Everything to Know About Bed Bugs in Texas

Texas is known for its Southern hospitality, but sometimes your houseguests unwittingly bring unwanted pests with them. These pests we’re talking about are bed bugs: small nocturnal insects that cause itchy bites. If bed bugs are invading your Texas homestead, you’ll need a guide on everything to know about bed bugs in Texas.

Are There Bed Bugs in Texas?

Unfortunately, yes. There are bed bugs nearly everywhere in the world where there are people, including Texas. Texans are most likely to encounter Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, as it is the most prevalent type of bed bug in the United States.

In general, bed bugs can survive anywhere where they have access to a host. The more people there are, the more bed bugs there will be. Additionally, in recent years, there has been an increase in bed bug activity. Bed bugs are believed to be spreading more due to an increase in travel. 

Although bed bugs tend to be more prevalent in the northern cities of the United States, bed bugs are still common in southern cities with high populations or areas that have lots of tourist attractions, including these Texas cities:

• Abilene
• Arlington
• Austin
• Corpus Christi
• Dallas
• El Paso
• Fort Worth
• Houston
• Lubbock
• Plano
• San Antonio

Because Texas boasts hot summers and the state is warm even in the spring and autumn, bed bugs in Texas won’t survive more than a couple months once they have been cut off from their food source:

• In cold temperatures, bed bugs can survive without food for up to 400 days (in laboratory conditions).
• In warmer temperatures, bed bugs soon dry out without a reliable food source. Without access to food, they die from dehydration within 70 days at room temperature (>70 degrees).

If you ever need assistance with bed bugs, your local Cooperative Extension should have information or resources that can help you. 

Bed Bug Appearance

If you find a reddish-brown bug that is flat and oval-shaped, you are probably looking at a bed bug. Nymphs are smaller than a grown adult and usually have a paler outer shell. Here is what bed bugs look like:

• Color: Adult bed bugs are brown or reddish brown. Nymphs have a lighter coloration, as they are usually tan or light brown.
• Size: Bed bugs grow up to 1/4 inch long. They can fit into cracks that are the width of a credit card. Adult bed bugs are usually about the size of an apple seed, but young nymphs are slightly larger than a pinhead.
• Lifespan: Bed bugs live 12 to 18 months.

Bed Bug Behaviors

Bed bugs are most active at night because that’s when people are the least active. It’s easier for a bed bug to feed on a host who is sedentary or sleeping. A bed bug feeding session usually lasts 3 to 10 minutes.

Like mosquitoes in Texas, bed bugs feed on human blood and leave behind itchy bumps. The good news is that bed bugs do not carry diseases. That is one less worry for homeowners, although those itchy bites are uncomfortable and unpleasant enough as is. 

Bugs in Texas That Look Like Bed Bugs

There are several other Texas bugs that look like bed bugs, so when you spot an insect that you think is a bed bug, make sure to confirm that it truly is before you treat your home.

Here’s a list of insects that are commonly mistaken for bed bugs:

• Bat bugs
• Booklice 
• Carpet beetles (Learn How to Get Rid of Carpet Beetles)
• Baby cockroaches
• Fleas (Learn How to Get Rid of Fleas)
• Head lice (Learn Safe and Effective Ways to Get Rid of Head Lice)
• Mites
• Ticks (Learn about different Types of Ticks: What Do Ticks Look Like?)

Correct identification is important, because if you misidentify a pest, you won’t be able to treat the pest infestation properly. If you aren’t sure that you’ll be able to identify a bed bug correctly, you can always hire a professional bed bug company to inspect your house.

Signs of Bed Bugs in Texas

You aren’t likely to spot a live bed bug crawling around. It’s more likely that you’ll notice these pests when you wake up covered in itchy bites. Here are some ways you can tell that you have a bed bug infestation inside your house:

• You spot a live bed bug crawling around near your bed area, like on your mattress or the nightstand.
• There are blood stains on the bedding. These blood stains or tiny dark smears are bed bug feces.
• You discover bed bug eggs. Bed bug eggs are usually kept hidden out of sight. You’ll likely only find eggs or eggshells hidden in tight cracks and hard-to-find crevices.
• You wake up covered in itchy bites. Keep in mind that not everyone reacts to bed bug bites.
• Discarded exoskeletons. Bed bugs molt five times throughout their life. When they molt, they shed their exoskeleton and leave them around the house.
• You smell a musty odor. Severe bed bug infestations stink up your home, leaving behind an unpleasant, musty smell.

Tip: A handy trick for checking for bed bugs is to slip a credit card through cracks in baseboards and behind wall outlet plates. Bed bugs can fit in any cracks that have the thickness of a credit card, so they can hide in slender openings.

Where Do You Find Bed Bugs in Your House?

To get rid of bed bugs, you have to know that they are in your house first. These small pests come out at night when you’re asleep, but they return to their hiding places before you awake. Chances are you’ll detect a bed bug by the signs they leave behind rather than spotting a live one. 

Primarily, bed bugs hide around your bed or other furniture, since they prefer to stay near their host. When you look for bed bugs, start your search in the area around your bed or on your couch. Here are the places you should check:

• Bed frame
• Bedding
• Box springs
• Footboard
• Headboard
• Mattress seams
• Pillow cases
• Stuffed animals

Bed bugs can hide anywhere, not just around your bed. You might need to expand your search to other rooms, as bed bugs can sometimes be found in the bathroom or in other parts of the house. Though in most cases, bed bugs won’t stray far from the bedroom, since they need a host to survive. 

Here are some of the other areas where bed bugs might be hiding in your room:

• Behind wall hangings
• Behind baseboards
• On the walls
• Hidden in crevices in furniture
• Hiding among clutter on the floor
• On clothing
• Inside nightstands

Bed bugs can’t fly or jump, but they can crawl up most objects with relative ease. Luckily, because of their inability to jump, homeowners can regulate the amount of furniture that bed bugs have access to by setting up interceptor traps underneath the bed and other furniture. 

How to Prevent Bed Bugs in Texas

To protect your dwelling from contracting a bed bug problem, here are some steps you can take to keep your home a bed bug-free zone:

• Don’t bring free furniture you find on the curbside into your house. Discarded or used furniture might be infested with bed bugs. 
• When you buy new furniture, inspect it closely for signs of bed bugs (you might also want to check it for termites as well, as drywood termites are a common type of termite in Texas).
• Whenever you stay in a hotel room, properly check it for bed bugs. Travelers are most liable to pick up these hitchhiking pests. 
• Wash your clothes on high heat whenever you suspect you have bed bugs.

Don’t feel embarrassed if you get bed bugs. Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs aren’t a sign that your house is dirty nor does their presence reflect poorly on your housekeeping. 

Bed bugs don’t come into your house because of dirt and grime. Rather, bed bugs are unknowingly transported from one spot to another by hitchhiking a ride on travelers. They end up in places like your home by pure chance, not because of messy home conditions.

That’s also why house cleaning won’t prevent bed bugs. Vacuuming and scrubbing help get rid of an existing infestation in your home, but it won’t prevent you from getting bed bugs in the first place.

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs in Texas

It is strongly recommended that homeowners hire a Texas bed bug expert to deal with their bed bug problem. Bed bugs are hard to get rid of as a DIY project. To fully eliminate a bed bug infestation, you need to collaborate with a pro.

Here are the most common treatments used to get rid of bed bugs and our helpful guides about them:

• Diatomaceous earth (How to Kill Bed Bugs With Diatomaceous Earth)
• Essential oils (How to Use Essential Oils for Bed Bugs)
• Heat treatment (Heat Treatment for Bed Bugs)
• Freezing (What Temperature Kills Bed Bugs?)
• Steam treatment (Does Steam Kill Bed Bugs?)
• Bed bug sprays and insecticides (9 Best Bed Bug Sprays)

Homeowners should employ Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a strategy for pest treatment that relies on preventive and biological control methods and uses chemical pesticides only as a last resort.

Upon discovering bed bugs in your house, here is a list of the steps you should take to start bed bug control before the problem is treated by a professional: 

1. Remove clutter off the floor. Clothing and objects provide hiding places for bed bugs. While you are treating for bed bugs, keep the floor as clear as possible. 
2. Vacuum the bed. When you vacuum for bed bugs, make sure to vacuum the mattress, box spring, and bed frame. 
3. Use the best steamer to steam the mattress, box spring, and bed frame. Once finished, let the mattress air dry.
4. Spray a residual and/or contact bed bug pesticide around your bed. If you’re hiring a pest control pro, skip this step and leave the chemicals up to them.
5. Wrap a mattress cover over your mattress and box spring. Just make sure that the mattress is dry first before you encase it in a mattress cover.
6. Move the bed away from the wall. That should prevent bed bugs from climbing onto your bed.
7. Place interceptor traps under the legs of the bed or furniture. You can also make a homemade bed bug trap. 
8. Wash and dry bedding and clothing on high heat. Also remove the bed skirt or arrange it so it isn’t touching the ground. 
9. Treat infested furniture. You must dispose of furniture that is beyond saving. If you leave the infested furniture outside on the curb, make sure to mark that the furniture is bed bug-infested. Otherwise, an unsuspecting person might pick it up and take it home.

These are simple steps you can take to protect yourself from bed bugs and their bites until the infestation is treated by a pro. When you schedule a treatment, the pest control company will provide you with instructions on how to prepare your home before the exterminators arrive.

Texas Laws Regarding Bed Bugs in Apartments

Tenants living in an apartment or rental property should be aware of a tenant’s rights. Landlords are responsible for bed bugs in Texas, as the law obligates them to provide sanitary conditions for tenants. Tenants can sue landlords if they do not fix the bed bug issue in a timely manner or refuse to treat the bed bug infestation.

If bed bugs have already infested the property, it is up to the landlord to fix the issue before the renter moves in. In the event that renters discover bed bugs in their apartment through no fault of their own, here is what they should do:

1. Immediately send a written letter explaining the discovery of bed bugs to the owner. This report of the bed bug infestation should be both signed and dated. Always keep a copy of the notice letter in your records.
2. Once your landlord has been contacted, he should deal with the bed bugs within a week and provide bed bug treatment.
3. If the landlord doesn’t respond or take action, hire a pest control professional to conduct a bed bug inspection. 
4. Send another signed and dated letter to the landlord if any bed bugs are found by the inspector. 
5. If a landlord refuses to take action to fix the bed bug problem within seven days, you can sue the landlord. 

However, in certain cases, a landlord doesn’t have to treat the bed bug issue or may even bill the tenant for the cost of the bed bug treatment if:

• The apartment was free of bed bugs before the renter moved in. If the tenant or a guest is at fault for bringing bed bugs into the rental property, the tenant is responsible for paying for the bed bug treatment. Tenants often sign a bed bug addendum at the time of the lease, stating that the property is bed bug-free.
• The tenant is behind on rent payments. If a tenant falls behind on rent payments, the landlord does not have to treat the bed bug infestation.
• The tenant signed an addendum stating that they will pay for treatment if bed bugs come into the home.

Some contracts require tenants to mention if they have lived in a place that was infested with bed bugs. Naturally, landlords want to protect their property, which is why they want to ensure it stays bed bug-free. However, this transaction goes two ways: You can also ask if their property has ever had an infestation.

Hotel Obligations for Bed Bugs in Texas

Travelers may have to deal with bed bugs in Texas hotels. Texas law requires that hotels provide sanitary conditions that are free of bed bugs, but with so many travelers passing in through, bed bugs are easily transported into hotels.

If any bed bugs are infesting the facility, the hotel can be sued for negligence or for any costs that guests suffered due to the presence of bed bugs in their hotel room. For example, these costs may include medical bills or damaged property caused by the hotel’s bed bug infestation.

However, for travelers to sue the hotel they were staying at, they must provide proof of the hotel’s negligence.

FAQ About Bed Bugs in Texas

Do Bed Bugs Carry Diseases?

Bed bugs don’t carry diseases, but they can still cause health issues. They may cause problems such as:

• Itchy, uncomfortable bites
• Exhaustion
• Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Anemia, if the infestation is severe
• Stress
• Allergic reactions

For your health and peace of mind, it is necessary for you to get rid of bed bugs as soon as possible. 

What is the Frequency of Bed Bugs in Texas Apartments?

Apartment buildings are hot spots for bed bugs, since people constantly move in and out of the building. Additionally, there are usually a large number of people living in the apartments, which increases the likelihood of bed bugs finding their way into an apartment.

Before you seal the deal and rent an apartment, you should ask prospective landlords to disclose the building’s history of bed bugs.

Do Bed Bug Bombs Work?

Bed bug bombs and foggers usually aren’t effective against bed bugs, which is why it isn’t recommended to use them. Bed bugs sequester themselves in tight cracks, and bed bug foggers aren’t always able to penetrate these cracks. 

Treat Your Bed Bug Problem Now

From Abilene to San Antonio, no place in Texas is safe from bed bugs, thanks to their hitchhiking habits. Fortunately, there are many bed bug exterminators in Texas who can help you create a bed bug treatment plan. Once you have a plan in place, you should be able to get rid of the bed bugs in your home effectively. 

If you are looking for a local bed bug exterminator, we can help you find a bed bug control company in your city. 

Main Image Credits:
Background: Adina Olteanu’s Images / Canva Pro / License
Bed Bug: Medill DC / Flickr / CC BY 2.0