Bedbug infestations in the news: a picture of an emerging public health problem in the United States.

* Bedbug (Cimex lectularis) infestations have become a major complaint in all but three states in the United States.

* Bedbugs are making a strong comeback all around the world, particularly in developed countries where they have been absent for half a century.

* The infestations are no longer limited to crowded, unclean, or urban locations, and they are occurring in hotels, dormitories, vacation resorts, and personal dwellings.

* Some researchers speculate that the resurgence is related to successful reduction in other household pests such as cockroaches and ants, and consequent changes in pesticide use.

* About seven different species of bedbug feed on human blood, but the two most common species are Cimex lectularis and Cimex hemipterus.

* Bedbugs have not yet been positively incriminated as vectors of a specific disease.

* Hepatitis B virus DNA has, however, been detected in bedbugs and their excrement for up to two weeks after feeding.

* Bedbug bites are also responsible for numerous secondary infections such as impetigo, ecthyma, and lymphangitis.

* Bedbug bites can cause welts, induce nervous and digestive disorders, and initiate allergic reactions.

* Allergic reactions can range from localized urticaria to bullous reaction to, rarely, anaphylaxis.

* Adult bedbugs are wingless insects that are flat, roughly oval in shape, and approximately 4-7 mm long, roughly the size of Lincoln's head on a penny.

* They are typically gray or brown in color, but after feeding they turn a deeper red color.

* Their small, flat shape makes them particularly adept at hiding during the day in cracks and crevices in the wall, in upholstered furniture, in mattress seams, and behind loose wallpaper.

* Bedbugs have three pairs of legs and a short, broad head with a pair of prominent antennae.

* Bedbugs do not have wings, so they travel by crawling, sometimes going more than 100 feet to feed.

* The lifecycle of a bedbug involves incomplete metamorphosis.

* The nymphs are miniature adults.

* The female, slightly smaller than the male, can live for about 9 to 18 months.

* After mating, she can lay two or three eggs per day for the rest of her life.

* Before she dies, she lays 200-500 eggs in cracks and crevices.

* Eggs are about 1 mm long, yellowish-white, and vase shaped.

* They hatch within one to two weeks at room temperature.

* Nymphs begin to feed immediately after hatching.

* They go through five nymphal stages before reaching adulthood.

* The maturation cycle takes 9 to 18 weeks.

* Central heating and sealed windows provide higher temperatures and stable humidity, allowing continued feeding and a subsequent increase in bedbugs in the winter.

* Adult bedbugs are nocturnal and feed almost exclusively at night.

* They respond to warmth and carbon dioxide, using the daytime to digest their meals.

* To feed, they pierce the skin and inject their saliva, which contains an anticoagulant and an anesthetic-like substance.

* Because of the anesthetic, the sleeping victim remains undisturbed and notices the bites only upon waking, when the skin becomes irritated and inflamed.

* A full meal takes about 5-10 minutes to achieve.

* The bites typically appear in a three-bite row, referred to as "breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

* Changes in pest control methods, increased resistance to insecticides, and more widespread international travel over the past decade have been suggested as causes of the increase in bedbug populations in the UK, Canada, Australia, and the U.S.

* The use of less toxic, less persistent pesticides may be contributing to the resurgence of bedbugs.

* Use of baits rather than insecticide sprays for ant and cockroach control also has allowed bedbugs to flourish.

* International travelers can transport bedbugs in luggage and clothing.

* Bedbugs can survive for long periods without a meal, which makes them a challenge to eradicate.

* They can last for more than nine months in luggage or personal belongings.

* Finding bedbugs is difficult, because they prefer dark locations.

* Common hiding places for bedbugs are under mattresses, floorboards, carpets, bed frames, and furniture.

* A social stigma used to be associated with bedbugs, but that is no longer the case.

* Bedbug infestations are no longer limited to a specific income or cleanliness level.

* They invade all buildings without discrimination.

* Public awareness is important in slowing bedbug infestations.

* One can identify their hiding places by locating fecal spots that are often left in visible places.

* Dark spots are left on mattresses, wallpaper edges, sheets, and other hidden spots.

* Telltale signs of bedbugs are brown stains along the seams of mattresses or the perimeter of the sheets.

* Bloody spots are also left behind when engorged bugs are crushed by someone sleeping.

* Another method to detect bedbugs is to smell an area; when frightened, bedbugs leak a liquid that smells like rotting raspberries.

* It may be useful to inspect suspected areas at night, with a red light.

* Quick recognition of bedbug infestation allows affected individuals to promptly contact health department officials to curb the spread of the problem.

* It is critical that individuals contact professionals to deal with an infestation, since the bugs are tough to exterminate and spread quickly among rooms and buildings.

This department, Practical Stuff! originated from you, our readers. Many of you have expressed to us that one of the main reasons you read the Journal of Environmental Health is to glean practical and useful information for your everyday work-related activities. In response to your feedback, we dedicate this section to you with salient points to remember about two to three articles in each issue.