Bed bugs on the rise?

Bed bugs are typically a problem in big cities and bad hotels, but are the bugs a problem here? Pest control services say they are.

Tim Colling has operated his pest control business Colling Pest Solutions for 18 years throughout Idaho, Wyoming, and Northern Utah. He said he used to get about one call a year for bed bugs.

“We field, I would say, probably 10 calls a week right now,” said Colling.

Colling said you name it, he’s likely seen bed bugs make themselves home there.

“Residential, day care, hotels, motels, schools, garage sales, second-hand stores and furniture outlets,” said Colling.

Bed bugs are found where humans most often spend their time, like mattresses, couches and other furniture. You can opt for heat treatment, but it can be expensive, so Colling uses special insecticide sprays and other complex products. Ridding your home of bed bugs isn’t just a ‘spray-and-go’ process.

“You’ve got to kill the adult as well as the egg,” said Colling. “That’s when you have to go back and hit it when the egg hatches.”

Bed bugs travel easy, so they’re commonly found at hotels and apartment complexes. Kelly Beck never encountered bed bugs until this month. Beck and her son, Titus, lived with her mother until they saw bed bugs and bites on Titus. She said her neighbors have mentioned having the same problem, so she contacted the Eastern Idaho Public Health District and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

“Everybody just said there’s nothing they can do,” said Beck.

Both the Eastern Idaho Public Health District and the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare don’t handle bed bug issues because they do not pose a serious public health threat.

While Beck waits for her mother’s landlord to solve the problem, she’s living with her mother-in-law.

“I just actually filled out a few applications for new apartments, and I’m looking to help my mom get out of there,” said Beck. “You just can’t live there.”