MIDLAND, Texas — On March 21, the City of Midland said the customer service office, located on Andrews Highway, would be closed for a few days amid concerns over bedbugs. It's the second time this month that the issue has caused the office to close its doors.
The widespread message of bed bugs may not come as a surprise, considering the season we're in. It's the busiest time of the year for Stan Brown, the owner of Brown Pest Solutions, and his team, as the warmer temperatures and rainfalls bring along many insects.
"A lot of the times there's people who do not realize they have bed bugs," Brown said. "And they'll treat for many different things, when suddenly they start finding a bug on them or bites."
Brown said some of the signs of bed bugs include seeing dark little spots on things like your bed. It's the blood they've been consuming that they later secrete.
"I tell our customers that one bed bug is an infestation because once they start feeding on you, they start multiplying," said Brown.
According to Brown, the responsibility of getting rid of the bed bugs is shared between the pest control expert and the property owner.
"I really tell people that 75% of the responsibility for getting rid of them is how they prepare the house for us by following a list of things to do before we get there," said Brown.
For homeowners, some of the items on that list include but are not limited to these two things:
- Taking out every item from drawers
- Washing and drying things like your curtains, covers, and blankets
"It's almost like you're moving out," Brown said. "You have to go through everything, and that's you really want to be serious about getting rid of them."
During a press conference in March, the senior services manager for the Midland Health Department, Dr. Whitney Craig, said bed bugs are not dangerous.
"They're a parasitic insect, but they're also a nuisance," Dr. Craig said. "So they'll create itching, and then because they do bite during the nighttime while you're asleep, that may create insomnia because you're up scratching all night."
According to Dr. Craig, the reactions people may have to bed bug bites are different from person to person. Some people may not see bites at all, while others may experience something more severe such as an anaphylactic shock.
Dr. Craig said most of the times it's common to experience itching.