Bedbugs: "They Crawl, They Bite, They Baffle Scientists"

"This month, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a joint statement on bedbug control. It was not, however, a declaration of war nor a plan of action. It was an acknowledgment that the problem is big, a reminder that federal agencies mostly give advice, plus some advice: try a mix of vacuuming, crevice-sealing, heat and chemicals to kill the things.

It also noted, twice, that bedbug research 'has been very limited over the past several decades.'

Ask any expert why the bugs disappeared for 40 years, why they came roaring back in the late 1990s, even why they do not spread disease, and you hear one answer: 'Good question.'"

Donald G. Mcneil Jr. reports for the New York Times August 30, 2010.