Dorm rooms at Hofstra treated for bedbugs

Two dorm rooms at Hofstra University have been treated for bedbugs, the nuisances that have made a dramatic comeback in recent years, university officials have confirmed.

"We have a confirmed incident of biting insects," said Hofstra spokeswoman Karla Schuster, referring to bedbugs that were found in the Constitution Hall dormitory last month.

Schuster said exterminators treated the dorm rooms and the university sent the students' clothing out to be cleaned. There have been no signs of the nocturnal biters since their discovery last month, Schuster said.

Bedbugs have been found in a range of places on Long Island. A Smithtown nursing home is under state investigation for a possible bedbug infestation, and libraries Islandwide have been treated for the insects.

Hofstra is not the only university where bedbugs have found their way into a dormitory. Numerous universities across the country have reported bedbug infestations, including Harvard University.

The bugs have made a resurgence over the past decade after having been nearly eradicated in the United States by an all-out chemical war that began shortly after World War II. By the 1950s, bedbugs were considered a nuisance of a bygone era.

The bugs can latch on to clothing and be ferried from one place to another, often without the carrier's knowledge.

Bedbugs, which feed on human blood, do not carry infectious diseases. When they bite, they secrete an anticoagulant to prevent blood from clotting, ensuring their meal will flow freely. Their bites also have anesthetic properties, so that victims do not initially feel they have been bitten.