Bed Bugs? How's a Home Inspector to Know?

A recent conversation with a realtor client about specifics of inspections led to a conversation about bed bugs!  Although, that is not something we currently investigate, it brought up some interesting thoughts and observations.

My initial research of bedbugs took me immediately to wikipedia (of course).  More information there than I would have thought. Then to several other websites, again for a volume of information.  I had no idea there was so much data!

The bedbug phenomena has been frequent in the news media as of late, and appears to have some validity.  Some statistics quote an increase of bed bug infestations 5000 per cent since 2000!  Why is that?

One contributing factor seems to be due to the transient nature of our society.  We are much more likely to be in hotels, on airplanes or cruise ships, riding in taxis and buses, etc. that at any other time previous.  Also, it appears eradication and chemical treatments of the past may no longer be as effective.

Click on this link for more specifics and facts about bed bugs.  You might even want to take this short quiz?  Although, I'll warn you in advance, you may have more questions than answers once you're done!

So, what about home inspections and bed bugs?  Well, the very nature of unknown and difficult detection will probably be best left to a certified pest control company.  Not something we, as general home inspectors, are likely to uncover or locate.  Most persons don't realize they have an issue until they discover they've been bitten, several times.

Please let me know your thoughts.