Bed Bugs and Humans

History of the Bed Bug

The Bed Bug evolved from the Bat Bug which feed on Bats in caves. 100,000 years ago Neanderthal man lived in caves and was also fed upon by these bugs. Eventually, the bat bug evolved into a new species we call the Bed Bug. When humans left the cave life and settled into villages, towns and cities they brought the bugs with them. Bed bugs have plagued man ever since.

The early writings about bed bugs appeared in ancient Egypt around 400 BC and the oldest bed bug found is an Egyptian fossil from 3500 years ago. They were also reported in early Roman and Greek writings. Medieval Europeans were also plagued by bed bugs. Not only were the poor living with these blood sucking pests but even the kings and noblemen were infested with bed bugs. It was also common to be infested with blood sucking lice. The most feared pest however, was the rat.

The rat meant that the deadly Black Death or Plague was about to break out. Bed Bugs continued to live side by side with people throughout history. Then during World War II, a miracle chemical, DDT was developed. DDT was so effective against bed bugs that after WWII they were no longer considered a pest problem. From the 1950’s through the turn of the century, problems with bed bugs were virtually non-existent.

Making a Comeback

Suddenly in 2000, it was discovered that bed bugs were making a comeback. Pest management firms began providing Bed Bug abatement services more and more often. Health departments across the USA began to receive more and more inquires about this pest. It soon became clear that we were in the midst of a widespread, sudden, population increase in bed bugs and we had no idea why. Calls about bed bugs increased more than 500% between 2001 and 2008! The health department also reported that calls regarding bed bugs had increased 700% over the same period.

Why, after almost a 60 year absence had bed bugs reemerged so suddenly and in such high numbers? The answers are not clear. However, some theories have been voiced. Changes in pest management practices, loss of a number of residual-type pesticides and increases in international traveling have been proposed. In addition to these theories, there may also have been some cultural and generational factors. For two generations in the US, bed bugs were not even spoken about. For the baby boomers, bed bugs were something that their parents and grandparents had to deal with. People immigrating into the United States from places where bed bugs were a common problem were inadvertently transporting these pests with them. After settling down and finding bed bugs, little was done to eliminate them because culturally they were accepted in their homelands.

The question remains; how do we send these pests packing? Before we can think about managing these pests we must have a detailed understanding of their biology including habits and behavior. This information is readily available in Entomology textbooks. However, most people will get this information from the World Wide Web. Most of the information is correct and based on solid scientific works. However, there is much information that is purely anecdotal. Publically-accessed web-based and print-media information has created panic and chaos.

Since most people below the age of 60 have had no experience with bed bugs, the mere thought of some bug visiting you in your bed at night to suck your blood creates terror in the minds of most Americans. We generally fear things that we do not fully understand.

So what is the answer? The aesthetic threshold is different for everybody. Some people will tolerate a certain level of pests. Others will not tolerate one fruit fly. When it comes to bed bugs however, everybody wants them totally eliminated, period! As pest management professionals, “we have met the enemy and they are ours”! Although bed bugs are difficult to eliminate, Arrow Exterminating Company, Inc. has developed protocols to address these age-old persistent, blood-sucking parasites. With over 60 years of experience providing pest management services, we have learned how to overcome pest problems in the urban environment, even though bed bugs do present some unique challenges.

For one thing, pesticides alone are not sufficient to address bed bugs in structures. You must inspect very carefully. You must identify all harborage sites. You must physically remove the bugs from the harborages using an industrial HEPA-equipped vacuum cleaner. Then treat harborages as required with materials that have shown promise in killing these pests. Since these pests will hide in the smallest, most inaccessible places, knowledge of bed bug habits and biology is essential to the favorable outcome of our abatement interventions. After performing well over 2,000 bed bug interventions over the last 8 years, we have learned a thing or two about bed bug behavior. The most important thing we have learned about bed bugs is that it is very labor intensive to eliminate them. Every piece of furniture must be closely inspected. Mattresses, box spring, bed frames, head boards, night stands, dressers, lamps, wall hangings, ceiling and baseboard moldings, window treatments, closets, electronic devices such as computers, radios, fax machines, printers, door frames, window frames, electrical wall outlets and switch plate covers, recessed lighting, chairs, sofas, books, papers and magazines, list goes on and on. Bed bugs will hide under paint chips and inside cell phones. We keep finding new places all the time! For instance, inside TV remotes and cable television receivers have become favorite harborages for bed bugs.

More bed bugs are being found off the bed than on the bed. But one thing is clear. Bed bugs are here to stay for a while. They are not going away any time soon.

Contact us today! We look forward to helping you with any of your residential or commercial pest control needs.