugs. So as classes begin, it’s best to be pro-active. First, get the facts.Real bedbugs are blood-sucking insects that feed on humans. Their bites leave bumps that are generally itchy and irritating and can last for weeks.In general, bed bugs are hard to kill and easy to catch. They live in cracks, furniture, and even in the pages of books. They can jump from person to person and most people don’t know they have them. Tiny pin-sized blood spots on your sheets are often the first tell-tale sign."What makes them hard to eliminate is that they start off translucent, so you can't see them,” says New York City journalist Ayana Byrd, who’s writing a book about bed bugs. “The more they eat the bigger and darker they get. The biggest they grow is the size of an apple seed."How do you fight them? Don’t get them in the first place. The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene offers these prevention tips:
- Check all used or rented furniture for bed bugs.
- When traveling, inspect the bed and furniture.
- Keep suitcases off the floor and bed, and inspect them before you leave.
- Seal cracks and crevices with caulk, even if you don't have bed bugs. This will help prevent bed bugs and other pests from coming in.
What about if you’ve been invaded? "They die under extreme heat, about 130 degrees,” says Byrd. “The best way to get rid of them is to call an exterminator to steam your house and spray insecticides."Edmondson notes that CCNY has a very specific protocol when someone reports an insect infestation. “Once we receive a complaint Parkway Exterminating (CCNY’s contract exterminator) will be called in immediately to perform a survey,” she says. “All surrounding areas are closed off and treated.”Byrd adds that special dogs have been trained specifically to sniff out bedbugs. Is it time to bring in the dogs at CCNY?Says Melissa Reyes, a political science major: “The school should get one of those dogs in just to make sure that there aren't any here."For more information go the the health department website.