Attack of the Bedbugs!!

 
Bedbugs are taking over America. They're everywhere -- in the workplace, at the movie theater, even in the Empire State Building. Worst of all, they're invading your bedroom.

The epidemic of the summer, bedbugs bring a stigma not often experienced in modernized countries. Infestations have surged in recent years and, with limited solutions, these blood-sucking pests are here to stay.

Source: A.L. Szalanski

The Bloodsucker
The bedbug pierces the skin of its host with two hollow feeding tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which numbs the area and prevents blood clotting, then the bedbug sucks the host's blood through the other tube. This process usually lasts 5 minutes.

Fortunately (and mysteriously), bedbugs cannot spread blood-borne diseases.

Source: AP

Caught in the Act
Most species of bedbugs will feed on humans only when other prey are unavailable -- which unfortunately is the case in most urban environments. The individual insects typically try to feed every five to 10 days, but can survive for up to a year between meals, which aids their stubborn tenacity.

Source: CDC

Bug-Sniffing Dogs
With bedbugs appearing on a scale not seen since before World War II, pest control companies are scrambling to respond. One of the strategies has been to employ bedbug-sniffing dogs -- such as Radar, seen here in a New York City demonstration by Advanced K9 Detectives.

Source: AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews

Jar of Bugs
Delores Stewart displays bedbugs found in her home in Columbus, Ohio. The resurgence of bedbugs across the U.S. has homeowners and apartment dwellers taking desperate measure to eradicate the tenacious bloodsuckers, with some relying on dangerous outdoor pesticides and fly-by-night exterminators.

Source: AP

Source: foxnews.com