The bedbug infestation , which has raised its head in cities across the globe, in recent years, continues to grow. Just in the last two weeks, a Toronto hospital announced it was infested with bedbugs , in New York, the House and Senate have already approved a new bill that will require landlords to inform prospective tenants of any bed bug infestation  on their premises, and pest specialists  in Australia are urging citizens to take precautions against bed bug infestations , after a rise of infections was noted in the Southwest, and in major urban area.

60 years ago, bedbugs  were almost extinct in North American cities. The recent rise in bedbug infestations  is believed, by experts to be the result of increased world travel, more urban congestion, and the ban against use of strong broadband pesticides such as DDT. Bed bugs  easily spread from dwelling to dwelling. They can spread from private homes to public areas such as buses, schools, camps and hotels, and from there to other private residences. Bed bugs  are problematical because they are easily transmitted, when a person visits an infested hotel, or purchases used furniture.

One pregnant female can lay up to five eggs a day, which is enough to introduce an infestation into a home. Once introduced, bedbugs  are difficult to eradicate. Before a blood meal, they are small and thin and can nest in the head of a screw or between pages of a book. Furthermore, the bed bug life cycle  is rapid, with eggs forming nymphs in only 2 weeks time. Within 5 blood meals, an average of 25 days, the nymphs reach the adulthood and can start breeding. Just last year, the EPA held a bed bug   summit, and many cities across the globe are now declaring war against bedbugs. Signs that a home is infected include bumps or swelling on the skin, usually noticed in the morning, tiny living bugs, very tiny eggs, shed skin, and tiny blood stains on sheets and bedding, which result from bed bug  feces, or inadvertently crushed bed bugs. A bedbug infestation  can be recognized by itchy bumps on the skin, tiny visible bugs, eggs, (tiny black specks), shed skin or tiny blood stains from bug feces or inadvertently squashed bugs.

According to Dovid Davis, a  Baltimore pest control specialist, homeowners are sometimes unaware they are infested until they learn from a neighbor that bed bugs  have been seen in the neighborhood. The homeowners then go back and inspect their homes and finds evidence of the invasion. While troublesome, bed bugs are one of the few pests that are not known to transmit bacterial or viral disease.

Effective bedbug treatment  is multifaceted, and involves washing all exposed clothes and bedding in very hot water, (113 degrees), inspection and thorough pesticide treatment.|Effective treatment is painstaking and inconvenient and can frequently result in the loss of clothing and or furniture. In addition to pesticide treatment all the exposed clothing and bedding must be washed in high heat, above 113 degrees. Pesticides are safe when used as directed. To insure that treatment is all inclusive, it is best to hire a pest control specialist.

Secondary prevention includes encasement of mattresses in protective plastic, inspection of any second hand item before admission to the home, and travel precautions, which include never placing the suitcase on the ground, and thoroughly washing of all belongings immediately on return from a trip. Homeowners wishing to protect themselves should take certain preventative steps. Mattresses should be protected by encasements, and all second hand furniture must be inspected before being allowed into the home. Anyone travelling should avoid placing his suitcase on the ground and upon returning from a trip, all clothing should be immediately washed.