In the mid-20th century, the tiny bed bugs that punch a big punch basically disappeared from first world countries with the use of such chemicals as DDT. The problem  began again in 1995 with worldwide travel becoming increasingly common, and use of insecticides with reduced residual activity, all probably played a role in the resurgence.
Infestations have been found in hotels, airplanes, libraries, across the U.S. and unfortunately in Barton County. Getting rid of the bugs, which feed on mammals usually at night, is no easy task.
“If you think you have them, call a professional and do whatever they say,” said Alicia Boor, K-State Extension. “If you don’t do what the professional says, they will come back.”
They are very, very difficult to get rid of, Boor added.
According to K-State Research and Extension, the adults are oval and flat about 1/5 inch long and brownish red. The eggs are small and white deposited in clusters of 10 to 50. They can live for months without feeding.
They are difficult to detect in the early stages of an infestation. They consume up to six times their weight in blood and a single feeding may take anywhere from 3-10 minutes. The bites are itchy and red with a dark red center.
Bed bugs are usually transported in suitcases, purses and backpacks, used furniture, or bedding, and more difficult to eradicate than ants, fleas, cockroaches or termites, according to K-State. They spread beyond the above items into carpeting, furniture, behind loose wall paper, along baseboards, and into cracks and crevices.
“This is not something freak out about,” said Shonda Meitler, vice-president of World Pest Control Sunflower Services, which does heat treatment of bed bugs. “Don’t quit living. To this date, they do not transfer diseases.”
Meitler said calls for treatment have significantly increased in the past year or two and they treat in Kansas and surrounding states. She estimated they have received 30-40 calls in the last year in Barton County for bids for treatment.
The first thing that people notice is having bites, said Meitler. “Inspection is key. We don’t want to treat something that isn’t there. Seeing a bug verifies it is right there.”
Prevention goes a long ways. “Bed bugs are great hitchhikers,” she said.  
Meitler said a bed bug infestation is not an indication of cleanliness. “We’ve treated some really, really clean houses. A clean house can have bugs.”
She urges people to educate themselves.“The dryer is your friend.” Clothing dried at high heat for 30 minutes, according to K-State, will kill the bugs.
Still, she admits, “they are hard to get rid of,” she said. She recommends professional assistance.
“We’ve done lots of jobs,” where homeowners ordered stuff off of the internet, said Meitler.  The average person doesn’t know the life cycle of the bug or where they hide.
‘They end up calling us,” she said.
Professional treatment includes heating the entire house to an ambient temperature of 120 degrees, sometimes higher for one hour with fans that blow the heat throughout the house.
The price is not cheap to have them treated and ranges from about $1800 on up. The home owner will need to clean and purge prior to professional treatment.

To prevent bed bugs, according to K-State:
•Thoroughly inspect secondhand furniture before bringing it home.
•Avoid bringing discarded furniture into the home.
•Inspect seams of mattresses and box springs for signs of bugs.
•Used clothing should be washed and dried immediately at high heat for a minimum of 30 minutes.
•Inspect seams of mattress in hotels before sleeping in it.
In addition, according to Wikipedia, bed bugs smell like rotting raspberries.

Treatment, according to K-State:
•Treatment must be thorough.
•Hire a professional pest control service with experience in treating bed bugs before the problem spreads.
•Clothing, bedding and other materials should be removed, disposed of, or cleaned.
•Get rid of excess clutter to allow for thorough treatment. Seal cracks and crevices, following the advice of the pest control company.
•Wash clothes in hot water of at least 104 degrees and dry on the hot cycle of at least 104 degrees in small batches or freeze at 0 degrees for at least two hours.
•Do not take clothing to public laundries to avoid spreading the bugs.
•Dispose of mattresses or purchase treatments from the pest control company.
•Most methods of home treatment are beyond the technical or financial means of the average home owner.