The first time Dateline came face to face with a bedbug was in 1996, when we investigated the mattress business — specifically, reconditioned mattresses that are supposed to be stripped and sterilized, re-covered and sold for less than what you’d pay for a new one. Back then, we bought nine mattresses and opened them up. What we found was shocking. Beneath new covers, filthy old materials were contaminated with urine, fecal matter and dangerous fungi, all of which can seep out through the cover over time. We also found a dead bedbug with its eggs.

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Blame an increase in international travel, bigger bedbug populations worldwide, new protocols that discourage widespread spraying and possibly even tougher bugs that are resistant to pesticides.

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Before booking a hotel room, you may want to read user reviews of the particular hotel and location — frequently, guests who’ve had bug problems report them online. Check the National Bed Bug registry http://www.bedbugregistry.com. Bear in mind that a report about one hotel does not mean the issue wasn’t isolated to one room, or that hotel management hasn’t since exterminated.

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Bedding encasements play a key role in resolving bed bug problems in both residential and commercial applications. Encasements allow you to address bed bug problems without applying chemicals to a mattress!

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The bites “felt like little pinches, like someone sticking you with a needle,” said Tousant, the woman who first thought she had mosquito bites. “You’re always looking for them. You don’t eat. You can’t sleep. You’re always nervous. It messes up your mind”

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