In terms of global impact, it might not rank up there with the recent Group of 20 meeting in London, but loads of people are itching to attend the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Bedbug Summit, taking place April 14-15 in Arlington, Virginia.

As we've reported, New York City seems to have become the epicenter of the bedbug boom—a recent BBC story talked how this tiny pest has become a scourge in New York—but the problem is a nationwide one.

There's been a 71 percent increase in bedbug infestations in this country since 2001, according to the National Pest Management Association. "Bedbugs have become a significant issue nationwide. We fully support the EPA in its effort to further public awareness of these resurgent pests and further, we hope that this summit marks the beginning of an open and ongoing public conversation about bed bugs and how to best prevent and treat these pests," said Bob Rosenberg, the NPMA's senior vice president, in a release.

In a recently released study, The Journal of the American Medical Association found that the bedbug problem has worsened as the insects have become resistant to insecticides and pest-control practices have changed. The JAMA story also noted that bedbugs don't spread disease.

Read "How to Deal With Bedbugs" to avoid problems at home and when you travel.—Steven H. Saltzman | e-mail | Twitter