Latest news with #WarrenBooth
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Scientists discover surprising cause for rapid increase in bedbug population: 'The bugs spread with them'
Scientists have discovered a surprising connection between the rise in civilizations and a subsequent increase in bedbug populations. Though they're not known to transmit diseases, the pests can contribute to sleep and mental health issues. As the Guardian reported, a new study by an international team of researchers found that bedbugs could likely be "the first urban pest insect," as their numbers exploded when humans began expanding across the globe and building cities. Dr. Warren Booth, an urban entomologist at Virginia Tech and a co-author of the research, said that when human settlements first emerged around 10,000 years ago, it created the ideal conditions for the blood-sucking parasites to thrive. "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." For the study, which was published in Biology Letters, the team compared the genetic material of 19 bedbugs from the Czech Republic and discovered that populations associated with both bats and humans — two common hosts for bedbugs — started declining in the midst of the last ice age, about 45,000 years ago. However, their populations experienced a "dramatic" rise around 8,000 years ago, shortly after humans migrated into big cities. While bedbugs are not generally considered to be harmful, they can cause discomfort and annoyance, especially if you're dealing with an infestation. Plus, some people experience minor symptoms, including itching and irritation, red, swollen bumps, and even allergic reactions that require treatment. Not to mention, knowing you have bedbugs crawling around your sheets can lead to insomnia and poor well-being. Having to replace bedding and potentially seek professional help to eradicate them is also a major hassle. However, the elephant in the room is that soaring bedbug numbers and the shifting climate have more to do with each other than you'd think. Warmer temperatures and higher humidity levels can accelerate bedbug life cycles and lead to more frequent reproduction. Additionally, a hotter climate provides the ideal conditions for pests to expand their ranges and colonize areas they previously could not survive in. Changes in the climate can also disrupt natural predators or competitors of bedbugs, further contributing to their successful reproduction. While bedbugs don't directly harm the planet, the need to control or eliminate them often involves the use of pesticides, which can damage ecosystems and hurt wildlife. In the grand scheme of things, bedbugs may be relatively harmless compared to other pests, but bugs such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas are contributing to an alarming rise in vector-borne illnesses — including malaria, Lyme disease, and typhus — around the globe. Do you worry about getting diseases from bug bites? Absolutely Only when I'm camping or hiking Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Prevention is the best cure, as they say, so regular cleaning and decluttering around your home will help keep the bedbugs at bay. If you have an infestation, make sure to thoroughly wash and dry bedding on high heat, use steam or heat treatments, or call for professional help if necessary. Keeping your home clean with natural cleaning products such as baking soda and vinegar is also a simple, affordable solution to prevent (or at least lessen) the likelihood of attracting bedbugs. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
New York Times
12-06-2025
- Science
- New York Times
Early Humans Settled in Cities. Bedbugs Followed Them.
When it comes to successful relationships, there's nothing quite like the long, long marriage between bedbugs and humans, even if the affection goes in one direction. The species of bedbug that feeds on us while we slumber is monogamous with humans; it does not shack up with any other species. Despite the ick factor, the insect does not transmit disease, nor does it cause harm beyond the mild irritation where its needlelike mouth pierces the skin. That relationship, it turns out, has been going on for much longer than previously known. According to a new study published in the journal Biology Letters, the bedbug's long affair with humans began about 245,000 years ago. The insect strayed from the cave-dwelling bats that had been its sole source of sustenance and discovered the blood of a Neanderthal, or some other early human, that had bedded down in the same cave. From that point on, scientists say, bedbugs diverged into two distinct species: one that lived off bat blood, and one that fed on humans. 'You're not going to find a bedbug in your garden,' said Warren Booth, a professor of urban entomology at Virginia Tech and a lead author of the study. 'They are completely reliant on us to spread.' After a decline that accompanied early man's nomadic existence, the human-dependent bedbug population began to explode about 13,000 years ago, the study found. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
30-05-2025
- 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.
