
Like bad traffic and high taxes, experts say bed bugs have become an unfortunate fact in life in the D.C. region.
"Its just enough levels of infestations out there in properties, in people's houses, that now they are sort of ubiquitous, they're everywhere -– so it's just something we have live with," says Maryland entomologist Larry Pinto.
He wrote the book on bed bugs –- it's actually called the "Bed Bug Handbook" -– and he was brought in by D.C.'s health department to headline its second Bed Bug Summit.
Pinto says while the pests are everywhere, certain jobs -- such as nurses, social workers and inspectors -- are at added risk of coming into contract with bed bugs and bringing them home.
Early detection and treatment, he says, is critical to minimizing the impact of an infestation.

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