Early on, they're found most often in mattress seams, tufts, folds, etc. Over time, they spread out. You should watch for black or brown spots of dried excrement.

The piggiest of bedbugs eats only every few days. And if food is scarce, they can cope, going as many as nine months without a meal.

That's also why instructions for tight-weave encasements that prevent them from reaching you advise you to leave them in place for a year. Take it off even briefly and some may escape.

You don't usually need to toss things, Keay says. Just trap the bugs and vacuum, vacuum, vacuum or have a professional deal with serious infestations.

If you are going to treat an infestation chemically yourself, Cornell University says, use a household insecticide labeled for bedbug control. Don't ever use an insecticide on the mattress unless the label specifically says that's safe. In that case, spray the slats, springs and frame and wet them thoroughly. Don't miss crevices. Then spray a light mist on the entire mattress, paying attention to tufts, seams and folds. Don't use the mattress until it's completely dry.

Fix loose wall coverings, caulk cracks and crevices and generally eliminate hiding places. And do it more than once, because if eggs are overlooked and hatched, the problem's not gone.

Cornell says after you thoroughly clean, you should move the bed away from the walls and coat the bed legs for three or four inches to keep the bugs from crawling up them. Some people use petroleum jelly. Remove dust covers and keep blankets off the floor.

When the bugs travel far, they're not burning their own calories. They get moved from your home to that hotel where you stayed on vacation or from the hotel to your home. Keay never keeps her luggage next to her bed. She keeps it elevated and at a distance. Then, "I hope for the best."

People don't feel the introductory bites. The reaction, sometimes quite severe, develops over time. In the meantime, the little creatures reproduce.

"By the time you know you've got them, you've got them," Keay says.

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Found bedbugs? Now what?

• Get rid of clutter under which the bugs can hide.

• Vacuum the area (even the bed) thoroughly every day until the bedbugs are gone.

• Toss bedding into a hot (140 degree F) dryer for 20 minutes to kill the bedbugs.

• Make your bed an island by moving it away from the wall and making sure bedding doesn't touch the floor.

• Seal crevices where the bugs might hide.

• For more information, go to Utah State University Extension's Web site: extension.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/ENT_93-07.pdf

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Sources: Cornell University; Utah State University Extension

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com