Frequent international travel and hotel stays have helped bed bugs to make a comeback after near extinction in the U.S.

Bed bug infestations have grown at a steady clip over the last handful of years.

Mike Deutsch can't believe the places he and the other technicians at Arrow Exterminating are finding bed bugs these days: inside lamp bases, clock radios, TVs, computer keyboards, between the pages of books, inside electric switches, behind ceiling moldings and in one case, inside a cell phone. "We've never seen anything like this," says Deutsch, the Arrow staff entomologist. "We certainly know that bed bugs are not restricted to beds and upholstered furniture, but now we're finding them in places even we never thought possible."

What's more, Deutsch believes the worst has yet to hit Long Island and the Greater New York area. The ultra-high volume of spring break travel is bound to yield more than a deluge of spectacular tans. "Expect to see a huge increase in bed bugs after spring break is over this year," he says. Frequent international travel and hotel stays have helped bed bugs to make a comeback after near extinction in the U.S. The bugs find their way into suitcases and end up being carried home here to the States. Another reason bed bugs are back with a vengeance is that DDT, a pesticide commonly used in the mid- twentieth century to treat bed bugs, has been banned and the pesticides used today are safer but less effective.

Bed bug infestations have grown at a steady clip over the last handful of years. Infestation has risen so markedly that Arrow experienced no seasonal downtime this winter. "That was unusual," says Deutsch. "The heart of the winter is normally pretty quiet in our industry but we didn't miss a beat this winter due to bed bug service calls throughout Long Island and the five boroughs." Deutsch also believes the infestation will continue to worsen this year.

The public's refusal to accept the bed bug epidemic, despite the numerous reports of infestations regularly making headlines, continues to fascinate Deutsch. "Ignorance really is bliss because many people haven't taken the time to get educated about them," he explains. "Some don't even believe they exist and are astounded when our technicians explain what has been biting them." Despite the stigma associated with the pests, bed bugs don't adhere to specific socioeconomic demographics. Says Deutsch, "Five million dollar homes on the north shore of Long Island to homeless shelters in New York City are experiencing problems."

"The infestation problem is only going to get worse in the immediate future," says Deutsch. "The public needs to accept this fact, get educated and take what preventive measures they can, especially since bed bug populations are extremely difficult to detect when their populations are at a low level within the home. People don't realize there is a problem until they are getting bitten."