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The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Bedbugs have been bothering humans since caveman times, study finds
A new study suggests bedbugs may have been bothering humans for about 60,000 years, with their populations booming as people formed the first cities. The research, published in Biology Letters, examined bedbug genetics and found two lineages: one that stayed on bats and one that targeted humans. As humans built early cities like Mesopotamia around 12,000 years ago, bedbug populations thrived, making them one of the first human pests. Professor Warren Booth notes that humans likely carried bedbugs from caves when they moved out around 60,000 years ago, resulting in less genetic diversity in the human-associated lineage. Bedbug infestations saw a dramatic 35 per cent increase between 2022 and 2024, highlighting their resurgence after near-eradication due to the chemical DDT.
The Independent
29-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Scientists identify key shift that led to huge rise in bedbugs
Bedbugs may have been interrupting human sleep for more than 50,000 years, but it was only when humans left caves and formed the first cities that their populations really boomed, according to a new study. The research, published in science journal Biology Letters, looked at the genetics of bedbugs and found that they split into two lineages thousands of years ago – one that stayed on bats, and one that targeted humans. By the Ice Age both populations were in general decline, with the bat-associated lineage never bouncing back, but the urban bedbugs recovered and began to thrive as human settlements expanded into cities. As humans built early cities, such as Mesopotamia, around 12,000 years ago and their populations started to boom, so too did the populations of the tiny parasitic insects feasting on human skin – making the species one of the first human pests. 'That makes sense because modern humans moved out of caves about 60,000 years ago,' said Warren Booth, the Joseph R. and Mary W. Wilson Urban Entomology associate professor. "There were bedbugs living in the caves with these humans, and when they moved out they took a subset of the population with them so there's less genetic diversity in that human-associated lineage." "What will be interesting is to look at what's happening in the last 100 to 120 years," Prof Booth told science website "Bed bugs were pretty common in the old world, but once DDT [dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane] was introduced for pest control, populations crashed. They were thought to have been essentially eradicated, but within five years they started reappearing and were resisting the pesticide." Bedbug infestations saw a dramatic 35 per cent jump between 2022 and 2024, while cockroach removal visits rose by 13 per cent over the same period.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Bedbug numbers soared when humans left caves and moved to cities, scientists find
Bedbugs may have been interrupting human sleep for more than 50,000 years, but it was only when humans left caves and formed the first cities that their populations really boomed, according to a new study. The research, published in science journal Biology Letters, looked at the genetics of bedbugs and found that they split into two lineages thousands of years ago – one that stayed on bats, and one that targeted humans. By the Ice Age both populations were in general decline, with the bat-associated lineage never bouncing back, but the urban bedbugs recovered and began to thrive as human settlements expanded into cities. As humans built early cities, such as Mesopotamia, around 12,000 years ago and their populations started to boom, so too did the populations of the tiny parasitic insects feasting on human skin – making the species one of the first human pests. 'That makes sense because modern humans moved out of caves about 60,000 years ago,' said Warren Booth, the Joseph R. and Mary W. Wilson Urban Entomology associate professor. "There were bedbugs living in the caves with these humans, and when they moved out they took a subset of the population with them so there's less genetic diversity in that human-associated lineage." "What will be interesting is to look at what's happening in the last 100 to 120 years," Prof Booth told science website "Bed bugs were pretty common in the old world, but once DDT [dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane] was introduced for pest control, populations crashed. They were thought to have been essentially eradicated, but within five years they started reappearing and were resisting the pesticide." Bedbug infestations saw a dramatic 35 per cent jump between 2022 and 2024, while cockroach removal visits rose by 13 per cent over the same period.
The Guardian
27-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Humans moving to ancient cities sent bedbug numbers soaring, say scientists
They survived the catastrophe that wiped out the dinosaurs, but bedbugs were in decline until the invention of the city, which sent their numbers soaring, researchers say. Genetic analysis of a group of bedbugs showed their history was entwined with the human story, with the blood-sucking parasites spreading and thriving as humans crammed together in large settlements. Dr Warren Booth, an urban entomologist at Virginia Tech, said the intimate relationship between host and parasite fuelled a dramatic rise in the bedbug population around the time of the first cities, making bedbugs a contender for the first true urban pest insects. 'When we started to live in cities, we brought all these people together, and they all had their own bedbugs with them,' Booth said. 'And then, as civilisation spread across the world, the bugs spread with them to the point where they're now ubiquitous in human society.' The scientists compared the DNA of 19 bedbugs from the Czech Republic. Nine were 'associated with humans' while the rest were gathered from bat roosts. The analysis found that the ancestral populations behind both groups were in decline about 45,000 years ago, as the Earth cooled in the last glacial period. But while the estimated population of bat-related bedbugs continued to fall to the present day, the number of human-associated bedbugs levelled off about 12,000 years ago before a 'dramatic' rise about 8,000 years ago, the researchers write in Biology Letters. The world's first cities arose from settlements built after humans turned from a nomadic life to one dominated by agriculture. Çatalhöyük, in modern day Turkey, is about 9,000 years old and was home to thousands of people. About 5,000 years ago, Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia housed a population of 60,000. Bedbugs evolved more than 100m years ago and fed on the blood of an unknown host before parasitising bats and early humans. 'We know that the evolutionary history of humans and bedbugs has been intertwined for a long time,' said Prof Michael Siva-Jothy, an entomologist at the University of Sheffield. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion Siva-Jothy is wary about the new study's claims, coming from a small number of bedbugs in a single country, and wonders whether other common parasites might be worthy contenders for the title of first urban insect pest. Head lice arose more than 1 million years ago, for example, and have made humans scratch ever since.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Study finds bed bugs may be genetically re-wiring to resist insecticides
Bed bugs appear to have developed a genetic resistance to some insecticides designed to kill them, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology. It's an evolution that may have been decades in the making, triggered by early attempts to curb bed bug population booms. In the 1950s, increasing international travel and immigration helped fuel a global bed bug infestation. In the U.S. alone, as many as 30 per cent of houses were infested. The problem was successfully controlled with dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, or DDT. However, by the 1970s, manufacturers phased out DDT usage due to associated environmental and health concerns. Today, DDT is banned for most uses worldwide. In the recent paper, the authors argue that since DDT has been banned, bed bugs have steadily re-gained ground globally and display 'resistance to an array of insecticides used for their control.' The study, led by Virginia Tech urban entomologist Warren Booth and graduate student Camille Block, identifies a gene mutation in bed bugs that mirrors one known to cause insecticide resistance in German cockroaches and whiteflies. Using data from North American pest control collections from 2008 to 2022, Block analyzed a bed bug from each of 134 distinct populations. Two samples from different locations presented the nerve cell mutation observed in other insecticide-resistant insects. Because bed bug populations are typically highly inbred, one individual is generally a fair representation of its entire infestation. But to be sure, the team screened all specimens from the two affected populations. 'When we went back and screened multiple individuals from the two populations, every one of them had the mutations,' Booth said in a statement. 'So they were fixed for these mutations, and it's the same mutation that we find in German cockroaches.' The mutated gene is known as Rdl, and it has been documented in several pest species. It is associated with dieldrin, a chemical belonging to the same group of organochlorines as DDT. Dieldrin was banned in the 1990s, but Fipronil—an insecticide with the same mechanism of action—is still in use today. According to the study's authors, because Fipronil shares this mechanism, the gene mutation should, in theory, allow bed bugs to gain resistance to both pesticides. Fipronil is typically used as a flea treatment for cats and dogs and has been proven effective against bed bugs in lab tests, alongside the now-banned dieldrin. Booth suspects the way some pet owners interact with their animals may be driving this mutation. 'Many pet owners let their dogs or cats sleep in bed with them,' he said. 'If those animals have been treated with Fipronil, it could leave residue in the bedding, inadvertently exposing any bed bugs present and selecting for this mutation.' Booth says the next step is to expand upon the findings and search for the gene mutation in bed bugs in other parts of the world, as well as in different eras. That includes museum specimens—because bed bugs have scurried about Earth for millions of years. Sandy Smith, a forestry professor at the University of Toronto, told The Weather Network in 2023 bed bugs will always be near humans because they need our blood to survive. "Like all organisms, in all insects, they have an optimal range. Our household temperatures are about right for them," she said. Adult bedbugs usually live around ten months, though they can extend their longevity to a year or even more inside a hospitable home with temperatures between 21°C and 28°C. Bed bugs can tolerate the cold, but if exposed to below-freezing temperatures for several days, they will die. "We're blessed in Canada with a really cold winter," Sandy said, adding that putting your mattress outside for five days during a cold spell will kill them. They don't do well in warmer temperatures, which can cause them to become dehydrated. How do bed bugs get into my home? Bed bugs are master hitchhikers. They can enter your home through clothing or backpacks, luggage, or purses placed on upholstered surfaces. They can also come into the home through infected furniture, according to the New York Department of Health. How do I reduce the risk of bringing bedbugs home? Keep your bags or suitcases on stands when at hotels. When you return home, wash your clothes and place them in a hot dryer. How do I confirm a bed bug infestation? You can see the bugs. You may also visit their droppings, eggs, or shed skin on your living spaces. What do I do if I have bed bugs? Contact a reputable specialist with a proven track record of successful bedbug removal. Bed bug infestations can be challenging to eradicate, and professional assistance is often necessary for adequate control. *Header image credit: Piotr Naskrecki. File photo via Wikimedia, public domain. *
