Bedbugs Are Back: No Laughing Matter

Infestations On The Rise In Major U.S. Cities

(AP)  Experts agree that the public needs to be educated about bedbugs - on the symptoms and how to prevent them.

"A lot of people, including some physicians, don't even think they're real," Potter said. As a result people may go months before realizing the source of their discomfort.

In Hawaii, where tourism is a major industry, state lawmakers passed a resolution for a prevention campaign after infestations at some hotels damaged their reputations and annoyed travelers. Similarly, legislation for a bedbug task force has been proposed by New York City Councilwoman Gail Brewer.

For Benton, a 31-year-old graduate student, the bedbugs sparked a seven-month battle that included bug bombs and the tossing out of his and his fiancee's bedroom furniture.

They gave up and moved out of their apartment in New York and eventually moved back to their native Memphis, Tenn. Benton said the bugs essentially drove them out of New York because they couldn't sleep knowing the bugs may be anywhere.

"The main part of it is psychological trauma that they create because of the idea that they are feeding on you at night," Benton said. "It's still hard to talk about if it's anywhere near bedtime."

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Frequently-Asked Questions About Bedbugs

What do bedbugs look like?

Bedbugs are flat and oval shaped and are a light reddish brown, though they're darker just after feeding. Adults grow to be about a quarter of an inch long. Bedbugs cannot fly, but they do crawl quickly. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or small cockroaches.

What do they eat?

Blood from humans and animals. They are active mostly at night and hide during the day near where people sleep. Adult bedbugs can survive more than a year without eating.

How do I know if I have bedbugs?

If you awake with itchy red welts that weren't there the night before, you might have them. Other telltale signs are dark spotting from bedbug fecal matter on mattresses, box springs, bed frames and headboards, and spots of blood on sheets, mattress or walls.

How do you get rid of bedbugs?

Most experts say professional exterminators are required to thoroughly eliminate bedbugs, and several follow-up visits may be needed. The bugs cannot survive extended periods in temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit or above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, so all bedding needs to be washing in water of at least 120 degrees or can be placed in a deep freeze, but the chilling period must be at least two weeks long.

How do I avoid getting bedbugs?

Secondhand furniture should be carefully examined for signs of bedbugs. Travelers should also check hotel beds and behind headboards thoroughly for signs, including pulling back bedding to check the mattress seams for small dark specks of bedbug fecal matter. When in a hotel room, place luggage on a rack, not the floor or furniture.

Source: "Bed Bugs" by Michael F. Potter, entomology professor and urban entomologist, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.