1. A common household pest is the bed bug.

2. NZ I have never heard of any bed bug infestations.

3. But The Bed Bug Survival Guide is a must-read for those who are worried about the growing bedbug infestation.

4. Bed bug infestations have been reported increasingly in homes, apartments, hotel rooms, hospitals, and dormitories in the United States since 1980, according to background information in the article.

5. CDC and EPA promote integrated pest management (IPM) for bed bug control.

6. The venue — the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington — has had no reported bed bug problems, according to a popular online registry, so at least conference participants will be sleeping tight.

7. Keep your room clean and you will keep the bed bug away.

8. The federal government is waking up to what has become a growing nightmare in many parts of the country — a bed bug outbreak.

9. One of the problems, according to researchers and the pesticide industry, is that there are few chemicals on the market approved for use on mattresses that are effective at reducing bed bug numbers.