Bed Bug Summit: Everyone is Bugging Out

(CBS) Everyone with a serious interest in the bedbug epidemic is in Chicago today for the first ever bedbug summit.

Experts paid $395 to attend "BedBug University: North American Summit in Rosemont."

The two-day event is not only sold out, it's standing room only.

PICTURES: 10 Most Terrifying Parasites Ever

Four hundred people are in attendance, and 200 had to be turned away, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Researchers, hospitality industry executives, and experts from the Centers for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency are gathered, in part, to hear the pitches of about 50 different vendors who are demonstrating innovative ways of eliminating the harmless but obnoxious bloodsuckers. 

So far, some have sprayed clouds of carbon dioxide meant to freeze the parasites to death. Others used propane to cook furniture up to 180 degrees, according to the Tribune.

"Everybody seems to be here," says CBS News' "The Early Show" consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen, who is on location. "Everyone is bugging out about bedbugs, and everyone is looking for solutions."

They took another bite in the Big Apple last weekend, when an infestation shut down Niketown's flagship store in Manhattan - the latest addition to an expanding list of major retailers and corporations that have been affected. Even the Empire State Building has been hit by bedbugs.

But it's not just New York. Cities across the countries have been slammed with the six-legged nasties.

Who's the worst and what are some of the world's most terrifying parasites? Find out in our slide shows below.