Travelers’ Worry: Are Bed Bugs Really That Disgusting?

Just in time for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, pest control firm Orkin released its list of the U.S. cities with the worst bed bug infestations.

The tiny insects gained their fame from children's lore but have become a real-life problem for reputation-conscious lodging companies for whom news of an infestation can have a serious impact on bookings and, ultimately, the bottom line.

While not naming specific hotels or chains, this year's list notes that the bed bug problem is particularly bad in the cities of Chicago, Los Angeles and Detroit. And if you're really afraid of the tiny critters, definitely stay out of Ohio, where Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron and Canton were all cited among the top ten.

But before getting on the phone to cancel your flights or hotel reservations, it's worth considering: Just what are bed bugs and are they really as gross as they sound?

Bed bugs are flat, brownish-red insects that hide near your bed during the day then make their way to places where people sleep at night. Once there, they bite into the skin to feed on the blood of humans and other mammals.

They can range in size from smaller than a millimeter to roughly seven millimeters.

Bed bugs are almost perfect parasites in that their bites cause the injection of an anesthetic to minimize pain to the victim, and an anticoagulant to ensure that blood flows as freely as possible.

Often times, the resulting mosquito bite-like marks aren't even visible until days or weeks after the bed bugs feed.

That means that if you're reading this while lying in bed or on a sofa, there could be bed bugs all over your body sucking blood right now and you might not even know it.

So to answer our headline, I'd say that passes the "disgusting" test.

But there is good news.

According to experts at the Centers for Disease Control, bed bugs are not known carriers of disease so the associated danger is minimal.

If you're traveling, keep a topical antiseptic close at hand so that even with an unlucky room selection you can help keep the unwelcome visitors at bay.