DALLAS, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Exterminators are getting numerous calls to rid homes of bedbugs in Dallas, a pest control expert says.

One company that normally received no more than five calls a year to eradicate the bloodsucking insects now gets that many each week, The Dallas Morning News said Monday.


"Most people are horrified by them; the most private place in the world is your bed, so to think there are bugs in your bed, feeding on your blood at night, is creepy," Dallas entomologist Mike Merchant said.

Sometimes even professional bug-killers aren't immune. Dallas termite technician Rodney Lewis recently discovered bedbugs in his apartment.

"It was a nightmare; we had to move out," said Lewis, who lives with his girlfriend. "We ended up having to get rid of our bed and couch; it was $1,500 worth of furniture."

Experts don't know why the bugs are re-emerging.

The National Pest Management Association reported an 81 percent increase in bedbug calls since 2000, the report said.

Bedbugs are not just a problem in low-income housing and dirty motels. The bugs can turn up just about anywhere, the report said.