Keeping Your Kids Safe from Pests at School

School is back in session, and many families worry about catching bugs. Generally, we are talking about stomach bugs and other viruses, but there are real-life bugs that can cause families problems as school is back in session. Just like germs that like to spread in large populations, so do lice and bedbugs. The worst part about these bugs is that they typically are not covered in your general pest control service, and you will need specialized solutions.

Before getting into the specifics about each bug, we want to debunk one common myth: that bedbugs and lice do not live in clean places. This statement is false. Even though they are less likely to live in pristine areas, that doesn’t mean you are home free.

Both lice and bedbugs are tiny, and your highest chance of getting them is running into someone who has had them. These bugs generally come in contact with students through items such as hats, coats, brushes, towels, and even backpacks. Students then come home with these little hitchhikers where they start to breed inside your home, spreading across your family, and any visitors that enter.

The best thing to do is to educate students not to share items that lice and bed bugs can hitchhike on. For lice, it is mostly making sure students don’t touch other’s heads or share items such as combs, hats, or towels.

To prevent getting lice or bed bugs at school, one should be very careful when storing coats in public coat racks. If possible, put all belongings into a backpack or bag to prevent these items from touching other student’s belongings that may have these pests.

It is essential to keep items such as coats in one place like a coat closet and not around the house. That way if your student brings home one of these pests by chance, it will limit how far they spread. Lice and bedbugs need to eat regularly, and if they can’t get to a food source, they will starve. Regularly washing student’s clothes in hot water and drying on high heat can kill these bugs if caught before they spread or lay their eggs.

The last key to preventing lice and bed bugs is to pay attention to any outbreaks in the area. Luckily these types of infestations don’t happen as often. It is always good to follow these prevention tips, but an extra effort on following these tips is essential if you hear of a local outbreak. If your student does bring home lice or bedbugs, it is essential to tell your school and not be embarrassed.