Bed bug infestation becomes major problem for local family

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CLINTON, Tenn. (WVLT)-- Danae Phelps is worried about her mother living at The Village of Carriage Hills in Clinton because she has a big problem: bed bugs.

"It's been going on and off for almost a year and my mother said that they [the apartment complex] have come out and sprayed. However, to my knowledge that's not how you handle a bed bug problem, you use heat," said Phelps.

The site manager at the complex wasn't allowed to go on camera because of company policy. But she did tell us they follow the guidelines set by Rural Development of Tennessee.

In Phelps mother's case, they got the complaint and wrote a formal letter to the mother with a checklist of things to do within 5 to 7 days.

After that, the complex came in and sprayed cedar oil. And according to reports, most of the times it does the job for the complex - but Phelps said the cedar oil didn't work for them.

We contacted Mark Nadolski from Russell's Pest Control for expert advice concerning bedbugs and cedar oil.

"There's some studies that say cedar oil does work. It's enviromentally safe but it's also a product that you can apply without having a licenses through the state of Tennesse," he said.

So what's the best solution to get rid of these pesky bugs?

"They can't survive over about 115 degrees so we use a steamer- something you;d find in a clothing store and that will typically kill the bed bugs we see and it will kill the eggs. We also use a pesticide after the steam treatment," Nadolski said.

But it's not a one time deal, he notes - sometimes it takes numerous treatments because bed bugs are stubborn and can hide in the smallest places.

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Bed bug infestation becomes major problem for local family

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