Bed Bug Policy

Resources about bed bugs

• U.S. CDC bed bug Website
• U.S. EPA bed bug Website
• Joint statement on bed bug control in the United States from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Bed bug location

Bed bug bites, unlike bites that you might get from a gnat, mosquito, no-see-um or similar insect typically present with several bites, usually in a straight row on the arms, legs, neck or torso. Bed bugs tend to gather together in hidden, undisturbed places where a person sits or sleeps.

• Bed bugs are usually found on the bed, along the seams and sides of the mattress and box springs, on the headboard, and the bed frame.
• Bed bugs are also known to hide in cracks, such as in baseboards along the floor at the wall.

Prevention

• Never take bedding, clothing, furniture or other similar items off the street, out of corridors, from storage or any other place where the potential for bed bugs might exist.
• Pay attention to backpacks, duffel bags, luggage and other packaging containers. Bed bugs are often found and transported on articles like this, in addition to boxes and other storage related containers
• Look at personal items closely.
• Bed bugs hide in bedding, clothing, cushions, soft toys, stuffed animals and throw pillows. For these items, washing and drying in high heat (or a couple of drying cycles) will help to reduce the potential problem
• When moving, traveling or vacationing...
  • Make sure a bed bug problem is not being spread. Inspect all belongings, including luggage very carefully before relocating to another site
  • When arriving at a new destination, thoroughly evaluate the site for a potential bed bug problem by checking the areas referenced above.
  • Before placing clothing and other items into suitcases etc., examine the container or package

Treatment

• Pest control professionals will treat the affected rooms and adjacent areas (if necessary) via heat treatment supplemented with a chemical application along the perimeter of the room(s). MSDS- Bedlam Plus
• Temperatures used of this process are surprisingly low. The heat is provided by special propane heaters that are very clean burning and produce a large volume of hot air.

• Tiny dark red or brown spots or smears on your bed linens or mattress. Bed bugs excrete as they feed, leaving behind remnants of digested blood.
• Bites on your body. It can be difficult to determine if you’ve been bitten by bed bugs because the red welts look like other insect bites and because everyone reacts differently—from no itching at all to severe allergic reactions.
• Discarded skins. Bed bugs molt multiple times before becoming adults, and their shed skins retain the bed bug shape.
• Reminder: All available scientific evidence has indicated that bed bugs do NOT transmit disease.

Pomona College has had a few bed bug incidents. Like most bed bug problems, these incidents occurred because they were transferred to one site from another in personal belongings such as: backpacks, bedding, clothing, and suitcases.

• To prevent the spread of bed bugs to other areas and rooms, do not attempt to address the problem without the assistance of Facilities or Housing and Residence Life.
• Please first fill out the Bed Bug Assessment Form online. This will be reported to HRL and Facilities staff. Once received, HRL will notify facilities, submit work orders, and make contact with all connected roommates and/or suitemates.
• You may follow up with the Pomona Administrator On-Call via Campus Safety at 909-607-2000.
• If you feel you need medical attention, please contact Student Health Services at: 909-621-8222 or the on-call, after-hours medical provider via Campus Safety at 909-607-2000.
• Do not move out of your room or relocate to another room until inspection is complete.
• Never discard or remove any bedding, clothing, furniture, or other college or personal belongings from the room.

• A room inspection appointment will be setup either that day or the next business day for inspection of the room by a contracted pest control company. If it is a Friday, the first inspection day will be Monday.
• If no immediate bed bug presence can be confirmed, traps will be installed with follow up inspection scheduled several days after.
• In rare cases, bug-sniffing dogs may be recommended for inspection. Pomona Facilities staff will be present with the canine vendor throughout all room inspections.

• Prepping the room for treatment
  • Detach, but leave in room, all items attached to walls (pictures, posters, etc.).
  • Remove cushions from sofas and recliners. Turn sofas and chairs upside down and place in middle of room away from walls.
  • Remove all bed linens and clothing from area to be treated; place in plastic garbage bags and clean per below
• Portable Treatment Unit and Temporary Room
  • Students will be asked to pack clothing and bedding along with any other items (backpacks, books, laptop, etc.) the may need for a three day period. These items will be heat treated with a portable unit designed to kill bed bugs via heat before the student leaves the room/suite.
  • Facilities will install the portable treatment unit into the room.
  • Only items that have been treated by the portable treatment unit should leave the room.

• Relocation to Temporary Room
  • Housing and Residence Life staff will identify and communicate temporary housing accommodations.
• Returning to Assigned Room
  • You will be informed by the Administrator On-Call as to when you can return to your room.
  • All bed linens and clothing in bed bug infested rooms should be laundered again in hot water and dried on HIGH HEAT dry cycle for a minimum of 30 minutes or until items are hot to the touch upon removal from the drier, whichever is longer.