Unfortunately, bed bugs have made a dramatic reappearance in Ohio. They can easily be transferred in luggage from an infested source, such as a hotel room, dorms, hospitals, apartments, movie theaters, schools, library books, and even camps.
At Camp Oty’Okwa, we provide high quality experiences for our guests, with that in mind, we are proactive with preventing bed bugs in our facilities. While there is an increase of infestations within the region, we have taken measures to combat this at Camp. Our process is to prevent and minimize the impact to our guests.
Prevention:
On a frequent basis, the maintenance/housekeeping teams conduct bed bug inspections.
An experienced canine bed bug detection vendor is employed monthly to inspect all sleeping areas. During high-occupancy seasons the vendor inspects more often.
With school groups and our youth programs we heat luggage as it arrives.
Response:
If we find bed bugs within our facilities, we treat the entire affected sleeping area through a superheating process.
If a bed bug infestation is found in a cabin before a group arrives, we work to find a new cabin for the group.
Suggestions for return home:
Pack items in a mesh bag that can easily be thrown into a dryer.
Take any fabric materials like clothes, hats, etc., and run them through a full high heat cycle in the dryer 2 times.
For belongings that do not fit in a dryer, it is recommended that they be placed in a dark plastic bag out in the full sun for at least 5 hours. The goal is to attain a temperature of at least 120 degrees F, which kills all bed bugs & their eggs.