For several months, Rene Laraine has been afraid to sleep in his Thousand Oaks apartment.

The reason? He's not alone. When it's time for him to sleep, it's time for the bedbugs to eat.

"We thought bedbugs was just a nursery rhyme thing," he said. "But seriously, it's the worst thing that could happen to anybody."

Laraine and his roommate moved into the apartment complex on West Hillcrest Drive in July. "At first, we thought we had mosquitoes," he said. "Then we thought we might have fleas. Then an inspector told us we have bedbugs."

Laraine said that after nine treatments performed by two pest control companies, the bedbugs are still there.

A representative for Essex Properties, the company that manages the complex, said the company is doing what it can to try to treat the problem in Laraine's apartment.

Alec Gerry, an assistant professor in entomology at UC Riverside, said bedbug infestation is on the rise worldwide and especially in large cities such as Las Vegas, Los Angeles and New York.

"We've not seen them for so long, we've forgotten about them and how to deal with them," Gerry said. "They used to be controlled by pesticides we used in our homes to deal with other bugs, but many of us now are reluctant to use any type of bug spray. They've also become resistant to some pesticides used in the past to kill them."

Bedbugs are small insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, generally at night when they are asleep. Adult bedbugs are about one-quarter-inch long, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, which says bedbugs are not known to transmit any infectious agents although repeated bites can lead to allergic reactions and skin lesions.

Dr. Robert Levin, who heads the Ventura County Public Health Department, says his office receives three to four calls a year from people seeking advice on how to get rid of bedbugs. Levin said laws do not require his agency to report bedbug cases, which are outside its responsibility.

"But as a courtesy, our communicable diseases nurse will help by informing a landlord or apartment manager," Levin said.

This year, exterminator Tim Miller, from M & M Termite and Pest Control in Newbury Park, has been called out to deal with three cases of bedbugs locally, compared to only one previous case in 25 years, he said.

He said bedbugs multiply quickly and are very hard to treat since they live not just in mattresses and soft furnishings but also in metal casings, wooden picture frames and furniture.

"Bedbugs can't fly and are spread by being carried from place to place by people or their belongings," he said. "Basically, they're hitchhikers."

Gerry has some advice on how people can avoid bringing bedbugs home after taking a trip.

He recommends that travelers look behind the bed headboard, between the mattress and the box spring, and behind picture frames for bugs or tell-tale tiny red or brown spots, which indicate their presence.

Suitcases, he says, should be placed on the fold-out rack provided in most hotel rooms for that purpose.

"Never place or leave clothes or suitcases on top of the bed or on furniture," he said. "And when you get home, you should immediately wash and launder all the clothing you took with you even if you didn't wear it."