UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- With fall classes in full swing, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to be on the lookout for bed bugs.
Bed bugs are "hitchhikers" and are often picked up while traveling from hotels and resorts in luggage and laundry, as well as when visiting friends' rooms or apartments.
They tend to hide in dark, tight spaces during the day and emerge at night. Though their bites can be bothersome, bed bugs are not known to transmit disease.
In bedrooms, bedbugs will leave dark red spots in mattresses and can hide out in tight crevices in dressers, bedframes and floorboards. When checking for bedbugs, examine bed seams, frames and the area around the bed.
Penn State has a protocol to carefully monitor and address any potential presence of bed bugs on its campuses.
For students living in residence halls who suspect they have bed bugs, they should call their area housing office immediately.
Penn State employees who suspect bed bugs may be in their work area should contact the Work Reception Center at 814-865-4731, or the campus business office at all Commonwealth Campuses.
For more information about bed bugs and how the University is handling them, visit http://www.ehs.psu.edu/occhealth/bedbugs.cfm and http://extension.psu.edu/pests/bedbugs.