The Huntsville Housing Authority in Alabama recently discovered an outbreak of bed bugs in its Johnson Towers senior apartment building complex after two residents on different floors complained about the pests. The authority made door-to-door inspections of the facility and found bed bugs thriving in 20 of the 120 apartments in the building. Professional pest control services are going to be called to treat the entire property.

Authority spokeswoman Wendy Reeves told AL.com residents in affected apartments will receive special mattress covers to eliminate any hiding places for the bed bugs, and the entire facility will be evacuated to allow professionals to treat the infestation. Residents have also been advised to wash all clothing and bedding in very hot water to kill any residual bed bugs after treatment.

Residents all over Portland, Oregon, are also battling an ongoing bed bug invasion. According to the Portland Tribune, the city's homeless shelters, hotels, apartments, hospitals and college dorm rooms have all fallen victim to the pests in the past few years. The prevalence of bed bug infestations in the area has given Portland a bad reputation with visitors, prompting city officials to create a bed bug work group. Formed by Multnomah County, the group is working with various communities to implement bed bug treatment and prevention solutions across the whole state.

The campus library at the Texas A&M Kingsville location recently became infested with bed bugs. About eight months ago, the director of the library noticed 100 books were returned with bed bugs inside. In response, the library had the facility treated for the pests.

The director of the library feels that eradicating the pests from the library is not enough, as school officials have yet to identify where the bed bugs were coming from when they were returned in the books. Over the past 12 months, several students on campus have voiced their displeasure about the pests, NBC news affiliate KRIS-TV reported.

Bed bugs are hard to treat and eradicate due to their resilient chemical makeup that has evolved over time. The pests are now immune to several do-it-yourself pest control treatments, and require professional pest control services to be efficiently treated. However, studies being conducted at the University of Kentucky are looking to find the biological weaknesses of the bugs to help professionals develop more effective ways to treat infestations, Pest Control Technology reported.

So far, school researchers have discovered bed bugs depend on a specific bacteria to reproduce, and feeding bed bugs a certain antibiotic could significantly reduce egg production. While these discoveries are still experimental, it is important for consumers to contact professionals when dealing with a bed bug infestation, the source reported.

The 50-year-old football stadium press box used by Oak Park and River Forest High Schools in Illinois will be torn down this summer and replaced. The aging press box has housed visiting coaches, videographers and other athletic staff during competitions for years, and has recently started to show its age.

Robert Zummallen, the building and grounds director at the high school, said when the press box was built the lumber used was not treated, and has since started to deteriorate.

"The main structure itself, it's been eaten by termites, it's rotting," said Zummallen. "People shouldn't be in there and that's why we said we need to do this this summer."

According to the National Pest Management Association, termites cause an estimated $5 billion in property damage every year in the United States, causing more damage than fires, storms or earthquakes. Termites spend every waking minute looking for food, and they tend to feed on wood and cellulose products, which are abundant in homes. Subterranean termites build colonies underground in moist areas that can contain about 2 million termites.

If a termite is spotted in a home, the NPMA recommends calling professional pest control services right away, before significant damage is done to the home's foundation. One way to spot a termite infestation is to look for mud tubes, which are left behind by termites as they search for food. The tubes would be found along the outside of the home and are about one eighth of an inch long.

The Park Ridge Department of Environmental Health in Illinois recently suspended the business licenses of two restaurants after health inspectors reported continued sanitation problems at the establishments.

The Park Ridge Sun Times reported Jade House was closed by the department three times in 2011, due to cockroach infestations and food sanitation violations. The Original House of Pancakes was closed in the summer of 2011 when a faulty refrigerator posed a health hazard and a fruit fly infestation filled the kitchen. Both establishments said they would take care of their violations and attempted to reopen to the public.

However, both restaurants failed to maintain sanitary conditions after being forced to close and receiving fines. Therefore, the health department seized their business licenses until they contact pest control services and have their infestations properly eradicated, and fix their other sanitary violations, the source reported.

Similar to businesses, homes are also vulnerable to infestations, particularly during the cold winter months. To prevent a rodent infestation in the home, the National Pest Management Association recommends homeowners seal off all cracks and holes outside the home where rodents could squeeze through trying to find a warm shelter. It is also suggested that homeowners remove all clutter, firewood or other forms of shelter away from the home so if rodents are nesting there they will not be tempted to scurry into the house. If a rodent or droppings are found in the home, residents should call pest control services immediately.

The Turner family's rental home in Rossville, Georgia, recently became infested with roaches. The family has had to deal with the pests crawling over walls, climbing into food and dirtying dishes.

Heather Turner said she has found the roaches everywhere and believes her landlord should call pest control services to eradicate the bugs. The landlord, however, believes the tenants brought the roaches into the rental home and should take care of it themselves. Under Georgia law, the landlord is not required to get rid of pests unless it is specifically stated in the lease, which it is not for the Turners, NBC affiliate WRCB reported.

Dr. Susan Raschal told the source that roaches can not only be a nuisances to residents, but also a health hazard. They've been known to cause asthma and other health problems.

"Because of where the cockroaches hangout, in moist conditions essentially, they actually carry organisms that can lead to conditions that can lead to diseases, like salmonella or typhoid for an example," Raschal told the source.

These favorable, moist conditions can be found in schools, homes and restaurants. Hong Kong Buffet in Hialeah, Florida, was recently closed after a health inspector cited 19 critical sanitation violations including 20 live roaches in the kitchen and more than 15 live roaches under the dining room steam table. The restaurant will need to call pest control services and undergo a second inspection before it can reopen to the public, the Sun-Sentinel reported.