When I was first handed this story, my outburst went like this:

“EWWW, GROSS!!!”

But regardless of that, bed bugs seem to be on the rise in West Texas, and according to our media partner Everything Lubbock, the increase on the South Plains is around 500 percent in the last year.

Bedbugs may enter your home undetected through luggage, clothing, used beds and couches, and other items. Their flattened bodies make it possible for them to fit into tiny spaces, about the width of a credit card. Bedbugs do not have nests like ants or bees but tend to live in groups in hiding places. Their initial hiding places are typically in mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards where they have easy access to people to bite in the night.

The bugs feed on human blood, but fortunately do not carry disease. Either way, they are a nuisance and, yes, I’ll say it again: EWWW, GROSS!

All it takes is one female bed bug in your home to cause an infestation. She can lay hundreds of eggs that you will never be able to see due to their small size.

Over time, bed bugs can spread in a home very quickly. And it doesn’t matter how well you clean your home; they're difficult to get rid of.

The most typical way to destroy them is through heat-based treatments that almost any local pest control company can perform. Sprays and chemicals tend to be ineffective against these nasty bugs.

For more information on bed bugs, what they are, and how to get rid of them, you can check out the EPA’s website.

And one more time: EWWW, GROSS!!!

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