The Tegeler House residence hotel in downtown Bakersfield has been hit with a bed bug problem, and residents are worried about how the management is working to get rid of the pests. Eyewitness News has been investigating bed bugs since they started making a come-back.

A viewer who contacted the Eyewitness News tip line had concerns about how the problem is being handled at the Tegeler. On Thursday morning, hotel managers had a pesticide crew working inside the four-story building.

Resident Reba Kellum said she's had problems with bed bugs in her unit. "They're in my carpet, 'cause they jump on me," said Kellum. "I've got bites all over me. I'm going to the doctor on Friday."

Bed bugs are "small wingless insects that feed solely upon the blood of warm-blooded animals," according to a website from the Harvard School of Public Health. They hide in places like mattresses, and usually come out at night to feed.

Kellum pointed to a number of red marks on her arms, which she said are bed bug bites. Health experts say bed bugs do not spread disease, but they can leave a rash if someone is sensitive to the bites.

Tegeler House management said they had 15 rooms treated with spraying and fogging on Thursday. Resident Timothy Carter thinks more rooms should be treated to be sure all the bugs are destroyed. "If they don't start doing each room every time they do this, even though it's 15 infested, we're going to have the problem twice as bad," Carter said.

The Tegeler manager said she put out a notice on December 10 asking about the problem, but no residents responded. But, the manager said on January 2, two residents then complained about having bed bugs.

Kellum said after she got a notice, she checked and found bugs under her mattress. "There were several underneath there, and I started cleaning and picking them up. I've got bottles of bugs -- I kept them," she said.

She's worried about the cost to clean and wash bedding and other belongings to get rid of the bugs. Kellum also wishes the Tegeler would replace her mattress.

Experts say bed bugs spread by "hitch-hiking" into buildings. According to the Harvard School of Public Health website, "Because bed bugs readily hide in small crevices, they may accompany (as stowaways) luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes, and other such objects when these are moved between apartments, homes and hotels."

Pesticide companies say bed bugs have nothing to do with how clean a building is.

Tegeler management said the hotel has 53 units and now has 49 tenants. The renovated hotel has studio apartments for low-income residents.

The managers say they will treat a second time for the bed bugs, which is standard procedure to make sure a building is clear of the pests. They promise to treat a third time, if necessary.

But, resident Timothy Carter is still worried. "Hopefully, they do the job right when they get upstairs, and they do it thoroughly and everything like that. If they don't do that, we're going to have a worse problem than we do right now."