For centuries, humans have been plagued with insect parasites, and many of these insects are with us today. Interestingly, several blood-sucking insects are commonly encountered in homes and tolerated as an inconvenience in day-to-day life. Who hasn’t encountered the bite of a mosquito? Mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and mites feed on a wide variety of warm-blooded vertebrates including dogs, cats, and humans; their bites generally leave an itchy red bump (see photograph below). We have become accustomed to these insects and have a certain tolerance to them even though all of them have been associated with transferring diseases to humans. For example, mosquitoes transmit malaria, yellow fever, and encephalitis; fleas transmit bubonic plague and tapeworms; and ticks may serve as vectors of several diseases including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Similar to the mosquito, flea, and tick, the bed bug (Cimex lectularius, see picture above) has been associated with humans for millennia. For example, fossilized remains of bed bugs were found during excavation of a 3,550-year-old site in Egypt. One significant difference between bed bugs and mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, and mites is that bed bugs have never been associated with the transmission of human diseases. Even so, reports of bed bugs, a wingless insect about the size and shape of an apple seed, infesting homes and other buildings have increased rapidly in recent years and this has caught the eye of the media. This parasitic insect has successfully evolved with its human food supply, feeding on them predominantly at night. Perhaps it is this nocturnal feeding habit − generally while we are sleeping − that has captured the disgust of the public and the attention of the media.
Where were these parasitic bugs hiding before their recent resurgence? The general use chemicals such as DDT and chlordane to control insect pests on crops and forest lands, around homes and gardens, and for industrial and commercial purposes spanning nearly three decades of application starting in the 1940s, proved to be very effective in controlling bed bugs. The banning of these once-popular chemicals in the 1980s gave bed bugs a chance to slowly reestablish their population and the epidemic began. Continued regulatory actions in the U.S. have made other products unavailable for use in human dwellings. The bed bug’s behavior, life cycle, ability to hide, the possibility that the bugs become resistance to pesticides, and the need for teamwork between the residents, landlords and pest control companies has made control and eradication difficult.
A major pest control company recently gave New York City (NYC) the dubious honor of having the most severe bed bug infestations in the United States. In addition to bed bug infestations in homes, schools, hotels, and apartments, reports of bed bugs in NYC include the Empire State Building, prominent retailers, movie theaters in Times Square, and the Lincoln Center. Although not all reported cases are confirmed to be bed bug infestation and some of these reports represent the presence of a single bed bug, others do not. The potential economic impact to the NYC tourism industry could be significant as a result of the hysteria surrounding this insect. But, NYC is not the only city plagued by a massive resurgence of bed bugs. Bed bugs’ ability to travel on such things as clothing, luggage, travel bags, and laundry has led to equally significant problems in other cities.
Along with the increase in bed bug reports, an increase in insurance claims and legal complaints by residents of single and multi-unit housing that the bugs are a nuisance and their presence violates health and safety codes. In all cases, verifying that bed bugs are present is the necessary first step. Exponent brings a well-trained, diverse group of scientific consultants to bear on issues surrounding bed bugs. Exponent’s services range from providing a client with essential background information on bed bugs, advising on options for addressing inspections, conducting inspections and methods of control and eradication. Our team includes consultants with knowledge of parasitology, entomology, tropical medicine, parasite-transmitted diseases, plus those with various complementary scientific expertise, to address the client’s specific issues.