Bedbugs Invade North Texas
DENTON (CBSDFW.COM) - The bedbug invasion that has caused such misery in the northeastern U.S. has come to North Texas.
The University of North Texas' main campus in Denton has a bedbug infestation.
The bugs have been found in a dormitory and in a lab in the School of Engineering.
Bedbugs, like mosquitoes, feed on human and animal blood. Unlike mosquitoes, though, the insects are not known to transmit diseases.
The little bugs were a big problem in the U.S. decades ago. Better insecticides and hygiene in the 1940s and 1950s basically wiped them out here. But now they are back with a vengeance.
Across much of the country this year, hotels, apartments, and even the United Nations building were infested with bedbugs.
They are active mostly at night. During the day, they hide in mattresses, box springs, blankets, sheets—the same places where humans sleep.
Bedbugs are hard to spot. They are flat, brown, and less than a quarter of an inch long.
But the bite marks they leave are often easy to see. Many people develop an itchy red bump, similar to a mosquito bite.
UNT hired Dallas pest control company Therma Pure Texas, which was treating the Santa Fe Residence Hall Thursday. "We're raising the temperature to above 120 degrees Fahrenheit," said Mark Kellner, who's with the company. "At that temperature all the eggs, larvae and adult bed bugs will perish."
If you suspect you have bedbugs in your house, experts say your best bet is to call in a professional pest control company. Click here for more information on what to look for.
