Pest Control

Reporting Instructions and Guide for Treatment

Please note that prior to Fall move-in, each apartment/suite is inspected and treated by a pest control contractor to remove and help prevent the chance of any pests. As a precaution, a K9 inspection for bed bugs is completed before residents move in.

Accordingly, if a room or apartment/suite or any portion of the space is infested with any pests during the term, the said bed bug/pest infestation will be presumed to be the result of the resident or guests of the resident.

A University approved contractor will supply the appropriate bait and treatment that meets the code and standard of University. We ask that you do not use your own pesticides as it may lead to delays in treatment.

If you see a pest in your apartment/suite please follow the instructions below:

  1. Place a maintenance request with Sonoma State Facilities.
  2. Contact REACH at 707-664-2541 or visit the front desk. If after hours, call an on-call RA or leave a message and it will be retrieved the next morning.
  3. Then follow the steps below to get ready for service (if it is a Bed Bug or Cockroach issue, same day service may be rendered if reported before 2 pm).

If you are experiencing any presumed bug bites please do the following:

Report to REACH immediately at 707-664-2541. If after hours, call an on-call RA or leave a message and it will be retrieved the next morning.

  1. Place a maintenance request on the Sonoma State Facilities.
  2. Schedule an appointment at the campus Health Center or personal health care provider to have bites inspected and confirmed
  3. Facilities Management will contact a Pest Control vendor to inspect the apartment; upon receiving confirmation from the pest control vendor treatment will be scheduled.

How to Prepare Your Apartment/Suite for Treatment

Ants

  1. Clean up spills and place food in air tight containers.

  2. Vacuum thoroughly, empty all trash and recycling from bins and tell the technician every place you are seeing ants.

Ants often enter buildings in search of food or to find moist areas near leaking pipes. Keeping areas clean and free of food will help keep the ants away. If a work request is placed, Facilities Management can provide traps. If ants are getting in through unsealed areas, Facilities Management will caulk and seal those points of entry. If after a few days, the insects have not disappeared, submit another work order requesting further investigation into where the ants are coming from especially if they are coming in for non-sanitary reasons. In some rare cases, Facilities Management may need to open walls to see if there is an ant nest present.

Bed Bugs

  1. Strip bedding, linens, and drapes (if applicable) and place in plastic bags and then seal it. Housing will provide plastic bags for your belongings.
  2. Remove all items in drawers, cabinets, and closets and place in sealed plastic bags.
  3. Once items are sealed in plastic bag(s). Launder them (using hot water/detergent) and then dry (high heat for 45 minutes).
  4. Once laundry is completed take out what will be needed for the next couple of days. Then put the rest of the laundry back into the plastic bag and seal it up. Place the bag back into your bedroom so the pest technician can inspect it on treatment day.
  5. Throw away cardboard boxes, shoe boxes, old newspapers and magazines, and similar items in infested rooms. Make the bed an “island” and pull away from walls.
  6. Do not store items under the bed and do not allow linen/ bedding to touch the floors.

At the end of summer and right before residents move-in, the University contracts with a vendor to inspect for bed bugs. K9 go through every unit to detect any life cycle of a bed bug.  Adult bed bugs are oval, flat and a little larger than the tip of a pencil. If they are not treated quickly, eliminating the bed bugs becomes more costly and harder to treat.

Bed bugs are hitchhikers and can be picked up in a number of ways, such as hotels, airplanes, and second hand furniture. Please do not bring in second hand furniture without inspecting and cleaning the item thoroughly. For your protection, we suggest a mattress pad that covers the whole mattress. It’s important not to have the bugs travel to other parts of the unit or campus. There are a number of online sites that you can familiarize yourself with showing what a bed bug looks like and the behavior.

Bees, Yellow Jackets, and Wasps

Often residents discover a bee or wasp nest near their residence. Do not try to remove the nest yourself.  These insects will build nests under the roof tiles or burrow into the wood frames. If you notice a swarm of bees or wasps, please place a maintenance request and identify the location of where you saw them. A colony needs to be removed when most of them are least active which tends to be morning time. Facilities Management will evaluate the situation and treat.

Cockroaches

If you have cockroaches in Kitchen:

  1. Remove all food and other items from cabinets/ shelves/ drawers from kitchen area and place on the table.
  2. Open food items can be stored in the refrigerator.
  3. Leave cabinets doors open, clean counter tops and sinks and leave them bare.
  4. Appliances should be left on the counter tops.

If you have cockroaches in your bathroom:

  1. Cabinets should be emptied and items such as toothbrushes should be sealed in plastic bags.

If you have cockroaches in your bedroom:

  1. Remove items in drawers and place in plastic bags and stack on the bed before 8 am on day of treatment
  2. Remove items from closets and do not store items in cardboard boxes.
  3. Remove all garbage and recycling items from bins on a daily basis.
  4. Sweep/vacuum floors before and after treatment.
  5. Clean up any food spills, especially oil from surfaces.

After treatment, do not wash down treated areas. Once treated surfaces are dry, you can return items to their cabinets/shelves.

Rodents

  1. Throw away food that has come into contact with rodents including feces, urine, etc.
  2. Empty trash/ recycling from bins every other day.
  3. Do not throw away traps, as a technician will check them weekly. If you find a dead mouse please contact Facilities Management for removal.

Rodents are similar to ants in that they are often looking for a food source. Keeping your units clean and tidy will help prevent the rodents from entering your house. Encourage your neighbors to keep a clean living space since these creatures can get through small cracks and may travel back and forth. Place a pest work request for Facilities Management to provide traps and later dispose of pests if caught.

 

 

Silverfish

Silverfish tend to be long and narrow and look similar to an earwig. Silverfish are usually seen on their own and are looking for moisture. If you see more than four, you should place a maintenance request for Facilities Management to investigate.

Fleas

  1. Vacuum all carpeted areas, cushions, furniture, underneath furniture, along baseboards, and drapes (if applicable).
  2. Uncarpeted floors must be “hot-mopped” (with extremely hot water) including kitchen dining areas and bathroom areas. Remove all items from floors (clothes, etc.).
  3. Aquariums must be covered with a wet towel.
  4. Keep windows open

Pets (dogs, cats, etc.) are not permitted in the Residential Community, unless a Service Animal or approved Emotional Support Animal.  If you see fleas jumping around, please check with your housemates to determine if anyone has brought an animal into the unit. If a student has, they will be responsible for the pet cleaning fee and may face judicial implications. Submit a maintenance request to report the fleas. The University will work with an outside vendor to visit the unit and make an assessment.