Sachse, TX · Bed bugs
Waking up with bites in a line or cluster
Itchy bites in a row or a tight group on arms, shoulders or legs that appear after a night's sleep can be bed bugs, especially if you also find small dark spots, shed skins or tiny flat brown insects along mattress seams or the headboard.
Texas pest control businesses are licensed by the TDA. The call carries no obligation.
What to look for
Seams and edges. Texas A&M AgriLife estimates about 70 percent of bed bugs in a room are on the mattress, box spring and bed frame. They hide in the piping of the mattress and box spring, behind the headboard, in bed frame joints and in the nightstand nearest the bed.
Small dark spots. Their droppings leave black or rust-colored dots on sheets and seams, like a fine-tipped marker.
The insects themselves. Adults are flat, oval, reddish brown and about the size of an apple seed. Young ones are smaller and paler.
Why it is hard to fix alone
Bed bugs hide in many cracks around the bed and beyond it, survive for months between meals, and spread when people move to another bedroom or the couch to sleep. Partial treatment often spreads them through the house instead of ending them. Foggers are not recommended. AgriLife calls bed bugs one of the most difficult pests to eradicate quickly.
What the visit involves
A technician inspects the beds, furniture and nearby rooms to confirm bed bugs and see how far they have spread. Treatment options can include heat, targeted products and mattress encasements, usually with preparation steps beforehand and a follow-up visit. The provider explains what you need to do with bedding and clothing before the first treatment.
Tell the operator
- Which bedrooms and whether anyone has moved to sleep elsewhere
- What you have found — insects, spots or shed skins
- Recent travel, guests or used furniture
- Whether the home shares walls with neighbors
Say what you found and where. Call to check whether a visit is available today.
(866) 204-1244Questions people ask
Do bites prove it is bed bugs?
No. Bites look different on different people, and some people do not react at all. Finding the insects, their shed skins or the dark fecal spots on bedding is what confirms bed bugs.
Where did they come from?
Bed bugs travel in luggage, used furniture, bedding and clothing. Hotels, guests, and moving are the usual sources. They have nothing to do with how clean a home is.
Should I throw out the mattress?
Usually not before an inspection. Mattresses can often be treated and encased, and a new mattress put into an untreated room will be infested again.
Other things people find
- Winged insects swarming inside the houseDark, small, many at once near a window — then wings everywhere
- Mud lines running up the slab or the garage wallPencil-width dirt tubes on the foundation, brick or sheetrock
- Fire ant mounds popping up after rainLoose dirt mounds across the lawn, ants that swarm up and sting
- A trail of small ants across the kitchenTiny ants along the counter, sink, window or dishwasher
- Found a scorpion in the housePale yellowish scorpion in the tub, on a wall or in shoes
- A brown spider in the garage, closet or storage boxesPlain brown spider, long legs, found in boxes or clothes
- Big roaches coming up from the drain or the garageLarge reddish-brown roach in the tub, sink or garage at night
- Small roaches in the kitchen cabinetsLight-brown roaches with two dark stripes, near the sink or appliances
- Scratching in the attic or walls at nightScurrying overhead after dark, usually once the weather cools
- Droppings in the pantry or kitchen drawersSmall dark pellets near food, under the sink or in drawers
- Mosquitoes make the backyard unusableBites on the patio at dusk, or even in the middle of the day
- Fleas in the house even after treating the petsBites around the ankles, tiny jumping insects in the carpet
- Pests in a house that was just builtCrickets, ants or scorpions in a home that is a year or two old
ZIP codes covered
Mostly built since 2000
Older neighborhoods, 1970s–1990s