This hour, we examine the experience of having bed bugs with Brooke Borel, author of Infested: How the Bed Bug Infiltrated Our Bedrooms and Took Over the World (University of Chicago Press, April 2015). Borel wanted to know why bed bugs became so prevalent in the last decade, and she found plenty of people to tell her their horror stories along the way. We have a few horror stories to share from our listeners, too. Later in the hour, Mark Hay brings us the origins of the necktie and tells us why he’ll be sticking to “plummeting V-necks.”

Music this hour:

• “get out” by Jahzzar, from the album Sketches
• “Elle va au Japon” by Nic Bommarito, from the album A Quiet Age
• “Soldiertype (militarised)” by Ketsa, from the album What’s Without’s Within
• “Persian Lamb Rag” by Heftone Banjo Orchestra, from the album Music Box Rag