10 Pest Control Tips for College Students

Use These Tips To Keep Your College Dorm or Apartment Pest Free This Semester

Summer is almost over and many college students are already on campus for the fall semester. Whether moving into a college dorm room or signing the lease for an off-campus apartment, there are a few pest control tips every college student needs to keep in mind.

1. Check for Bed Bugs.

Bed bugs in college are more common than you would hope. These blood suckers can be hiding in mattresses, box springs, couches and curtains in furnished dorm rooms or apartments, as well as in the carpet, closets and empty spaces of recently vacated unfurnished apartments. Make sure to thoroughly inspect the bedrooms and living areas of anywhere you’re looking to live during the school year, so you can avoid bites, discomfort and infestation of your belongings.

2. Clean Up After Yourself.

We know, this sounds like something your mother or grandmother would say. It’s important. At the end a night out that ended with a 2 a.m. pizza order, make sure any leftovers get wrapped and put in the fridge, and all trash gets cleaned up. Wipe your tables clean of crumbs and don’t forget to vacuum from time to time.

3. Watch Out for Clutter.

Is your laundry already piling up? What about papers you don’t need anymore, or souvenirs from every event you attend? Is everything getting shoved in your closet? Don’t create perfect hiding spaces for rodents and insects to start breeding.

4. Take Out The Trash, Often.

We only said get your garbage to the trash can in tip #2. Now take it outside. Past your doorstep. The further away you keep your trash, the less likely it is that pests will make their way into your living space.

5. Check With Your Landlord.

Bed bugs in your bed? Ants in your kitchen? When you signed that lease, did you ask who was responsible for pest control? Make sure you know before a problem arises, or before you end up paying for pest control services and products that your landlord or school should be covering.

6. Keep Everything Dry.

Don’t leave damp jackets, umbrellas, clothes and towels around. Also, clean up spills in the kitchen, and be sure to dry pools of moisture in the bathroom. These wet areas can provide a perfect breeding ground for pests.

7. Don’t Bring Bugs Home.

Staying at a friend’s house? Make sure you don’t carry home bed bugs in your clothes. Going camping or on a class field trip? Check for ticks as soon as you get home. These pests are known to attach themselves on our clothes and belongings, so double check that you’re not bringing a pest infestation home with you.

8. Save the Snacks for Yourself.

Keep bags of chips closed and put away in cabinets. Put the lid on the peanut butter jar when you’re done, and make sure to close the bread bag. Any food or crumbs left out overnight are invitations to pests looking for their next meal.

9. Call Your Mom.

This isn’t a pest control tip. Just call her, she misses you.

10. Where There’s One Pest, There’s Probably More. 

If you spotted a mouse in the kitchen, or a couple ants marching through your dorm room, there’s probably more hiding, or on the way. If you fear that pests have invaded your college dorm or apartment, take care of it before it becomes a bigger problem.
If you fear you have a pest problem, or simply want to ask us a question, contact us today. We’d be happy to help in any way possible.