how did the tiny biting insects come to pose such a threat?

"Night night, sleep tight, don't let the bed-bugs bite..." It's long
been a favourite rhyme to send children off to sleep. But with experts
warning of a worldwide bedbug pandemic, will any of us be able to sleep
once we've turned out the light, asks Tom de Castella.

BBC - Vampire fiction may be all the rage. But the true bloodsuckers
after twilight are not charismatic updates of Dracula but tiny insects
living in our mattresses, headboards and pillows. Yes, bed-bugs are back
and pest controllers are warning of a global pandemic.

A recent survey of a thousand pest control firms around the world by the
University of Kentucky and the United States' National Pest Management
Association, appears to show that the bed-bug problem is increasing
everywhere.

"The results of the global study suggest that we are on the threshold of
a bed-bug pandemic, not just in the United States, but around the
world," said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NPMA.

A study led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine last
year found the number of complaints about bed-bugs in the capital grew
annually by an average of 28.5% between 2000-2006. And there's no sign
of the problem abating with Rentokil reporting the number of bed-bug
call outs has gone up by 24% in the first half of the year.

Hotels in Britain have been using the 'first certified bed-bug sniffer
dog in Europe' to seek out the creatures.

"It sounds like a gimmick," says Mark Astley, founder of the consultancy
Trust K9.

Lola, a one year-old Jack Russell who was trained in the US, does not
kill the bed-bugs but is able to find them far quicker than a human, Mr
Astley says.

"Lola can do 200 rooms in a day. It only takes her three minutes to
search a room whereas it might take me half an hour."

When she finds them she will paw at the area, allowing her handler to
know the problem is bed-bugs and not some other infestation.

Some British hotels have even taken to employing the services of a
sniffer dog in a bid to root out infestations of the tiny insects (see
box, right).

The problem is already big news in America. The nation's Environmental
Protection Agency last month warned of an "alarming resurgence" of
bed-bugs, a creature the EPA says causes painful itching, allergic
reactions, not to mention mental health problems and negative economic
consequences. New York is the worst affected city with office buildings,
cinemas and shops - including a branch of expensive lingerie chain
Victoria's Secret - having to close.

Pop singer Lauren Hildebrandt detailed her trauma in a press release
this week after being bitten by the insects while staying at an
"upscale" New York retreat. "I couldn't sleep at night, because I kept
thinking they were in my bed. I was unable to wear a bathing suit or
even a tank top during this hot summer!"

Politicians have been forced to act. In the past week New York's state
government has passed laws requiring landlords to tell prospective
tenants of any bed-bug infestation within the past year, and ordering
schools to inform parents of any outbreak.

Experts have known about the resurgence in bed-bug populations for the
last decade but it's only now wider society has woken up to the problem,
says Mike Potter, professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky.
Part of that is because bed-bugs are not disease carriers like
mosquitoes or rats. And then there's the fact that they are seen as a
bit of joke.

" This is the most challenging pest problem for the developed world in a
generation" -  Professor Mike Potter University of Kentucky

"For years people have belittled the problem of bed-bugs but now they're
beginning to understand this is serious," he says. "Sleepless nights,
constant anxiety, the expense of extermination and then not knowing if
you've got rid of them, all creates a huge amount of emotional stress
that shouldn't be pooh-poohed."

Even the term bed-bug is misleading now with the creatures popping up in
laundries, shops, children's nurseries, schools and hospitals. Bed-bugs
may not be able to fly or jump but they have a natural ability to stow
away in luggage, beds or sofas and come out to feed when they find
themselves close to someone sleeping.

Prof Potter fears for the future unless urgent action is taken.

"There's absolutely no reason to think that this bed-bug problem is
going to subside on its own. When you look at where we'll be in two
years' time and the rate of increase it's going to be very serious. This
is the most challenging pest problem for the developed world in a
generation."

"Lauren Hildebrandt  The bites were so itchy - I do have photos of the
bites but they might seriously gross people out!"

But why are their numbers on the march again? Clive Boase, a British
entomologist who runs a pest management consultancy, says we grew
complacent after tackling the last great outbreak before World War II.

In the 1930s there were large swaths of London where every house was
infested. It took an investigation by the Ministry of Health and the
Public Health Act of 1936 to force councils to take action.

"Then from the late 30s their numbers declined. The introduction of DDT
in 1946 is the reason normally given for wiping out bed-bugs but by then
the problem had been more or less treated. DDT was just the final nail
in the coffin for bed-bugs."

The 60s, 70s and 80s were the "golden years" in Britain with bed-bugs
beaten back.

Battling bed bugs
Bedbugs

     * Don't take in second-hand beds or mattresses
     * Don't allow clutter to build up where you sleep - it's a perfect
nesting place for bed-bugs
     * When looking around rented accommodation watch out for tell tale
blood spots/smears on sheets, and in the seams of furniture and upholstery
     * Don't wait to report a problem - nip an infestation in the bud
before it grows
     * Bed-bugs are not thought to be able to bite through clothing. So
as a last resort you can zip yourself up in a sleeping bag or an all
over body suit
     * Call pest control to deal with an infestation

Climate change and growing international travel, have been cited as
reasons for the bed-bug's comeback. But Mr Boase rejects both explanations.

It is far more likely that bed-bugs have become resistant to commonly
used insecticides in the West, he argues. Interestingly the global
survey showed pest control firms in Latin America and Asia where
stronger, organophosphate chemicals are permitted, found it easier to
control bed-bugs, he says.

Mr Boase says there is an urgent need to develop new, more effective
bed-bug-killing insecticides which are also environmentally acceptable.

"We can still get rid of bed-bugs from premises here even with the
problems we've got with resistance to insecticides. But we just need to
work harder."

In the meantime householders need to be more vigilant in reporting the
problem early.

Richard Mosely, technical manager at the British Pest Control
Association, says the apparent harmlessness of the insect is another
reason for their return. Because bed-bugs are not lethal like the
hospital infections policymakers feel there's no need to act.

"You may not get the emphasis you would with MRSA. That is a killer.
This bug draws blood but doesn't spread disease."

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