$500,000 to create only the first phase of a Death to Bed Bug campaign? Really New York City, come on. For anywhere between $36 and $63 you can control the problem fairly quickly. When mom said not to let the bed bugs bite, she wasn't kidding. First, let's look at what these critters are.

These parasites are usually linked to early 20th century problems but as travel increases, so do the infestations. Unfortunately, as time has passed, they have developed an immunity to most pesticides. They are about the size of an apple seed and live off human blood. Scary sounding? Probably. While they do leave red bumps on our skin and an intense itching sensation behind, they are not known to carry infectious diseases.

If you notice that you're itching and have red welts on your skin when you wake up then you might have a case of the bugs. Look for spots of blood and black pepper-like flakes on your bedding. The spots of blood and excrement are further tall-tell signs. Don't panic! There are easy steps (that don't require a committee and $500,000 budget) to help rid yourself of this problem.

Invest in a mattress encasing, pillow encasings, and a box spring encasing if you have one. The important thing is these encasings MUST have a urethane membrane and self-locking zipper. Tests have shown that the bugs cannot chew through the membrane or escape from the zipper lock. In about a year or so, the parasites will die from lack of food source. The best thing is, most companies carry an array of fabrics, so you won't have to sacrifice comfort (or your expensive mattress).

Strip all your bedding (sheets, pillow cases, comforters, blankets, etc) and wash them in HOT water. If possible, set your water heater to about 140? and boil them to death. It is important to wash your bedding once a week to prevent them from coming  back.

Clean your room thoroughly. Vacuum all surfaces, especially upholstered, and scrub, scrub, scrub. Once you've cleaned, bleached, and what not with the room simply maintain it.

With a little elbow grease and some smart bedding, you'll be protected against bed bugs in no time. Just make sure you get those mattress encasings! I recommend the AllergyStore brand. They have a great stretch-knit polyester fabric that is soft and doesn't make a crinkly noise when you lay on it. Best of all, I hardly notice that it's under my sheets and pillow cases.