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Media Relations

Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite -- seriously

In the past five years, bed bugs have become more prevalent in the United States. Unfortunately, they are hard to detect and virtually painless when feeding.

"If you've gotten to the point that you can observe the bugs and bloodstains on your sheets, you probably have a fairly hefty infestation," said Marc Lame, a pest control expert who teaches at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

American households are still not common areas of infestations. However, bedbugs have become a more common occurrence in hotels, hostels and dorm rooms nationwide. Because of the increase in travel among Americans, more bed bugs are jumping from hotel to hotel on the clothing of unsuspecting guests. You'll probably be fine in a nicer place, but cheap motels tend to buy used mattresses that have worked their way down the hotel food chain, picking up bed bugs along the way, so make a quick check before you hop into bed for the night.

If you suspect bed bugs are sleeping in your bed, check the room for any signs of adult bugs or eggs, starting with the headboard on your bed or the box spring below your mattress. If you see something, break down the room and treat the area.

"There are a number of chemical and non-chemical options including vacuuming, commercial steaming units, and certain synthetic pesticides labeled for use, but defer to your licensed professional for those," Lame said. If you find bed bugs in one bedroom of your home, you should at least check the other bedrooms, but that doesn't necessarily mean they've gone on a tour of your home.

"Bedbugs normally do not travel very far from their host," he said. "They'll stay in the same area as the host until they are transported to another area via infested clothes, bedding or furniture."

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