Bed bug infestations are way up, thanks in part to stricter health standards for chemicals and the critters’ mounting resistance to pesticides. The problem is so out of control, reports the AP, that desperate Americans are dousing their possessions in toxic chemicals, despite warnings from the EPA.

Update: The New York Times some interesting information about the outbreak and bed bugs, themselves, starting with the acknowledgement that we know relatively little about them.

AP via Yahoo:

A resurgence of bedbugs across the U.S. has homeowners and apartment dwellers taking desperate measures to eradicate the tenacious bloodsuckers, with some relying on dangerous outdoor pesticides and fly-by-night exterminators.

The problem has gotten so bad that the Environmental Protection Agency warned this month against the indoor use of chemicals meant for the outside. The agency also warned of an increase in pest control companies and others making “unrealistic promises of effectiveness or low cost.”

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