Just as they've make an itchy， scratchy comeback in hotel rooms， bedbugs increasingly are appearing in dorm rooms， say college officials and pest-control experts， who are busy devising ways to eradicate the bloodsuckers.
"They're taking off right now，" says Dan Mizer， associate director of residence life at Texas A University.
Bedbugs are everywhere： "They're finding these things in public transit， in movie theaters， in cruise ships， in all the different hospitality accommodations"
Blame an increase in international travel， bigger bedbug populations worldwide， new protocols that discourage widespread spraying， and possibly even tougher bugs resistant to pesticides.
The size of an apple seed， the nocturnal six-leggers hitchhike on luggage， old furniture and clothing and can live up to a year without a blood meal， so a dorm room lift empty over the summer poses but a brief nutritional challenge.
Ohio State University has seen "several incidents" in recent months， spokeswoman Ruth Gerstner says， including an outbreak in three rooms of a high-rise dorm； workers treated 114 rooms.
At the University of Florida's 4，000 dorm rooms and 980 apartments， "bad" infestations are limited to a couple of times a year， says Wayne Walker， who supervises dorm pest control. The school treats the problem with extreme heat， steam cleaning and pesticides.
Greg Baumann， senior scientist at the National Pest Management Association， says he has heard from "quite a few" members called to campuses. Like hotel rooms， dorms are an ideal bedbug habitat： small， crowded， with "quite a bit of humanity per square foot."
Unlike cockroaches， bedbugs aren't an indicator of bad housekeeping， says Richard Cooper， con-author of Bed Bug Handbook： The Complete Guide to Bed Bugs and Their Control.
"The bug doesn't discriminate on social status. Blood's blood."
Word
Comeback （n） a return to activity， especially after being inactive for a period of time
Eradicate （v） to get rid of completely
Hitchhike （v） to travel by getting free rides
Infestation （n） a problem caused by insects or pests being present in large numbers
Discriminate （v） to see the difference between two things or types of thins， and to show preference based on the perceived difference
"They're taking off right now，" says Dan Mizer， associate director of residence life at Texas A University.
Bedbugs are everywhere： "They're finding these things in public transit， in movie theaters， in cruise ships， in all the different hospitality accommodations"
Blame an increase in international travel， bigger bedbug populations worldwide， new protocols that discourage widespread spraying， and possibly even tougher bugs resistant to pesticides.
The size of an apple seed， the nocturnal six-leggers hitchhike on luggage， old furniture and clothing and can live up to a year without a blood meal， so a dorm room lift empty over the summer poses but a brief nutritional challenge.
Ohio State University has seen "several incidents" in recent months， spokeswoman Ruth Gerstner says， including an outbreak in three rooms of a high-rise dorm； workers treated 114 rooms.
At the University of Florida's 4，000 dorm rooms and 980 apartments， "bad" infestations are limited to a couple of times a year， says Wayne Walker， who supervises dorm pest control. The school treats the problem with extreme heat， steam cleaning and pesticides.
Greg Baumann， senior scientist at the National Pest Management Association， says he has heard from "quite a few" members called to campuses. Like hotel rooms， dorms are an ideal bedbug habitat： small， crowded， with "quite a bit of humanity per square foot."
Unlike cockroaches， bedbugs aren't an indicator of bad housekeeping， says Richard Cooper， con-author of Bed Bug Handbook： The Complete Guide to Bed Bugs and Their Control.
"The bug doesn't discriminate on social status. Blood's blood."
Word
Comeback （n） a return to activity， especially after being inactive for a period of time
Eradicate （v） to get rid of completely
Hitchhike （v） to travel by getting free rides
Infestation （n） a problem caused by insects or pests being present in large numbers
Discriminate （v） to see the difference between two things or types of thins， and to show preference based on the perceived difference