This Exterminator Treats Up To 10 Rideshare Vehicles For Bed Bugs Each Week

You usually think of homes or crawl spaces when you hear exterminators. However, this Texas exterminator has shared with local Dallas news station WFAA that he treats between 5-10 rideshare vehicles per week for bed bugs.

It turns out, the number isn’t that surprising as a study by Orkin in 2019 ranked Dallas-Fort Worth No. 10 on its list of “Top 50 Bed Bug Cities.”

Don Brooks is the owner of Doffdon Pest Control and travels daily around the metro area to rid the nuisance insects from both homes and vehicles.

“Quite frankly, they’re not racist at all and they don’t care about how much money you have,” Brooks said. “They’re bloodsuckers.”

Brooks said that he’s seeing more and more rideshare drivers saying that drivers either see bed bugs, someone complained, or they were suspicious of a customer and just want to make sure.

It’s probably something most people don’t consider when hopping in an Uber, Lyft or the like. However, when you think about it, it’s not that far fetched. In fact, Netquote did a study that showed rideshare vehicles were 35,000 times more germy than a toilet seat.

In order to get vehicles rid of the bugs, Brooks has drivers leave their cars in the tent for a few hours for $250 to get rid of any threats.

“I can spray a car in 15 minutes,” Brooks said. “I usually do the backseat, the crevices, and the carpet on the floor.”

So next time you take a rideshare and feel it may not be up to your standard of cleanliness, Brooks suggests throwing your clothes in the dryer for 50 minutes on high heat and hopping in the shower.