EPA schedules 'bedbug summit'

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it will hold a summit next year to "help find solutions to the nation's bedbug problem."

Infestation of bedbugs, tiny insects that feed on human blood, have become a nationwide problem as the pests have turned up in almost every region of the country, The Hill reported Friday.

In February the Federal Bedbug Workgroup, which includes representatives from the departments of Defense, Commerce and Agriculture, will report on their progress in dealing with the infestations.

The multiagency summit will be "identifying knowledge gaps and barriers to effective community-wide bedbug control, proposals for next steps in addressing knowledge gaps and eliminating barriers, and developing a framework for addressing the highest priority needs," the EPA said.