A Suffolk motel is being treated for bedbugs after customers reported the insects to the Suffolk Health Department.

The Economy Inn at 1017 N. Main St. had bedbugs in one room, the manager confirmed Wednesday.

“Only one room has the bedbugs,” manager Jack Patel said. “There is a special treatment coming in the morning.”

The bedbugs were reported to the health department by a customer.

Bedbugs are parasitic insects about the size of an apple seed, according to the Mayo Clinic. They feed on the blood of humans and warm-blooded animals, preferably in the dark while the victim is sleeping. They produce bites that sometimes look similar to other insect bites, which makes it difficult to determine their presence.

According to the Mayo Clinic, treating a bedbug-infested room is not easy and usually requires professional help. Bedbugs are vulnerable to temperatures more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore, they can be killed by washing clothing and bed linens in water at least 120 degrees, or by placing them in a clothes dryer set on high heat for 20 minutes, or by bagging them up and placing them in a car parked in the sun during the summer.

Bedbugs also are vulnerable to temperatures below freezing, so clothing and linens can be placed in the freezer for several days to kill bedbugs.

A number of pesticides are available to eradicate bedbugs. Vacuuming can help, but cannot reach all hiding places because bedbugs like to hide in small crevices.