October 19, 2006—Just try to sleep tight: Bedbugs are real, and they're not going away anytime soon.

The bloodsucking creatures have been pestering humans since ancient times, and infestations today plague homes, city apartments—even five-star hotels. It can be almost impossible to get rid of the insects, which can hide in tiny nooks and go without food for up to a year.

Join a San Francisco public health official in his war against the bugs, and watch one frustrated city dweller fail—and fail again—to exorcise his dwelling of the creepy crawlers.