Pests in Bed

Scabies, bed bugs, and rats oh my! Just hearing these words makes me cringe. Our dorm rooms at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) are our homes; they are where we camp out for the school year, so I think the least we could ask for is a clean place to live. With recent cases of scabies, bed bugs, and rats infesting our dorms, I’ve become extremely grossed out.

Before I go any further I must state that I am a germaphobe. I do not like touching public door handles, but if I must, I carry hand sanitizer with me at all times. Public restrooms are also out of the question. Rats are the only exception; I used to own a pet rat. I just simply think that the germs all these things carry with them is frightening.

First of all, what is scabies? I had never heard the name before until a friend told me about it, and I did not even know what it looked like until another one of my friends looked it up in class. According to cdc.gov, scabies is an infestation in the skin caused by the human itch mite. They live in the upper layer of your skin and lay eggs. A common symptom is severe itching and a rash. The typical way that a person contracts scabies is through skin-to-skin contact with a person who is infested with scabies.

What I personally found disturbing is you will not know you have scabies until about two months after transmission when your symptoms start surfacing. Two months!

This makes me wonder how many people have scabies and do not even know it. The Campus Health Center informed me that there have been a few cases of scabies, but not everyone goes to the health center for their medical needs. The only effective way to not contract it is to not come into close contact with someone who has it. Moving on to bed bugs and rats. These creatures can multiply faster than bunnies, and, in the residence halls, that thought is quite scary.

What is even worse is bed bugs do not live in just your bed: they can be anywhere, waiting to invade.

I spoke with the facilities on campus and they told me they call an off-campus pest control company who comes and handles the situation the same day it is reported and verified. I think that is amazing, but the bugs and rats still come back or move on to another room. I completely understand that no pest control company in the world can exterminate every single bug and rat; I just think something else could be done to make sights of these creatures less frequent.

Rats not bred for being your household pet often carry diseases, not to mention they eat all your food. On campus all you have to do is put in a work order and they will take the appropriate actions, but sometimes situations happen and you cannot be helped right away.

I suppose you could always take care of it yourself, but that would be unnecessary spending when the campus facilities can do it for you. I also understand that not everyone minds a little dose of germs, but bug bites and other diseases can be dangerous and should not be taken lightly.

When it comes to all three of these issues, the most obvious prevention technique is to just keep your living space clean. Take out your trash, change your sheets, and wash the dishes. But what if this is not enough? What if the disgusting creatures emerge even if you are a germaphobe? If the steps that are being taken now to prevent these issues are not getting the job done, alternative answers should be created. Students and facilities should be helping each other out to keep our homes clean and germ-free.