Seabrook family takes home nasty souvenir from trip

SEABROOK, TX (KTRK) -- Inside a Seabrook home, a war is going on.

Suzanne Beck has the battle wounds to prove it.

"They blister up," Beck said, "And they itch like the devil."

Bed bugs are to blame.

"They're flat little brown, black bugs," Beck said, "Dirty, gross!"

Beck isn't sure how bed bugs ended up in her home, but she suspects it has something to do with travel.

"My husband travels a lot for work, my daughter travels with her grandmother," Beck said. "We went to Mexico this summer with friends."

Travel is the key risk factor for bringing home the hitchhiker bug, according to ABC Home and Commercial Services President Raleigh Jenkins.

"Fifty years ago, bed bugs were so common," Jenkins said. "Today, they're coming back again, and they're hitting levels that are affecting all walks of life."

Jenkins' team hopes to eradicate each and every bed bug inside Beck's house by pumping hot air inside. They will take the temperature up to 120 degrees and keep it there for three hours to penetrate even the smallest crevices.

Once the heat treatment is over, crews will send their dog inside to search for any remaining eggs.

"That dog is 98 percent effective," Jenkins said.

Beck is not stopping the fight until every last bed bug intruder is gone.

According to ABC Home and Commercial Services, bed bugs are often not detected even when they feed on room occupants. Dark fecal spots, cast skins and crushed bed bugs are all signs of possible infestation.

They say if you return from a trip, toss your clothes in the dryer. The heat will kill the bed bugs. Also, leave your luggage in the attic or a closet far away from people in case bed bugs are attached.