US looks for ways to not let the bed bugs bite

WASHINGTON — The federal government is waking up to what has become a growing nightmare in many parts of the country — a bed bug outbreak.

The tiny reddish-brown insects, last seen in great numbers prior to World War II, are on the rebound, feeding on human blood in college dormitories, hospital wings, homeless shelters and swanky hotels from New York City to Washington.

Faced with rising numbers of complaints to city information lines and increasingly frustrated landlords, hotel chains and housing authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hosted its first-ever bed bug summit yesterday.

One of the problems is that there are few chemicals on the market approved for use on mattresses that are effective at reducing bed bugs.

Increasing international travel has also increased the chances for the bugs to hitchhike from developing countries which never eradicated them completely.

“I can’t tell you how many people have spent the night in their bath tubs because they are so freaked out by bed bugs,” said entomologist Dini Miller at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “I get these people over the phone that have lost their marbles.”

Bed bugs are not known to transmit any diseases. But people have had an allergic reaction to their bites. The insects release an anticoagulant to get blood flowing, and they also excrete a numbing agent so their bites do not often stir a victim’s slumber.

The pesticide industry will be pushing at the summit for federal funding for research into alternative solutions, such as heating, freezing or steaming the bugs out of bedrooms. AP

From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 15-April-2009