Bedbugs break out across nation

Worst U.S. infestation since World War II is nightmare for agencies

WASHINGTON: The biggest bedbug outbreak since World War II has sent a collective shudder among apartment dwellers, college students and business travelers across the nation.

The bugs — reddish brown, flat and about the size of a grain of rice — suck human blood. They resist many pesticides and spread quickly in certain mattress-heavy buildings, such as hotels, dormitories and apartment complexes.

Two shelters have closed temporarily in Charlotte, N.C., because of bedbugs; a Yahoo chat group dedicates itself to sufferers; and countless bedbug blogs provide forums for news, tips and commiseration. State inspectors say that more emphasis may be needed to tackle the creatures.

Federal officials have taken notice of the resurgence. Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency held its first bedbug summit. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C., just introduced legislation that would authorize $50 million that's already in the Department of Commerce budget to train health inspectors how to recognize signs of the insects.

The Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite Act of 2009 also would require public housing agencies to submit bedbug inspection plans to the federal government. It would add bedbugs to a rodent and cockroach program in the Department of Health and Human Services. It also would require the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research the impact of bedbugs on public mental health.

Butterfield's letter to congressional colleagues about the legislation attracted lots of attention: It was topped with a full-color picture of the insect sitting on human skin.

''Unfortunately, in recent years, the United States has seen a resurgence in bedbugs,'' the letter reads. ''That's right — they're back in the sack — and biting.''

Bedbugs have hit hotels and homes in every state. The creatures are amazing hitchhikers, experts say, and easily travel in suitcases, boxes or packages. They can live for up to a year without food.

No state has a central reporting system for bedbugs, according to Butterfield's office, and since the bug carries no known diseases, many health departments don't consider it a public health threat.

That leaves the critters falling through the cracks among regulators, said Michael Potter, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky and one of the country's bedbug experts.
''Most health departments say, 'Hey, we don't deal with bedbugs,' '' Potter said.

Those who have suffered outbreaks say the anxiety it induces can be debilitating. Potter said many sufferers tossed out furniture and could spend thousands of dollars on repeated pesticide treatments. They call him about anxiety, insomnia, shame and the incessant annoyance of itchy red welts on their skin.

''They're, like, ready to blow their brains out,'' Potter said. ''It's emotionally distressing.''
In Congress, Butterfield first introduced his bill a year ago after hearing from a constituent who had brought bedbugs into her home from a hotel trip. The bill died in committee last year, but Butterfield aides say they hope that higher attention will help the measure this year.

Butterfield also has received support from the National Pest Management Association, which says that bedbug calls to pest control companies are up 70 percent in the past five years.
Greg Baumann, a Raleigh, N.C., pest control expert and the vice president of technical services for the National Pest Management Association, said that a decade ago few pest control companies dealt routinely with bedbugs.''Now it's everyone today,'' he said.

Bedbus resurgence:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has pulled many of the chemicals effective in eradicating bedbugs off the market, is looking into how to respond to the largest outbreak since World War II.

Tiny blood-suckers details:
Color: Light reddish-brown, darker just after feeding

Appearance: Oval, flat, flightless, six legs

Size: Adults can be about 1/4 in. (.6 cm)

Bite: Releases an anticoagulant to get blood flowing; excretes a numbing agent so bites don't often wake victims

What to look for:
Itchy red welts in the morning that weren't there the night before
Dark spotting on mattress, box springs and bed frames from bedbug fecal matter
Spots of blood on sheets and mattress

What to do
Experts say professional exterminators, with several follow-up visits, may be needed

How to avoid
Examine secondhand furniture and luggage after trips

Check hotel beds for dark spots, place luggage on a rack instead of on the floor when traveling
Note: A female bedbug lays about 200 eggs during her life span at a rate of one to 12 eggs per day; within six to 17 days, bedbug nymphs emerge from the eggs; after approximately 10 weeks, the nymphs reach maturity