EPA to hold national bed bug summit

The Environmental Protection Agency is known for tackling greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, lead paint and oil spills. Now, it's taking on bed bugs.

EPA is organizing a multi-agency summit next year to “help find solutions to the nation’s bed bug problem.”

Bed bugs, tiny insects that feed on human blood, have become a fixture on the evening news in recent months, as infestations have turned up all over the country.

At the Feb. 1-2 meeting, government officials will review the progress made by the Federal Bed Bug Workgroup, which includes representatives from the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture. The EPA held the first bed bug summit last year.

The EPA said the summit’s agenda includes “identifying knowledge gaps and barriers to effective community-wide bed bug control, proposals for next steps in addressing knowledge gaps and eliminating barriers, and developing a framework for addressing the highest priority needs.”