Don't Let The Bedbugs Bite

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - We've all heard the old bedtime rhyme: "Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite."

It may have been a joke at one time, but it's no laughing matter now that the nasty critters are invading hospitals, college dorms
and even swanky hotels.

The government is trying to figure out how to respond to the biggest bedbug outbreak since World War II. The EPA is hosting its
first-ever bedbug summit, at a Washington-area hotel that's had no reports of bedbugs.

One of the problems with controlling the reddish-brown insects is that there are few chemicals on the market approved for use on
mattresses and other household items that are effective at controlling bedbug infestations.

Bedbugs are not known to transmit any diseases. But their bites can cause infections and allergic reactions in some people.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)