Bed Bug Control
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Bed Bug Extermination Services
Stride Pest Control provides bed bug control for homes and businesses across Central Texas, where bed bugs travel in on luggage, used furniture, and guests, then hide within a few feet of where people sleep. Bed bugs are hard to beat on your own because they tuck into seams and cracks by day, shrug off many over-the-counter sprays, and can survive months between meals.
Stride treats bed bugs through the Stride Forward integrated pest management process, and because bed bugs hide in places sprays cannot reach, the plan is built around inspection and, where needed, heat. A thorough treatment has to reach every life stage, from egg to adult.
Every treatment is backed by a same-day service option and a satisfaction guarantee. Because bed bug bites are so often confused with other bites, Stride also handles flea control and general pest control when the source turns out to be something else.
Bed Bugs In Central Texas
Bed bugs are one species wherever they turn up, and knowing how they look and where they hide is the first step to finding them. Here is what a Central Texas homeowner is dealing with.
| Trait | Bed Bug |
|---|---|
| Size and shape | About the size of an apple seed, flat and oval, swelling and reddening after a blood meal |
| Color | Reddish-brown |
| Where they hide | Mattress seams, box springs, headboards, baseboards, and outlets, usually within eight feet of the bed |
| When they feed | At night, drawn to body heat and the carbon dioxide you exhale |
| Eggs | Tiny, pale, and cemented into cracks and seams |
| Do they fly | No. They crawl, and they spread by hitchhiking on bags and furniture |
Because bed bugs stay hidden by day and only come out to feed, most people never see the bugs themselves at first, only the signs they leave behind.
Signs You Have Bed Bugs
Bed bugs leave a distinct trail once they establish near a bed:
- Bites in lines or clusters on skin left exposed overnight, often the arms, shoulders, or legs.
- Rusty or dark spots on sheets, mattress seams, and the box spring, left by digested blood.
- Tiny pale eggs and shed skins tucked into seams, cracks, and crevices.
- A sweet, musty odor in rooms with a heavy infestation.
- Live bugs along the seams of the mattress and box spring, and behind the headboard.
Are Bed Bugs Dangerous?
Bed bugs do not spread disease, which sets them apart from mosquitoes, ticks, and rodents. The EPA guide to bed bugs notes that their bites are the main harm, and reactions range from no mark at all to itchy welts.
The real toll is the disruption. Constant bites cost sleep, scratching can lead to secondary skin infections, and a heavy, untreated infestation can, in rare cases, contribute to anemia. For most people the bigger burden is the anxiety and the cost of getting rid of them.
Bed bugs also spread fast within a home and to neighbors, riding along on bags, laundry, and furniture. Acting on the first sign keeps a small problem from becoming a whole-home one.
How We Get Rid of Bed Bugs
Stride treats bed bugs through the five-step Stride Forward process, built to reach every hiding place and every life stage:
- Inspect. We check the mattress, box spring, furniture, baseboards, and outlets to confirm bed bugs and map how far they have spread.
- Identify. We confirm it is bed bugs rather than fleas or another biter, and gauge whether it is contained to one room or moving.
- Recommend. We walk you through the prep that makes treatment work, from decluttering to bagging and laundering fabrics on high heat.
- Treat. For active infestations, heat treatment raises the space to a temperature lethal to bugs and eggs, reaching into cracks a spray never could, paired with targeted residual products and mattress encasements that trap survivors.
- Evaluate. We follow up to confirm the treatment worked, because eggs can slip through a single pass.
Our GreenPro certification guides this reduced-risk approach.
How to Keep Bed Bugs Away
Keeping bed bugs out is mostly about catching what tries to hitchhike in:
- Inspect hotel rooms and keep luggage off the bed and floor, on a hard rack instead.
- Check secondhand furniture carefully before bringing it into the house.
- Use mattress and box-spring encasements that deny bed bugs their favorite hiding spots.
- Run travel clothes through a hot dryer as soon as you get home.
- Reduce clutter around the bed, which removes hiding places and makes any problem easier to spot.
- Act on the first sign, since bed bugs are far easier to stop early.
Bed Bug Control Frequently Asked Questions
Did I get bed bugs because my home is dirty?
No. Bed bugs feed on blood, not filth, so a spotless home is just as vulnerable as a cluttered one. They arrive by hitchhiking on luggage, furniture, and clothing, not because of anything you did.
Do I have to throw out my mattress and furniture?
Usually not. Treatment and encasements save most mattresses and furniture. Dragging an infested mattress through the house can actually spread bugs, and a new mattress will get reinfested if the room is not treated first.
Why doesn’t store-bought spray get rid of bed bugs?
Over-the-counter sprays miss the eggs and the deep cracks where bed bugs hide, and many local populations resist common chemicals. A few survivors rebuild the infestation, which is why sprays alone rarely finish the job.
How do I know if the bites are from bed bugs?
Bed bug bites often show up in lines or small clusters on skin exposed while sleeping, alongside rusty spots on the sheets. Bites alone are not proof, though, since people react differently, which is why a physical inspection is the only way to confirm it.
THE STRIDE FORWARD PROGRAM
Our Strategic ECO-BASED Protocol
Stride Forward is our Integrated Pest Management program where we partner with our clients in the long-term removal and prevention of pests. Keeping your property free of unwanted insects and rodents works best when we work together.
The program combines habitat manipulation, biological control, cultural behavior changes, and the targeted use of products designed to repel or eradicate pests. Our approach follows five steps, with non-chemical methods prioritized before any product application.
Our Certifications & Awards
Stride Pest Control holds QualityPro and GreenPro certifications through the NPMA’s Foundation for Professional Pest Management, and fewer than 3% of pest control companies nationwide hold both. QualityPro requires background checks on every service member, a drug-free workplace, and 16 standards that exceed state and federal requirements.
Our Austin and Round Rock office operates under Texas Department of Agriculture license TPCL #667951, with Burton Johnston as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our San Antonio office operates under TPCL #827449, with Alex Randall as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our office manager, Michael Honeycutt, is an Associate Certified Entomologist through the Entomological Society of America.
Founded in 2013, we have served nearly 12,000 customers across Central Texas and hold a 4.9-star rating across 2,400+ reviews with an A+ from the BBB.
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Stride Pest Control received an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars
based on 2,400+ reviews.
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You do not have to live with pests. Stride Pest Control offers same-day service across Central Texas with a satisfaction guarantee on every treatment.
4.9 stars across 2,400+ reviews | QualityPro certified | Satisfaction guaranteed