They strike at night. They bite, they itch and can cause an allergic reaction. Bedbugs have increased by nearly 500 percent in the last few years -- a fact those in the pest control business know all too well.

"But it's not just in this area, it's nationwide," said Phillip Tanner, field operations manager for Allstate Pest Control. "And they say that a lot of it has to do with world travel."

Tanner has seen bed bug complaints increase over the past five years due to one big reason.

"Bed bugs are so easily transported," he said.

Bed bugs don't just hide in buildings, they can also hide in furniture, luggage, or they can even live in your clothes.

That's where Tony Ingle comes in. The Ardmore native created Greenway Formula 7, a natural spray that kills and repels bedbugs. (His business is now in Oklahoma City.) After 13 years of developing the spray -- Ingle has a warning about the pests.

"If you haven't had bedbugs, chances are you will have them," said Ingle."That's how bad it is now."

It's a lesson Ingle learned from experience. So far many of his clients are hotels, motels and apartment complexes. But individuals feel the bite as well.

"We've got people right now coming in our office daily screaming, 'help' because they're just up to their head with the bedbugs and they don't know what to do about it," Ingle said.

So whether you go with the tried and true pest control or try a new method -- you can make sure the bed bugs never bite.