Everything You’ve Been Itching to Know About Bed Bugs

Our Texas insect expert answers common questions about bugs.

By Laura RiceFebruary 19, 2015 1:16 pm

Wizzie Brown is a program specialist with the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Office.

What’s a Bed Bug?

“Bed bugs are ectoparasites and they feed on human blood. The adults are about the size of a watermelon seed; the very tiniest nymphs are about the size of a poppy seed.”

Where Will You Find Them?

“They’re going to typically be in tight locations and they come out while you’re sleeping to feed on you. So a lot of times you won’t even know that they’re there. But it’s not just homes that can have them, you can get them from hotels, people have found them in libraries, movie theaters, buses, airplanes… all sorts of places.”

How to Avoid Them:

“You can inspect for them when you go to various places, making sure that you don’t bring them home. Anytime you do travel, put your stuff in the dryer on a high-heat cycle (when you return).”

How to Get Rid of Them:

“If you have a really bad infestation that you’re just discovering, you can do a treatment using things like pesticides, or heat, or steam, or different methods like that.”