The interface of a new bedbugs app.

Bedbugs are as likely to settle in luxury hotels as youth hostels. So, travelers may wonder, is there a way to figure out whether a hotel (or theater or restaurant) is infested? Well, now there’s an app for that.

The new Bed Bug Alert ($1.99 at iTunes.apple.com) app for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch shows users a GPS-enabled Google map that indicates nearby bedbug-infested sites as red push pins. The locations are based on addresses of bedbug outbreaks reported by the media, by governmental agencies and by users across the country.

Once the map is loaded, bedbug-fearing travelers can zoom in on a pin for more information. If it is a public place, such as a hotel or theater, the name will appear. (If it is a private place like a home, the name will not.)

In addition to the map, the app includes a tab that links to bedbug maps of the Top 10 infested cities. (New York, Philadelphia and Detroit are currently first, second and third, respectively.) And users unfortunate enough to encounter one of the insects can immediately report it via the app as well.

View the original article here

The interface of a new bedbugs app.

Bedbugs are as likely to settle in luxury hotels as youth hostels. So, travelers may wonder, is there a way to figure out whether a hotel (or theater or restaurant) is infested? Well, now there’s an app for that.

The new Bed Bug Alert ($1.99 at iTunes.apple.com) app for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch shows users a GPS-enabled Google map that indicates nearby bedbug-infested sites as red push pins. The locations are based on addresses of bedbug outbreaks reported by the media, by governmental agencies and by users across the country.

Once the map is loaded, bedbug-fearing travelers can zoom in on a pin for more information. If it is a public place, such as a hotel or theater, the name will appear. (If it is a private place like a home, the name will not.)

In addition to the map, the app includes a tab that links to bedbug maps of the Top 10 infested cities. (New York, Philadelphia and Detroit are currently first, second and third, respectively.) And users unfortunate enough to encounter one of the insects can immediately report it via the app as well.

View the original article here