As students move both into and out of Madison dwellings this week, city building inspectors and officials with the city’s Tenant Resource


Center are warning them about the furniture they take into their new homes.
The inspectors are warning that some tiny pests can cause major trouble for people who see the big move-out as a downtown yard sale, WISC-TV reported.

They said that that within the last 18 months, they’ve seen the emergence of mini-bed-bug surges in the Madison area. The risk is highest with upholstered items, where cockroaches are also common, WISC-TV reported.

The Tenant Resource Center suggests that people be extra observant when picking up tossed furniture.

Brenda Konkel, of the Tenant Resource Center, said that those leaving items should be considerate toward others.

“I think it’s a pretty good assumption if you live in the downtown area within a mile of the Capitol, probably people will be ripping open your bags of garbage, so you know the poor garbage people have to go through and pick that stuff up,” Konkel said. “So, we encourage people to make sure they are trying to be community friendly.”

They are also asking students to separate and label their trash and collectible items for curbside rummagers so as to avoid a potential mess when new students move in.