'Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite': Infestations on the Rise

 With cases way down since WWII, bedbugs are now back with a vengence and it has the hotel industry worried. USA Today reports on the degree of the problem. "The Atlanta branch of pest-control firm Terminix saw no cases of bedbugs in 2004 and only three or four last year. But in the first six months of this year, they've had 23 new cases, said Clint Briscoe, a spokesman.

A possible explanation of the jump in bugs has been lax pest spraying practices with less potent sprays:

"The tiny bugs may be hitching a ride in the luggage or clothing of travelers. This could explain the high concentration of the pests in cities like Atlanta and New York, which attract a lot of international traffic. Another factor is a change in pest control practices. [Hotel] Companies are spraying more responsibly now...Instead of indiscriminately saturating the perimeter of all rooms, they often use more conservative measures and do large-scale spray treatments only when there's an infestation. As a result of consumer demand, less toxic chemicals are also being used."