Bugs in the Bed

(02/02/07 -- CAMERON, N.C.) (WTVD) -- A woman who discovered unwanted visitors in her new furniture contacted Troubleshooter in hopes of getting to the root of the problem.

Kay Smith said she thought mosquitoes were biting her as she slept in her bet. "It was horrible," she said. "We probably seen like 30 at one time."

Thirty bed bugs! And although many have heard stories about the critters in hotels and motels, the bugs also show up in schools, hospitals and furniture.

Smith said she found the tiny bugs in her mattress and box springs. "We found them in the creases."

In addition to the bed, Smith found them in her bedroom furniture. "We found some bad places in the bottom of the wood and in the headboard, and we could actually see them."

The entire bedroom suit, along with the mattress and box springs, came from the same store more than a year ago, but Smith said she kept the plastic on the bed until recently.

"Six months ago, we took plastic off [the] mattress and box springs because we got tired of it rattling after a while," she said. Soon after that, Smith and her husband started feeling something bite them.

The couple said one night they got out of the bed and pulled the mattress off. That's when they saw the bed bugs. "I was hysterical," said Smith. "I was on the Internet from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. doing research on these things because I have never heard of this."

Smith also called an exterminator, Frank Staples of Skyline Pest Control.

"It's definitely bed bugs," said Staples, and they are a problem.

"It's much more common today," said Staples. "It's the fastest growing problem in the U.S. right now. They can get in furniture because they hide back in the cracks and where you find them in bed frames is where the bed frames join together."

According to Staples, the bugs can live without food for long periods of time. "My understanding is they can survive without food for over a year."

Smith said she called Tony's Furniture, the store where she purchased her bedroom suit, mattress and box springs, but the owner insisted the pests were not bed bugs.

"He kept insisting it was a beetle bug, and I kept saying, 'no it wasn't,'" exclaimed Smith.

The owner agreed to tale back the bedroom suit and exchange it for another one in his store, but she wanted a full refund.

Troubleshooter Diane Wilson talked to the owner of Tony's Furniture. He insisted there were no bed bugs. He also pointed out that Smith bought the furniture more than a year ago, so there is no way to know how she got the pests.

Smith returned the furniture, and instead of picking out another suit, Tony's gave her a full refund.

The owner maintains he has not had any other problems like Smith's complaint of bed bugs. He said he agreed to take back Smith's bedroom suit but not her mattress and box springs because of the elapsed time.

And if you're wondering how to get rid of bed bugs, an exterminator is your best bet.

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