Feed on human blood while you sleep.
Cause itchy welts, rashes, and allergic reactions.
Spread FAST — a single female can lay 200–500 eggs in her lifetime.
Easiest to spot along mattress seams and headboards.
Slightly faster breeding cycle than the common bed bug.
More heat-tolerant, which makes them trickier to kill.
Increasing in prevalence in Gulf Coast states, including Texas.
Often re-infest homes if heat treatments aren’t done correctly.
Often on arms, shoulders, or legs in straight lines ('breakfast, lunch, and dinner').
Tiny dark blood spots on sheets from crushed bugs or their droppings.
Yellowish shells left behind as they molt and grow.
Large infestations produce a distinct sweet, musty smell.
A small, treatable infestation can become a full-house invasion in under 8 weeks.
A female lays up to 5 eggs per day.
Eggs hatch in just 6–10 days.
Studies show infestations cause increased anxiety and depression.
Sleep disturbance is almost guaranteed.
Social isolation due to fear of spreading them.
Most home products only kill adults, not eggs.
Over-the-counter sprays can cause them to scatter deeper into walls.
Miss one egg cluster, and you’re back at square one.