Exterminators were busy at Ohio State University’s Jones Tower dormitory today making sure the bedbugs won’t bite.

More than 100 rooms on three floors of Jones are being treated to kill the blood-sucking pests, which were found in rooms on the 9th and 11th floors recently. Those floors, as well as the 10th floor, are being treated, said Ruth Gerstner, spokeswoman for Student Affairs.
Although the brown, ¼-inch bugs do bite, they’re not known to transmit disease, Gerstner said.

That’s the good news.

The bad is that the students on those floors must bag all their belongings so that exterminators can thoroughly treat each dorm room. Students also must either wash all their bedding and clothing in hot water or dry it for 25 minutes on high heat to kill any bugs or their eggs.

“It’s definitely a major inconvenience,” Gerstner said, especially since students will be moving out within the next two weeks for summer break.

Bedbugs had been mostly eradicated in developed countries since World War II, but have made a comeback in recent years as international travel became more prevalent and some pest control compounds were banned.

They often live in mattresses and can survive for months without food.

See Friday’s Dispatch for an updated story on the extermination. 

kgray@dispatch.com