From Alzheimer’s to Zebrafish: Eclectic Science and Regulatory Stories 166
For those of us who travel frequently, there is a major hazard to consider: bed bugs!
Once nearly eradicated, these blood suckers have made a rapid comeback in the US,
Canada, Europe and Australia. This spread may be a global pattern.
Traveling to and staying in hotels overnight in New York City is especially problem-
atic, as this city appears to be particularly affected. New York, however, is not unique.
Bed bug infestations have been reported increasingly in homes, apartments, hotel
rooms, hospitals and dormitories in the US since 1980.1 Reports of bed bug infestations in
San Francisco doubled between 2004 and 2006.
Bed bugs have superseded termites as the number one urban pest, and they have
evolved to outsmart the latest generation of chemicals used to control them. Bed bugs are
no longer kept in check by insecticides called pyrethroids.2
Description
Bed bugs, known in Latin as Cimex (a bug) lectularius (couch or bed), are flightless, noctur-
nal, obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites that preferentially feed on humans.3 Adult bed
bugs are oval-shaped, flat and approximately 5 mm long. They resemble unfed ticks or
small cockroaches, and are easily visible, even to the untrained eye (about the size of an
apple seed).
Adults are reddish-brown in color, whereas immature bed bugs are much smaller
and may be light yellow. They have a pyramidal head with prominent compound eyes,
slender antennae and a long proboscis tucked underneath the head and thorax.4
There are 91 species included in the insect family Cimicidae, and all are wingless,
ectoparasites that feed on birds, bats and mammals. Only two species, Cimex lectularius
(human bed bug) and lesser known C. hemipterus (tropical bed bug), readily feed on
humans, but can survive on bird, bat and rabbit hosts in the laboratory.5
Bed bugs feed on sleeping persons every five to 10 days and hide during the day in
cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards and bed frames. They are apparent
only if a special search is made at night.6
History
The common bed bug is one of the most widely recognized insects in the world. Its close
association with humans has been documented for more than four millennia.7
The association of C. lectularius and humans dates back to 1350 BC or earlier, as
evidenced by well-preserved bed bug remains recovered from the workmen’s village at
el-Amarna, Egypt.8 According to one researcher, bed bugs are our oldest roommates.9
Bed bugs are not native to North America, but were introduced by the early colonists
in the 17th century. As mentioned earlier, the resurgence of the parasite has been recorded
across the globe with an estimated 100%–500% annual increase in bed bug populations.10
Biology
Despite the long association between bed bugs and humans, there was little knowledge
about the biology of this important insect and its close relatives until recently. This has
changed with the increase in global bed bug infestations.
There is now new information regarding aspects of reproduction and ecology.11
Feeding behavior in C. lectularius coincides with periods of minimal host activity, when
bed bugs leave their refuge to feed.
Bed bugs use two feeding tubes: one to inject an anticoagulant and mild anesthetic
and the other to draw blood. An adult fully engorges in 10 to 20 minutes after which it
returns to its hiding place. Both sexes feed only on blood.
Blood meals are an essential prerequisite for mating. Egg production in adult females
and sperm production in males requires regular blood meals. Males direct their sexual
For those of us who travel frequently, there is a major hazard to consider: bed bugs!
Once nearly eradicated, these blood suckers have made a rapid comeback in the US,
Canada, Europe and Australia. This spread may be a global pattern.
Traveling to and staying in hotels overnight in New York City is especially problem-
atic, as this city appears to be particularly affected. New York, however, is not unique.
Bed bug infestations have been reported increasingly in homes, apartments, hotel
rooms, hospitals and dormitories in the US since 1980.1 Reports of bed bug infestations in
San Francisco doubled between 2004 and 2006.
Bed bugs have superseded termites as the number one urban pest, and they have
evolved to outsmart the latest generation of chemicals used to control them. Bed bugs are
no longer kept in check by insecticides called pyrethroids.2
Description
Bed bugs, known in Latin as Cimex (a bug) lectularius (couch or bed), are flightless, noctur-
nal, obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites that preferentially feed on humans.3 Adult bed
bugs are oval-shaped, flat and approximately 5 mm long. They resemble unfed ticks or
small cockroaches, and are easily visible, even to the untrained eye (about the size of an
apple seed).
Adults are reddish-brown in color, whereas immature bed bugs are much smaller
and may be light yellow. They have a pyramidal head with prominent compound eyes,
slender antennae and a long proboscis tucked underneath the head and thorax.4
There are 91 species included in the insect family Cimicidae, and all are wingless,
ectoparasites that feed on birds, bats and mammals. Only two species, Cimex lectularius
(human bed bug) and lesser known C. hemipterus (tropical bed bug), readily feed on
humans, but can survive on bird, bat and rabbit hosts in the laboratory.5
Bed bugs feed on sleeping persons every five to 10 days and hide during the day in
cracks and crevices of beds, box springs, headboards and bed frames. They are apparent
only if a special search is made at night.6
History
The common bed bug is one of the most widely recognized insects in the world. Its close
association with humans has been documented for more than four millennia.7
The association of C. lectularius and humans dates back to 1350 BC or earlier, as
evidenced by well-preserved bed bug remains recovered from the workmen’s village at
el-Amarna, Egypt.8 According to one researcher, bed bugs are our oldest roommates.9
Bed bugs are not native to North America, but were introduced by the early colonists
in the 17th century. As mentioned earlier, the resurgence of the parasite has been recorded
across the globe with an estimated 100%–500% annual increase in bed bug populations.10
Biology
Despite the long association between bed bugs and humans, there was little knowledge
about the biology of this important insect and its close relatives until recently. This has
changed with the increase in global bed bug infestations.
There is now new information regarding aspects of reproduction and ecology.11
Feeding behavior in C. lectularius coincides with periods of minimal host activity, when
bed bugs leave their refuge to feed.
Bed bugs use two feeding tubes: one to inject an anticoagulant and mild anesthetic
and the other to draw blood. An adult fully engorges in 10 to 20 minutes after which it
returns to its hiding place. Both sexes feed only on blood.
Blood meals are an essential prerequisite for mating. Egg production in adult females
and sperm production in males requires regular blood meals. Males direct their sexual