In her early 20s, Jenny resided in a dorm in New York City. To her horror, she found several bed bugs on her bed one day. “All the people living in the dorm immediately evacuated,” Jenny said.
Bed bugs are unwelcome hitchhikers that resist eviction. They infest beds, hotels, and even movie theaters. These crafty critters lurk everywhere, from high-end hotels to slums. They’ll hitch a ride in your luggage and travel home with you.
Battling them feels like a never-ending game of hide-and-seek. Getting rid of them can be difficult and costly, but not impossible.
No Wings, No Disease—Just Annoyance
Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown, flattened parasites that feed on blood. They lack wings, can survive for weeks to a year (pdf) without feeding, and measure between 1 and 7 millimeters in length….