Are the bed bugs bigger in Texas? University of Texas at Dallas students infested with bed bugs
By nobugsonme on Jun 10, 2007 in University of Texas at Dallas, bad ideas, bed bugs, bed bugs in dorms, bedbugs, colleges, dorms, students and bed bugs, texas, treatment, treatment in institutions, usa
The latest college to be hit (or, at least, to admit it): The University of Texas at Dallas campus, reports NBC5 in Dallas / Fort Worth.
The university acknowledged that they’re dealing with an infestation of bed bugs. School officials said 15 units on campus were found to have bed bugs. The school has received more than 100 complaints.
Hmm. 100 complaints for 15 student apartment units seems like a lot. Did each unit have to complain more than six times before anything was done? Or is there another explanation for that?
Entomologist Dr. Mike Merchant said bed bugs are basically fleas for humans and that apartments and hotels are dealing with the problem more frequently.
“The incidents of bed bugs has gone up considerably,” he said.
Merchant said that bed bugs are not native to North Texas, but that they stow away in luggage and clothing during international travel.
Dr. Merchant is obviously trying to make the bed bug information more accessible to people. Now, I know Dr. Merchant would not want this to happen, but I think calling bed bugs “basically fleas for humans” might mislead some people into thinking similar steps are needed for treating both infestations.
A lot of people already make the mistake of trying to treat bed bugs with products made for other insects. Now where did I put my flea collar? (Seriously, do not put a flea collar on your person. I have seen someone recommending that on another website and I do not think it is a good idea.)
I also like it where Texas tries to deny responsibility for the problem: “they’re not native to Texas”. Unless I am mistaken, bed bugs are no less “native” to Texas than anywhere else on earth. Before being eradicated for 50 years, I am sure North Texas had their fair share of bed bugs, which enjoyed a reign of hundreds of years.
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willow-the-wisp | Jun 11, 2007 | Reply
Sometimes in an effort to quell ensuing panics, info is misleadingly twisted–and it is unfortunate if that sticks with a person, which, it all too often does:
“Unquenchable and persistent fleas for people who like to sleep, eventually, rather than be traversed upon by a bugs and have their blood sucked right out of them” might have been the opposite of the sedating effect the author might have been trying to instill–but my statement is probably a bit more accurate.
Folks we can and do get rid of bed bugs–but it is not a: Shew! Shew! Shew! them all–out the door and out of our lives! it is the opposite. Stick around and find out the “real deal” on and about Bed bugs, here, at bedbugger