This section may be the most valuable part of this site, because it will save you days or weeks of research. And in the fight against bed bugs, time is critical. 

If you've been searching the Web for information on bed bugs, you've found that there are a lot of sites out there.  The trick is finding the ones that provde useful, valuable information.  Well, no worries.  You'll find links to the best of the best in this article.

Places to Ask Questions and Get Aupport from Others Suffering from Bed Bugs

Excellent sources of information from people who are going through exactly what you are going through. Very supportive, responsive and informative.

• Yahoo Groups Bed Bug Forum
• Bedbugger.com Forum

Blogs by and for Bed Bug Victims

Bedbugger.com is hands down the best site for bed bug information on the web. Highly recommended

• Bedbugger.com
  

War on Bedbugs is a particularly thorough blog on the bed bug problem, written by an individual with a do-it-yourself approach to bed bug treatment

• Check out the excellent information on isolating your bed
• War On Bed Bugs Blog
  

Bugged Out

• A blog specifically devoted to the bed bug problem in New York
• Extensive postings and information applicable to bed bug victims anywhere
• Bugged Out Blog
  

The Bed Bug Blog

• Another well-written source of first-hand information
• The Bed Bug Blog

Photos of Bed Bugs and their Bites
Caught something and you don't know if it’s a bed bug? Compare it against these photo galleries of the real thing:

• Bedbugger.com has an extensive gallery of bite photos
• Flickr's bed bug photos and more Flickr photos

• Harvard University’s Bed Bug Identification and Control Page

• A Picture of Me Blog: One Woman's Fight Against Bed Bugs
  

• Google Images: Search for bed bug images or images of Cimex lectularius.

• Send a sample bug to Harvard School of Public Health, and they will tell you if it’s a bed bug, or something else

General Information: What They Look Like, How They Behave, How to Get Rid of Them

Cornell University's Insect Diagnostic Lab

• Bed Bug Fact Sheet
  

University of Sydney's Department of Medican Entomology's Bed Bug Resource Page

• This is a very comprehensive Australian resource, from The University of Sydney’s Department of Medical Entomology.
• Especially valuable is the “Bed Bug Code of Practice,” a detailed reference document for exterminators in Australia. Though aimed at PCOs, it has a lot of tips for controlling infestations that you can implement in your own home.

• Also, this great document has an easy-to-understand diagram of the stages of bed bug development (check page 2)

Bed Bugs Are Back! An IPM Answer

• An excellent and easy-to-read summary of the problem and a broad outline for dealing with it, from Cornell University

Bat Bugs and Bed Bugs, from Colorado State University

• Another high-level discussion of bed bugs and their relatives , with special emphasis on infestations in Colorado.
• Includes a chart with the family tree of the bed bug, listing the distinguishing features of its close relatives

Bed Bugs, by Michael Porter, University of Kentucky

• Dr. Porter is one of America’s preeminent experts on bed bugs. This article addresses bites, hiding places, and treatment .
• Also has photos of bed bug hiding places and areas of infestation that will make your skin crawl

Bed Bug Fact Sheet, Ohio State University Extension Service

• Covers life cycle, habits, tell-tale signs as well as control measures .

New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Bed Bug Fact Sheet

• How they can get into your home, how to recognize an infestation, how to prevent them in the first place

Cooper Pest Control/Bed Bug Central

• One of the most respected pest control companies in New Jersey

Harvard School of Public Health

• Highly respected source of information on bed bugs

Your Bed Bug Questions Answered

• An excellent column written by Dr. Dini Miller , entomologist, Virginia Tech
• Also includes some very close up photos of bugs

Wikipedia: Bed Bugs

• Wikipedia's Bed Bug Page
  

Bed Bugs, Purdue University Department of Medical Entomology

• Great article, including an excellent diagram of the bed bug life cycle

Having bed bugs is a nasty, emotional experience, as this now legendary “Open Letter to My Bedbugs” attests. Warning: Adult Language.

 Pesticide Information

The PAN Pesticides Database

• A service of the Pesticide Action Network of North America.
• It calls itself “your one-stop location for current toxicity and regulatory information for pesticides.”
• Pesticide information pages have a lot of detail. It will take a few moments to understand the meaning of the various icons and information.

Entomological Notes on Bed Bugs, from Penn State University

• Another brief article, with an excellent section of the various pesticides used on bed bugs, and their relative strengths and weaknesses

 Bed Bugs and Travel

• Help! I Stayed At A Place That Had Bed Bugs! What Can I Do To Prevent Bringing Them Home , by Dr. Stephen Kells and Jeff Hahn, University of Minnesota Extension Service

• A long article about dealing with bed bugs while traveling

Finding Hotels, Motels, and Hostels with Bed Bug Infestations

Search Google, using the name of the hotel, and the words “bed bug bedbug”
Also, check postings on travel websites like these for possible reports of bedbugs

• www.lonelyplanet.com/
• www.tripadvisor.com/
• www.hotelchatter.com/tag/Bed Bugs

Finally, check these bed bug registries. And if you find a place that is infested with bed bugs, then report it here so others can be warned

• www.bedbugregistry.com
• www.mappost.org/bedbugcity.php

Videos of Bed Bugs

YouTube has dozens of videos on bed bugs, some are professionally done, some are shot by bed bug victims.

• YouTube Bed Bug Videos
  

This Canadian video details the reemergence of bed bugs in Canada

• Click the video link in the “Related” box on the left side
• Canadian Bed Bug News Story
  

The University of Minnesota has a couple of short videos of them crawling around, and gives you an idea of their size relative to a human finger

• Adult Bed Bug Finishing Lunch
  
• Hungry Bed Bug
  

How to Find Bedbugs in Your Home

The Nitty Gritty of Bed Bug Inspections

• A presentation by the California Department of Health Services, training pest control technicians on how to find bed bug hiding places.
• This document has a lot of interesting information on where bugs hide and how exactly to find them
• Warning: takes a long, long time to load

Is that New York Apartment Infested?

• Find apartments in New York with complaints or violations, including bed bugs, search by address on the right side of this page:

If you New York Apartment is Infested, Whom should You Call?

• Try the Met Council, a nonprofit housing advocacy group

• And report apartment maintenance problems to the New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development

 
Treatment of Bed Bug Infestations

Bed Bugs – Importance, Biology and Control Strategies, by the Armed Forces Pest Management Board

• A guide produced by the Department of Defense , with down-to-earth facts about using a variety of means, both chemical and non-chemical, to control an infestation

Control of Bed Bugs in Residences – Information for Pest Control Companies, by Dr. Stephen Kells, University of Minnesota Extension Service

• Contains a lot of great information on wiping out an infestation, including information on pesticides
• 
  

A Code of Practice for the Control of Bed Bug Infestations in Australia, Second Edition, by Stephen Doggett

• Another excellent resource, aimed at professionals, but amateur bed bug fighters can learn a lot .
• The University of Sydney’s Department of Medical Entomology

Treatment, on the Bed Bug Resource web site

• A website maintained by Sean Rollo, a pest control specialist

Managing Bed Bugs, by Dr. Barb Ogg, University of Nebraska Extension

• A brief article, covering habits, prevention, inspection and non-chemical and chemical control .

How to Kill Bed Bugs, About.com

• A long article about dealing with bed bugs while traveling , though the last page contains tips on killing them.

Bed Bugs, Louisiana State University Ag Center

• A short article, with good information on treatments

The Common Human Bed Bug: Control Recommendations for Multi-Unit Dwellings

• A brief document, produced by Alameda County, California
• http://www.acvcsd.org/bed_bugs.pdf

Killing the Softly: Battling Bed Bugs in Sensitive Accounts/Places, by Michael Potter, Alvaro Romero, Ken Haynes and Erich Hardebeck

• From Pest Control Technology magazine’s online edition, this solid article describes ways of controlling bed bugs with minimal chemical use

Technology Spotlight: Diatomaceous Earth, by William Quarles, PhD

• Another article from Pest Control Technology magazine, this article details how DE works and how to use it

Bed Bugs – Making a Comeback in Tennessee, Too! By Professor Karen Vail, University of Tennessee Extension Service

• An excellent and extensive article that covers the life cycle and treatment of bed bugs

Finding Pest Control Companies

• Search the forums for recommendations, and if you can’t find anything, post a question asking if anyone has any experience with bed bug companies in your area
• http://www.bedbugger.com/forum/
• http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/bedbugger/

Homepage of the National Pest Management Association

• NPMA is an exterminator trade group
• Find pest control companies in your area, and ask a question using the “Ask a Professional” feature
• http://www.pestworld.org/

Angie’s List

• Reviews of contractors, including exterminators
• Fee required to join
• http://www.angieslist.com/