This catastrophic back-to-school event gives a whole new meaning to the term “bug in the system.”
A North Carolina high school had to ask students to return their district-issued laptops after bedbugs were found infesting them. according to WRAL News.
The creepy bugs invaded Riverside High School's media center, where Google Chromebooks were stored over the summer — and were likely hiding inside laptops that were given to kids during new student orientation ahead of the district's August 26 start date.
Now, the Durham Public School District is reportedly asking parents to bring back electronic devices — and urging families to check for any type of electronic device in their homes.
“We understand this may cause concern, but please be assured we are taking every precaution to address the situation and prevent further incidents like this,” Riverside Principal Gloria Woods-Weeks wrote in an email to parents.
Administrators said the infected computers and the entire media center had been fumigated.
“We are working with pest control experts to implement additional preventative measures to ensure this problem does not occur again.” school officials told CBS 17.
Bedbugs – Small, brown insects, about the size of an apple seed – Once they become established in a specific location they can be extremely difficult to get rid of.
Despite their reputation, they don’t actually harm their hosts.
Most often, they come out at night to bite people while they are sleeping – and leave red marks on their victims similar to mosquito bites.
Although these pests were nearly eradicated in the mid-20th century, they have made a powerful comeback and have since infested cities around the world. Which also includes Paris, France.
“Bedbugs are incredibly efficient travelers, just like us,” says Michael Bentley, director of training and education at the National Pest Management Association. told USA Today last year. “As we evolved to travel around the world, bedbugs also evolved to travel with us.”
Ironically, three places in North Carolina — Charlotte, Greensboro and, yes, Raleigh-Durham — are included in the list of the top 50 cities battling serious infections, According to a February report by Spectrum News 1,
