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© Alex Brandon Associated PressBedbugs in a container from the lab at the National Pest Management Association, at the National Bed Bug Summit in Washington Tuesday.
The "National Bed Bug Summit" is due to wrap up today in Washington, D.C. Since DDT was outlawed years ago because of its health risks, there has been no miracle eradicator of infestations, which have made headlines as the pesky biters hitchhike on travelers and office workers.

Tuesday in Washington, pest experts urged a coordinated national effort against beg bugs, according to The Christian Science Monitor, and said the key is preventive steps, early detection, treatment plans and public education.

So what's the latest thinking on what a traveler can do to avoid being bitten in a hotel room and avoid bringing bedbugs home?

I asked entymologist Jeffrey White of BedBugCentral.com, a clearinghouse of bedbug information and products what's the latest thinking.

"Any hotel can have them," says White, who has encountered the bugs at "3- and 4-star hotels," though hotels are far more aware these days and more knowledgeable in treating an infestation.

Here are White's tips:

*Bring along a flashlight to help with an inspection of the hotel room, looking for fecal spotting (little black spots) on the mattress or box spring or around the headboard. He says it's rare to see blood, but look for that. Also familiarize yourself with what bedbugs look like, as they can be visible. As for checking to see whether your hotel has had reports of bedbugs, via bedbugregistry.com, he says take that with a grain of salt. You don't know whether the poster is correct or whether any infestation may have been taken care of. Any hotel from upscale to economy can have a bedbug-infested room, he says.

*More important, he says, is what you do to avoid carrying them home. "Unpack outside" if you can, he says. Or seal clothing in either a biodegradable bag that dissolves in the washer or in a sealed plastic bag. Put clothing in the washer and dryer at high heat immediately upon your return. As for your traveling clothes, "Strip down in a private area outside or in a bathtub." Again, put clothes right into the washer.

*Ideally, keep your suitcase outside (in a shed or garage) in a sealed plastic container. (Or you could keep it in a sealed bag or container inside to prevent hitchhikers or their eggs from doing damage.) White says there are portable heating units that can be used to treat suitcases (expect to spend $300). Also, you can treat suitcases with pest strips and seal them up in a plastic bag. Or put a bag in the dryer if it can withstand heat.

"Unfortunately, bedbugs are back and here to stay," he says. "I don't see any miracle cure on the horizon." To view White's videos on keeping bedbugs at bay, visit BedBugCentral.com.

Readers, have any of you encountered bedbugs or do you have personal tips for not bringing them home?