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by Terri Gruca
(WCCO) "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite," may have been something your parents said to you before bedtime. In a growing number of homes it's no longer a saying -- it's a way of life. Bedbugs are making a comeback.

One Woman's Bedbug Nightmare

Lindsay Kockelman knows about bedbugs firsthand. She brought home more than memories from her most recent vacation.

After the second night of her dream vacation in Thailand, she and her friends woke up with bites on their legs.

"We really didn't know," Kockelman said. "At one point we actually went on to the hotel computer went onto WebMD online to try to see what bedbugs look like because we thought maybe, that would be the culprit, but what their bites looked like and what our bites looked like where very different."

They didn't give it a second thought, continuing on their trip. They traveled on to Singapore and then back home.

"We didn't ultimately know what it was until we got home," Kockelman said.

Days later, Kockelman noticed more bites and one day found a bug crawling on her carpet. She picked it up, put it in a bag and called an exterminator.

"It was not a fun deal and not fun to admit I have bedbugs," Kockelman said.

Her two friends found them at their houses too. Exterminators also found traces of bedbugs in their suitcases.

Why Bedbugs Are Making A Comeback

What might appear to be isolated cases are now increasing. Minnesota pest control companies said bedbugs are a growing problem in the Twin Cities.

"I could go a year or two and never get a call about bedbugs," said Rick Standish of Professional Pest Control. "Now I could get several a month."

Standish's father started the Professional Pest Control Company in the 1940s.

"That's all they would do for days, was treat for the bedbugs," said Standish.

Thanks to the chemicals used back then, by the 1960s bedbugs were nearly extinct, but two things have now changed. One, we have changed how we treat bugs, by opting for baits instead of sprays. Two, people are traveling greater distances, which has pushed these bugs back into our lives.

Bedbugs are great hitchhikers. They easily hop onto luggage without notice.

Today, bedbugs are commonly found in southern states, in New York City, N.Y. hotel rooms and there have even been a few calls of them in hotels in the Twin Cities.

Dirty Conditions Not To Blame

There's a widespread belief that bedbugs are caused by dirty conditions. That's not true. Even clean places can have bedbugs. Part of the problem is when you're awake and moving around, that's when bedbugs go into hiding.

Also, some people don't react to the biting, so it is possible that you could have bedbugs and not realize it.

University Of Minnesota Studying Bedbugs

"They need to feed on the blood of humans to gain the nourishment that they need to grow and then to develop and lay eggs," said Dr. Stephen Kells an entomologist at the University of Minnesota.

The University of Minnesota has devoted research to figuring out how these bedbugs operate. Kells has the unenviable job of watching them work.

He showed how bedbugs start translucent then transform into a dark brown, almost black, color after feeding on his hand. By the time the bug is done feeding, it is almost the size of an apple seed.

Kells has also found that bedbugs are tough to kill.

"They can live for up to a year, year and a half without a blood meal -- without feeding at all," said Kells.

How To Check For Bedbugs

Because bedbugs can live for so long, Standish checks several places before he stays in any hotel.

"If you were looking at the mattress," said Standish, "any of these little folds, create a nice little crack, crevasse, hiding place."

Standish also said to look for any reddish-brown spots on the mattress, which is a signature sign of a bedbug dropping.

Don't forget to search the headboard thoroughly.

"Any tiny crack can provide a nice hiding spot for the bedbugs to crawl into," Standish said.

Also search behind picture frames.

"Anything close by the bed provides a good hiding place," said Standish. "Picture frames are very common. Especially look at the backing or frame of the picture."

Standish said he has found bedbugs in nightstands, drawers, chairs, outlet covers, smoke detectors and even in baseboards.

"I saw one little bedbug and he crawled out of where the carpet and baseboard met and there was like a tiny little drill hole in the baseboard and he crawled into that little hole and disappeared," Standish said. "He was very sneaky."

Getting Rid Of Bedbugs

It is difficult to get rid of bedbugs. Kockelman had a tough time finding a pest control company willing to help her out. Many Twin Cities companies said they don't treat for bedbugs because they are tough to eliminate.

Hot water and heat can get rid of bedbugs that cling to clothing and fabrics, but because they're so quick, chances are you won't get them all.

"I had to take my bed apart, vacuumed out my mattress, vacuumed out the box spring, underneath, had to wash all my bedding, get my comforter dry cleaned all my clothes in here, here and there had to be washed," said Kockelman.

Kockelman was a bit lucky because she found her bedbugs early. Since hiring a professional pest control company, she hasn't had a problem.

It is one vacation that doesn't require pictures to remember.

"I will never look at hotel rooms the same ever again," said Kockelman.

Professional treatments to get rid of bedbugs cost anywhere between $240 and $1,500 depending on the scope of the problem and the size of your home. Some pest control experts said it's possible to have to treat a house several times before all the bedbugs are gone.

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