<p>^^^^
This is interesting since kids are more likely to bring bedbugs HOME from their dorm than to the dorm from their home. I’m glad they are so serious about precautions and it sounds like the protocol that we go through when we travel.
Here’s what we do EVERY TIME we come home from a trip.</p>
<p>The bags are emptied on the front porch of the house. Clothes go into a trash bag which is brought into the house and emptied directly into the washing machine. I wash the clothes as I normally would but when I dry them I do it on high heat for at least 30 minutes. Clothes that cannot be washed are put directly into the dryer and clothes that normally cannot go into the dryer go in anyway, except they are dry when they go in. This will not damage them. Tote bages, etc go into the dryer.</p>
<p>The luggage gets bagged on the porch and things such as shoes, belts, etc are left in the luggage. In the bag goes a Hot Shot Pest strip. This will kill any bugs that may be in the luggage. They stay bagged for a week or so.</p>
<p>You can also wipe objects down with rubbing alcohol which will kill them.</p>
<p>IDad, trying to treat the problem yourself is risky since an application of a pesticide will not kill the eggs that may be present. We only found one bedbug when we looked for them. It was dead. I put it in a paper cup and put plastic wrap over it with a rubber band. Three or four days later, my D noticed something moving on the upturned belly of the bug. I told her she was imagining it. She wasn’t. They were nymphs that had hatched on the body of the mother even after she had died.</p>
<p>They are very difficult to treat and getting good advice from a professional is crucial.</p>
<p>As far as being able to trust the exterminator, I have dealt with shady ones in the past but the one that we hired for the bed bugs was legit. A few weeks ago, a dear friend of mine thought she had bed bugs. I went over to look at the bug and was 100 percent sure it was a bed bug. Her D had just returned from her college dorm and found this thing biting her during the night. I recommended the exterminator that I used and they came out and identified it as a Bat bug. Bat bugs are nearly identical to bed bugs but are not as problematic since they only happen to be around if a bat is nearby. They will bite humans if a bat is not available but they will not contaminate a home like bed bugs will. Anyway, the pest control people were very honest with them about the nature of the insect. They could easily have bilked them for a lot of money but didn’t.</p>