VIDALIA — Sleep tight don’t let the bedbugs bite has taken on a new meaning during the past few months as bedbugs have shown up more and more throughout the nation.

LSU AgCenter entomologist Timothy Schowalter said this is more of an annoyance than a health problem, but it should be identified.

“Five or six years ago they were showing an upsurge in New York,” he said. “I have seen them making their way around here for three or four years in apartments and residence halls.”

Bedbugs have been around since humans have been alive, LSU AgCenter entomologist Chris Calton said.

“The problem with bedbugs is nothing new,” he said. “The cycle we have seen in the past 100 years was that they have been kind of a continual nuisance.”

Carlton said several things over the past few years have contributed to the spread of bedbugs.

“They have developed a level of resistance to pesticides, and they are already somewhat hard to kill,” he said.

Carlton also said areas of large populations, not associated with bedbugs are now seeing them due to increased travel.

“It is a resurgence of an old problem,” he said.

Schowalter said the first sign of a bedbug infestation is bites on your body.

“Red marks and itching are usually the things most people notice first,” he said.

Schowalter also said bedbugs do not carry disease, but that could change in the future.

“This is something that needs to be contained and quarantined for now,” he said.

Hotels are a main place of residence for bedbug populations, Schowalter said.

“When you go to a hotel room, make sure you check the mattresses and behind wall hangings,” he said. “They are very excellent at hiding and staying out of sight.”

Carlton said the main way they are spread from hotel rooms is through luggage.

“They like dark places and leaving your luggage open at a place that has them is an invitation to bring them home with you,” he said.

If you do find yourself with bedbugs in your luggage, Schowalter said the items should be washed immediately.

“Run them through the washer and dryer because the heat kills them,” he said. “Items that can’t be washed you can leave in the sun, and that should kill them.”

Carlton said that if you take these measures and you are still seeing problems with the bugs, there is only one alternative left.

“A full blown infestation does require pest control,” he said. “Pest control operators with experience in dealing with bedbugs are your best bet.”

To prevent an infestation from happening, Carlton said checking any place you stay other than your home for a problem is something you need to do.

“When I go to a hotel room, I do a survey of the room,” he said. “I look under edges of carpeting and behind wall hangings, anywhere (bedbugs) have access too.”

While so far, they are limited to highly populated areas, Carlton said a move to houses could happen.

“We have not yet seen a mass outbreak into single family dwellings,” he said. “And I don’t think we have an answer to whether they will get into homes.”