Bedbugs take up residence in Nashville

Nashville -- Entomologists said bedbug infestations are becoming more common in the United States.

Frank Hale, a University of Tennessee entomologist said bedbugs are very mobile.

"If they are in hotels, they'll get in your luggage and you take them home," he told the Nashville Tennessean.

State entomologist Abelardo Moncayo said DDT nearly eradicated bedbugs in the United States but the bugs have made a comeback since the pesticide was outlawed in the 1970s. The Metro Public Health Department in Nashville said it has received 30 complaints of bedbugs at area hotels and motels so far this year, the newspaper said.

Bedbugs are about the size of a tick and hide in mattresses and cracks in headboards. Hale recommended that hotel guests check for bedbug feces --rusty red spots-- on the sheets and mattresses.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.