Today, on the downside, we have a much more mobile society, a lot more stuff, fewer chemical treatment options.

The upside is that we now have powerful dry vapor steamers and ziploc bags. Those two factors alone tell me it may be easier in some ways to live with bed bugs these days, but it may actually be harder to get rid of bed bugs.

Your best bet for getting rid of bed bugs is the same today as it was in 1940: thoroughness;  Dr. Potter’s footnotes cite the following words of wisdom, from a 1940 pest control manual: