Chances are you've had bedbugs or know someone who has had them in a home or encountered them in a hotel, according to a new survey from the National Pest Management Association.

The word is definitely out about bedbugs: 79% of survey respondents have seen, heard or read about the pests in the last few months. Despite the bedbugs' growing fame, effective education remains rare. Nearly half of all respondents incorrectly believe that bedbugs transmit disease.

As The Journal reported, residential bedbug complaints in New York City rose nearly 7% during 2010, according to city data from the city's Department of Housing, Preservation and Development. There were 4,846 bedbug-related violations and 13,472 complaints, up slightly from 4,811 and 12,594 in 2009.

Growing awareness of bedbugs, however, has not translated into changed behaviors. The bedbug survey found that 54% of respondents have not changed their behavior in order to avoid contracting the pests.

"There's a small percentage of people that are doing some of the things that they should be doing to best protect themselves and their families," said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association.