Bed Bugs: Everyone is vulnerable – WDRB 41 Louisville News | World, Bed Bug Registry Map

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By: Jennifer Baileys - Jbaileys@Fox41.com

They feed on your blood without you even knowing. Bed bugs are taking over hotels and homes across the country.The problem in Kentucky and surrounding areas is described as out of control.

"A lot of people do not even realize they have a problem for quite a while," said Darren Bowman with Perfection Pest Control.Most of the time victims are sleeping tight while bed bugs bite, sucking the blood of any human or animal nearby.

"There's nothing really on the horizon that's going to be the silver bullet to get rid of them," Bowman said.Infestations are happening all over the United States. Investigators say the epidemic is out of control in Kentucky and the surrounding areas."Some people say we're somewhere between third and fifth in the nation for the bed bug problem," said Bowman.

Proof the problem is growing at a rapid rate can be found in history. Not long ago, bed bugs were unheard of in the United States. The top entomologist in the world, University of Kentucky Professor Michael Potter says the small brownish insects are efficient hitchhikers transported in or on luggage, clothing, beds, furniture, and other items.

"First seven years or so never one bed bug call, now it is primarily what I do for a living," saysBowman. Hehas been an exterminator for ten years. He says the strain of bed bug in Cincinnati and Kentuckyis resistant to pesticides, but he has a secret weapon even these little pests can't hide from: "I have been working with Betty for little over a year now."

Bowman's schnauzer Betty is not just any pet. He says she is Kentucky's first and currently the only bed bug sniffing dog.Betty may be man's best friend, but she is a bed bug's worst enemy. She is trained to pick up the bug's scent even if it is in the middle of a mattress or in the cushions of a couch."She gets paid exactly what she wants, and that's food."

Betty is proof of the epidemic. Until recently, dogs were rarely used in pest control. Now Betty's job takes her to places where our four-legged friends wouldn't normally be allowed to go."A doctor's waiting room, we do treatments and inspections for five star hotels and I've treated and inspected million dollar homes."

Bowman says he's not sure exactly what iscausing the outbreak of bed bugs, but he believes humans have helped the pests multiply."A lot of international travel, a lot of resistance being built up to pesticides that we have to apply."Adult bed bugs are not microscopic and are visible to thenaked eye. The insects can live up to a year and a half without eating.

"You will eventually start to notice blood smears on your sheets, you may get a skin reaction to the bites or you may start to see the insects when they start to build in population," Bowman says. And he points out thatbed bugs are fighters, even survivingpesticides, bleach, and other household cleaners.

"Really the only thing we recommend a homeowner use on their own is rubbing alcohol." Bowman recommends diluting rubbing alcohol with about 40% water, then spray the solution directly onto the bed bugs.If that doesn't work, callan expert.

"We pretty much have to treat any crack or crevice that we think that we would find a bed bug in," Bowman said. If you want to avoid the problem altogether, do your own inspection on every vacation."I usually recommend to remove the headboard from the wall, just lift it straight up and pull it back look behind there and you'll want to check behind like the braided edges of the mattress and the bed skirt is another good place to look,"Bowman said.

If you would like to look at a list of hotels visitors have reported problems, go to http://www.bedbugregistry.com

You can also click here to view video of reporter Jennifer Baileys answering questions from Fox 41 News Facebook fans. To become a fan of Fox 41 News on Facebook, click here.

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Bed Bugs: Everyone is vulnerable - WDRB 41 Louisville News