DEAR DR. GOTT: For a while, I couldn’t pick up a newspaper or watch television without the topic of bedbugs heading the news. Now I’m not seeing or hearing as much. Does that mean they are all gone? I’m frankly not sure I understand how they became such a problem in the first place.

DEAR READER: While we are not reading about them in the daily headlines or hearing about them on the evening news, bedbugs remain a major concern. They were a major health concern until the 1950s, but with the discovery of DDT, infestations declined. Unfortunately, the pesticide has since been banned because of its toxicity to our environment. This has led to resurgence. People are engaging more in international travel; others are purchasing recycled bedding and couches from secondhand shops or are removing them from drop-off areas on city streets; [Read more...]