Indy has 13th most bed bugs in the nation, survey finds

Don't let the bed bugs bite? Good luck if you live in Indy.

The city on Thursday was named the 13th worst in the nation for bed bugs.

Those creepy, little parasites — which can be as small as a pencil point and as large as a pencil eraser — are just waiting to bite and feed off your blood.

"Bed bugs, these guys are hitchhikers," said Rudy Mendez, branch manager at Terminix, 5595 W. 74th St. "They are creatures of opportunities. It doesn't matter how dirty or clean you are. They don't care."

Mendez isn't surprised Indy ranked as one of the top infested cities. He has seen business jump by 150 percent compared to 2013. Calls come from homeowners, hotels, businesses, and recently he went on a call to treat an RV covered in bed bugs.

Indy's ranking as 13th worst (Philadelphia was the worst city, by the way), is based on call data from more than 300 Terminix branches nationwide. The rankings represent cities with the highest volume of calls from Jan. 1 to June 30.

Here is everything you need to know about bed bugs.

Why are they called bed bugs? "They come out mainly at night. They are still out there during the day, but they like the night," Mendez said. "Normally, people are in bed, and people are asleep and that's when they can smell the blood. That's when they can bite you."

And that bite? You'll wake up with tiny red blotches. "Almost like dots on you, and you'll know it," Mendez said. They can be painful. They can be itchy.

What do the bed bugs look like? Reddish brown or light brown. They almost look like a cross between a beetle, a spider and an ant. You probably won't find one bed bug, but a group of them.

How can you tell if a home has bed bugs? "In worst cases, you will see fecal matter on the wall and say, 'Oooh. Well, they've got bed bugs,' " said Mendez. "In other cases you don't know until you start looking really close at the mattress."

How does a home get bed bugs? "To determine the exact source ... is almost impossible," said Mendez. They often show up after people have traveled. The bugs can attach themselves to a suitcase put down in a hotel room or at an airport. They like to crawl from one object to the next, Mendez said.

Can you find them outside the home or in the garage? Not likely. "They're going to be where the people, where the animals are," Mendez said. "They need that blood to survive. That's what they feed off of."

If you have traveled what should you do? When you get home, put your luggage in the garage then put your clothes into a dryer set on hot. Do not wash first. The heat will kill any bed bugs on your clothes. Meanwhile, put the luggage in a large trash bag sealed up for 24 hours.

Can you get rid of the bugs on your own? There is a process that terminators take to not only get rid of the bugs you can see but to make sure the unseen ones are gone. Mendez suggests calling a professional if you suspect bed bugs.

Why the increase in Indy? It's tough to say since the origin of bed bugs aren't known. Mendez suspects the jump in tourism in Indy may have contributed to the increase.

Top 15 bed-bug-infested cities:

1. Philadelphia.

2. Cincinnati.

3. New York.

4. Detroit.

5. Chicago.

6. Boston.

7. Dallas.

8. Columbus, Ohio.

9. Baltimore.

10. Washington, D.C.

11. Houston.

12. Denver.

13. Indianapolis.

14. Los Angeles.

15. Cleveland.

Call Star reporter Dana Hunsinger Benbow at (317) 444-6012. Follow her on Twitter:@danabenbow.