DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - An infestation of bed bugs forced a Decatur man to pack up and head out of state. 

Jerry Baumgartner, an 82-year-old veteran, has been in an Oxford House (2700 N. Monroe St.) apartment for the past three years. For the better part of the last year, he was horrified to see bed bugs become a growing problem. 

Baumgartner said pictures he and his daughter, Denise Davis, collected showed beg bugs in the hundreds on furniture. His bed, bed frame and power lift chair are believed to be ruined. 

"It is really bad, " Davis said. "When you lift up the bed ... there are nests underneath the mattress and in the wood."

WAND-TV talked with an Oxford House spokesperson about Baumgartner's situation in an effort to see what's being done. A statement said the company takes pests seriously when brought to their attention. They've had three units impacted by bed bugs, with two cleared within three treatments. 

They said Baumgartner's unit was harder to treat. The statement said he "repeatedly ignored protocols, including replacing his mattress or laundering potentially affected linens." 

With his apartment no longer livable, Baumgartner left some of his belongings behind and moved to Davis' home in Missouri. On Tuesday, he left for the final time. 

"I had to go off an leave my friends that I made there," he said. "I am 82. I am disabled. I just can't do this anymore." 

In terms of Baumgartner's belongings, Davis said they will go into a storage unit. They plan to use bug bombs on that unit to kill the insect invaders. 

Should anyone else find themselves with bed bugs, experts said the following steps should be taken:

  • Bedding and clothing should be washed in hot water
  • Those items should then be placed in a dryer on the highest setting 
  • Steamer should be used on mattresses and couches 
  • Anything that may have an infestation should be sealed up and kept in an area 95 degrees or hotterÂ