New York City has experienced an almost 800 percent increase of bedbug cases since 2008, according to the New York Department of Housing and Historic Preservation. This year, the city has received 13,152 violations.

While these violations only represent renters within New York City, Bedbug.com representative Richard Saffern said college dorms constitute around 10 percent of all cases.

“Most are usually publicized as they get out of hand, because bedbugs spread to both horizontal and vertical dorm rooms as they do in hotels,” he said.

Saffern thinks this spread is inherent in the nature of college dorms because students are in small rooms and tend to have clutter. In the fall semester, several New York City colleges reported bedbug cases. City U. New York school John Jay College of Criminal Justice shut down a building in late September, sending students on a forced break. A Fordham U. student suspected bedbugs in his dorm after finding bites last September. WSN reported on two cases in New York U. housing last semester.

NYU freshman Olivia Cho said a friend in Hayden Hall lost $800 worth of clothing because of bedbugs. NYU senior Stephanie Vivar took no chances and completely sprayed her dorm. She thinks students should take action.

“Their best measure is for people who have bedbugs to remove [the infestation],” she said. “You need to take responsibility and make sure it doesn’t spread.”

Jeremy Ecker of the Bed Bug Inspectors, which sends out dog inspection teams to identify bedbugs and bedbug eggs, said college campuses have employed their services for everything from libraries to dorm rooms.

“To think that a college dorm will be free of bedbugs is wrong,” he said.

Ecker said the company is gearing up for its busiest season ever.

“If needed, we have enough capability to do more work,” he said.