COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - USC student Michelle Gattis has not gotten a good night's rest recently.
It's not because of a bad roommate or loud neighbors. It's because of a problem she believes moved in before she did: bed bugs.
"They'll bite you anywhere," said Michelle. "As long as they're on your mattress, you will get bit."
Michelle has been living at The Lofts, an off-campus apartment, since last August.
"I had all new furniture when I moved in, so there was no way I would have brought them because it was all brand new stuff," said Michelle.
Managers at the complex would not talk about the problem, but Michelle says property managers have been trying to get rid of the pests. So far, it's been a fruitless effort.
"Weeks later they would just return," said Michelle. "It's never gotten better."
Michelle has since decided to stay with her mom, Ramona, but the critters followed.
"They bit me from head to toe," said Ramona. "I didn't even know what was going on. I refused to believe what it was."
The problem has gotten so bad that Ramona has spent hundreds of dollars of her own money to extinguish the problem. She's bought new furniture and even
called an exterminator.
Jimmy Simms with Modern Extermination Pest Control says he's received 20 calls since last month about bed bugs infestations. He says most places use a chemical to kill them.
"We go in there and strip the beds, check the drawers, under the furniture, take the bed apart," said Simms. "It's a very detailed process to get everything treated."
Meanwhile, Ramona continues to do battle with the creatures. "It has been an expensive nightmare," she said.
"What about the Department of Health and Environmental Control? Wouldn't they handle something like this?" you might ask yourself.
DHEC says no since bed bugs don't carry disease. They say it's up to the property owner to handle extermination.
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