Several bedbugs were found in a school Waldoboro this week, prompting school officials to close the school down to have the school professionally treated.

What's the issue?

According to the RSU 40 website, classes at the Medomak Middle School, which shares it's campus with the Medomak Valley High School on Manktown Road, were cancelled for part of this week after the insects were found.

School officials say there is no indication of an infestation, as of yet, on the campus, which serves over 350 middle school students from area towns of Friendship, Waldoboro, Union, Washington and Warren. But administrators are proactively addressing the situation before it can spread into something bigger that affects not only the school, but students and staff.

"We are following established protocols to minimize any potential spread and are monitoring the situation closely. Out of an abundance of caution, we have also made the decision to arrange for a comprehensive professional treatment of the entire school."

"Although there is no evidence of a larger problem, we feel this proactive approach is the best way to provide peace of mind to our students, staff and families."

How will this impact students and teachers?

Classes were canceled entirely on Thursday. Families were informed that students would take part in remote learning Friday, and continue remote learning Monday and Tuesday of next week. Schools were already scheduled to be closed for Wednesday November 11th in observance of Veterans Day.

The notice went on to recommend that all families and staff members check their own home and belongings for signs of bedbugs.

What should families be looking for at home?

The U.S. Department of Environmental Protection (aka the EPA) says finding bedbugs early can help you prevent an infestation that could get costly to clear out later. Here are some of the things they suggest you look for:

The first thing they say to check the actual bodies of people living in your home for bedbug bites.

"Bed bug bites can look like bites from other insects (such as mosquitoes or chiggers), rashes (such as eczema or fungal infections), or even hives. Some people do not react to bed bug bites at all."

The second thing you should check is your bedding and furniture.

"A more accurate way to identify a possible infestation is to look for physical signs of bed bugs. When cleaning, changing bedding, or staying away from home, look for:

Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed, dark spots (about this size: •), which are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric like a marker would, eggs and eggshells, which are tiny (about 1mm) and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger, and live bed bugs."

If you find signs of bedbugs, the school asks that you reach out them and let them know, and then contact professionals immediately to begin treatment.

Here's a good video that explains how and what to look for when it comes to bedbugs.

The Centers for Disease Control says that while they are certainly not fun to deal with, as they can interrupt your sleep (they feed on your blood at night. I know, not pleasant to even think about!) the silver lining is bedbugs are not known to carry or spread disease. So I guess that's a plus? While some folks aren't bothered by their bites, others can have allergic reactions to them, so checking often for bedbugs or signs of bedbugs is advised.