They are creepy. They are crawly. And they are everywhere. If you didn't have anything else keeping you up at night, ponder this: bed bugs are quickly spreading across the country, invading our places of quiet repose to suck our blood.
A recent survey of exterminators by the National Pest Management Association and University of Kentucky suggests bed bugs are an increasing problem. Calls to rid sleep environments (and other places) of these uninvited guests are up 57 percent over the past five years. More than 95 percent of the exterminators have addressed an infestation in the past year.
These findings are in line with prior research, including a report by Congress called "Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009" which found bed bug populations increasing by 500 percent in the past few years. Increased travel, people living in close quarters, and resistance to insecticides are thought to be contributing to the phenomenon.
Bed bugs may go relatively unnoticed at first. They are quite tiny. Moreover, their bites occur painlessly during the night, but repeated feedings will lead to an allergic reaction including a rash.
Though bed bugs are commonly found in residential dwellings as well as hotels and motels, they are also showing up in surprising places, including movie theatres and laundromats. The high cost of eradication as well as a lack of education about their presence likely contribute to their relentless invasion.
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