Bed bug searches on the rise in Oklahoma during travel season

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - We're in the heart of travel season, which means it's also peak time for a pesky creepy crawler to hitch a ride back to your house. A new study shows searches for bedbug exterminators are on the rise and Oklahoma is on the map.

"Phones have been blowing up recently," said Conner Ingle, with the Bed Bug Plus Store.

Ingle said during June - October, bed bugs come out in full force. The weather is hot and humid. People are on the move.

"Kids are out of school, so people are going out of town and staying in hotels and just bringing them back with traveling," said Ingle.

Yelp reports nationwide searches for bed bug exterminators are itching upwards by 53% over the past year.

Tulsa ranks number 10. Oklahoma City lands at 17.

"With Oklahoma City growing, constantly, and that means more bedbugs are coming," said Ingle.

If you're traveling, don't let the bed bugs check in with you. Keep personal items off the ground and inspect mattress seams and upholstered chairs for the small, circular, and reddish-brown insects with red dots.

Ingle said they are often confused with ticks.

"But, if they're flat, you'll know it's a bed bug," said Ingle.

You'll know if you've been bitten. They'll leave an itchy mark.

"If a bed bug bites you it comes in threes. So, it'll look kind of like a triangle," said Ingle.

If you bring them back home, Ingle said you need to wash your clothes on hot and spray everything everywhere. Bed bugs love wood and fabric.

Ingle said unfortunately, bed bugs create resistances to chemicals. That's why Bed Bug Plus Store uses a product made from natural essential oils.

"It brings them out of hiding, gets on their feet, and dries them up from the inside," said Ingle.

Like ticks, bed bugs feed on your blood. However, they don't latch onto your skin and do not carry diseases. But, if you scratch a bite, it could create a wound that could be vulnerable to infection.