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NEWS May 4, 2006 -Pege 3 Students Misplaced From Blanche Rooms Bed Bug Attack Drives Everyone Crazy (Continued from Page 1) Mice got into them and when The repeat- . Western for three weeks, and students returned from sum- ed use of pesticide now I still don't know where mer and moved furniture in, sprays is major con- I'm going to live." the mice got into their rooms, cern for Georgina Vitek encountered along with the insects they Klein, parent of a similar circumstances, as the carry. Also,when students get McDaniel student school sprayed her room couches from places like Good whose room was repeatedly before they were Will, its another way to bring infested with bed able to determine what type of insects in," Whelan states. bugs, and former insect was biting her. According to the member of the Essex "First they said we Maryland Department of County, New Jersey had fleas, which they told us Agriculture, the ideal way to Task Force on were from the mice that were eliminate insects is not to use Integrated Pest all over the 3rd floor, so they pesticide sprays, but to mcor- Management. sprayed for fleas, and set porate a program that is " Pub I i c down mouse traps," said referred to as Integrated Pest schools and colleges Vitek. "The traps didn't catch Management, or IPM. The across the country one mouse, and the biting con- program is described by the are adopting an inte- tinued, so they made us throw Department of Agriculture grated pest manage- away our couch, which they Web site as taking the follow- ment approach to said was the cause of the prob- Ing measure: " ... focusing on controlling pests in lem. The biting continued, so correcting conditions that classrooms and Orkin guessed that our room encourage pests by reducing dorms," says Klein. was infested with spiders. the amount of food, water, "This approach Then they sprayed us for spi- and harborage available to focuses on the health A bed bug. similar 10the ones found in BlanChe HaD. ders while we were in the pests and eliminating unnec- and safety of people room. We still got bit again essary pesticide applications." while minimizing and again." Later in the document the pest damage to property." HOUSing." In his article, he According to Vitek, Over a week later, it is stated that, " ... relying However, this is a states, "The use of chemical this was not the case. Vitek woke up to find an solely on pesticides to solve program that McDaniel does pesticides may disperse pests "They made us throw insect crawling up her pillow pest problems will eventually not use, and, according to to adjacent areas and create out our couch and when we and an enormous bite on her fail because of pesticide resist- Klein, IPM is one that would health problems for the user, called Campus Safety to help face. She said the insect ance that leads to loss of con- be simple to enact and prove as well as other occupants." us, they said that they only resembled a ladybug, only trol and a resurgence in pest to be far safer for residents. As Alpert's statement had one officer on duty and much larger and darker in numbers. Also, with an She believes that by taking predicts, several days after couldn't help us," says Vitek. "Not only did we have to room 303 in Blanche became color. She captured the bug improper application of a pes- advantage of resources avail- and immediately called Orkin ticide there is the potential to able through the Maryland vacant, the residents of the move out the couch ourselves, to test the insect. The next contaminate the school or Department of Agriculture, room directly next to it began but we have not seen a penny day, it was determined that work environment and expose the University of Maryland to get bit. Junior Kimberly for it. The cover alone cost she had bed bugs. staff and students to pesticide Cooperative Extension Bloom, a resident of that $200, and I don't even know "We had nowhere to residues. In order to rovide Service and the Go emor's room, complained of bug bites how much more we spent on sleep after they told us we had safe, effective pest con I that estici e Counci , It wou e rjng the rouCh." bed bugs," says Vitek. "They is compatible 'with sensitive almost effortless to implement break. She was moved into The cost of living with finally found us a room to areas, integrated pest manage- an IPM program. the Best Western for the week bed bugs is not cheap. The move into, but we had to wait ment (!PM) has been utilized "The McDaniel prior to spring break, and was school does offer students until the girl who lived there as the preferred method of College community should told that her room would be reimbursement for expenses moved out. We slept on pest control." live in an environment that examined and sprayed while caused by the insects; howev- friends' couches for almost On the contrary, deemphastzes the use of it was vacant. She was also er; enormous amounts of two weeks." according to Whelan, the chemicals as the main treat- told that the school would be money have to be laid out by You might be wonder- sprays that are being used by ment to control pests such as ~:~l~~!~e. her mattress and the students themselves. In addition, it can take weeks for ing where these insects came our current provider, Orkin fleas, bed bugs, mice, and spi- "The school told us the receipts to be approved by from. According to Mel:-in Pest Control, have proven to ders," says Klein. that our room was all clear the college, and to pay back Whelan, Building Services kill more insects than ever Klein is not the only when we got back from the students. Coordinator, they are nestled before. He states that in the one who believes in the sue- break," says Bloom. "The first "My laundry cost deep in students' couches that past three years of working cess of the IPM program. night Islept in my bed again I $91.04 to be washed and I were once stored in clubrooms with Orkin, he has seen far Gary Alpert, Ph.D, an ento- got bit all over my legs. My spent almost $200 at Bed, in the basement of Blanche. better results then those from mologist from Harvard School roommate Mary and I have Bath, and Beyond on new bed- "Clubrooms were an McDaniel'S two previous of Public Health, is the author slept on our futon together ding. since all of mine had to incident, because they were providers, Terminex and of "IPM Program for Pest every night since then." be thrown away," says left dirty over the summer. Western Pest Control. Control in Harvard University According to the most Fordyce. "1 know that my recent report, five rooms in roommate spent nearly $200 Blanche Ward Hall have been too." evacuated. However, only "It cost $263 to wash two were confirmed to have me and my roommate's laun- bed bugs. Building Services dry at the laundromat," said Coordinator Melvin Whelan Vitek. "And in addition to says that these other rooms that, we had to buy new blan- were cleared out merely as a kets, pillows, mattress covers, preventative measure. and mattress pads." "At this point, 303 The saga continues. and 120 are only confirmed More residents of Blanche room with bed bugs," says Ward Hall have begun to com- Whelan. "All the others were plain about bites. The future moved as a precaution, and of the infestation of McDaniel the college went in and threw looks hazy, but one th~g cer- all the furniture away, or the tainly looks cle~ until furniture has been treated. McDaniel College recognizes The rooms will continue to be the benefits of Integrated Pest fumigated over the summer." Management, the bugs have Whelan says that the found a new home, and it insects that are infesting the looks like they're just getting other three rooms are fleas: "A comfy. couple of rooms had fleas in their couches and we helped them move the couches out to get them out of the building." The enlarged view of a bed bug's head and thorax.