Despite what you may have heard, there are no bed bugs in Vanier Hall.
A reported case of bed bugs in the residence was checked by facilities management and a pest control company last Wednesday morning, but nothing was found.
Bed bugs are small parasitic insects which usually prefer to feed on human blood.
They can hitch a ride anywhere, on your clothing or on your luggage, and having an infestation doesn’t indicate a lack of cleanliness, Health Canada says.
To prevent getting them, Health Canada recommends getting rid of clutter, vacuuming often, removing peeling wallpaper and sealing all cracks and crevices on wooden bed frames.
“They checked the entire room. There were no casings, no eggs, no bugs, or anything to that degree,” said residence manager Clayton Beaton last Wednesday.
The day before, the St. Thomas University residence life office was told a student thought she had been bitten by bed bugs.
“We just got a report back from our pest control guy. He’s of the opinion that whatever was in there, whatever caused the reaction, wasn’t a bed bug. We’re not sure what it was,” said Bill MacLean, STU’s director of facilities management.
The room was sprayed with an all-purpose pesticide spray as a precaution.
Last year, the Fredericton University of New Brunswick campus had a case of bed bugs.
There has yet to be a case of bed bugs at STU this year that MacLean knows about.
“It is not uncommon to have a case or two over a year, but over the last couple years, we haven’t had any,” he said.
“But the conditions are very good and almost perfect for bed bugs, so we have a heightened interest in reports.”
Students in residence who suspect they have bed bugs should tell their residence advisor, residence coordinator or come directly to residence life, Beaton said.
