Letting bedbugs bite — because science – Firstcoastnews.com
Anne Schindler, WTLV 11:22 PM. EST February 15, 2017
Closeup macro of a bedbug, 1950. (Photo by Andreas Feininger/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images) (Photo: Andreas Feininger)
When the very mention of your work causes people to recoil in horror, you develop coping mechanisms.
Sometimes I lie, concedes Brittany Campbell, a doctoral student of entomology at the University of Florida. Depending on the day, whether I feel like talking about it, I might be a manager at Target.
In reality, her job is bedbug research, a topic some cant discuss without freaking out.
People dont even want to talk to me, she says. I scare them.
Campbells work is an essential part of fighting the countrys decade-long bedbug resurgence. Once nearly eradicated in the U.S., the bloodsucking insects returned in force in the late 1990s. The wave of frenzied media coverage that followed has subsided, but not the bedbug problem. If anything, says Dr. Philip Koehler, who built the universitys urban entomology lab, its worse.
Were seeing a lot more infestations that what we did a few years ago.
Then, in November, the lab revealed a new species the tropical bedbug. Discovered in a home in South Florida, the insect hadnt been seen in the U.S. in more than 70 years.
Campbell was personally delighted. I was certainly excited, she says of the discovery. As a scientist I was jumping up and down ready to tell the world.
But in the battle of against bedbugs, she acknowledges, its not necessarily good news. You dont know what impact its going to have, you dont know how quickly its going to reproduce, says Campbell of the new species. You dont know if its going to respond as well [to pesticides].
With a single female capable of laying 500 eggs, the bedbug is a prolific breeder. Its also uniquely difficult to get rid of, since its preferred nest is a place most people like to spend a peaceful 8 hours not one they want doused with pesticides.
But getting rid of the intractable bug can push people to do irrational things, says Koehler. They dont want to go home sleep in their bed and have bugs crawling on them, and sucking their blood. Some people have died after spraying their mattresses with insecticide, accidentally torched their homes using heat treatments, even had air foggers explode.
Usually the bugs are still crawling after the place is blown apart, he says.
The only reliable way to get rid of bedbugs is to hire a professional exterminator, Koehler says. But the great irony is that -- in the lab, bedbugs are kind of feeble.
They are hard to kill in peoples homes, says Campbell. But for whatever reason, we have a hard time keeping alive in the lab.
Caring for the bugs means cleaning out colonies when their Petri dish gets crowded, keeping them in a climate-controlled room, feeding them artificially on warm rabbit blood, or live chickens.
And, when a colony is in trouble, it might mean giving of yourself. Literally.
Research scientist Roberto Pereira helped nurture the labs fledgling tropical bedbug colony by allowing them to suck his own blood.
Because we have very few insects, and we were trying to get this colony started, I took the liberty of feeding these bedbugs on myself, he says.
He it that sounds weird. Its not the type of conversation to bring up on the first date or anything. Most of us dont like to admit we have done that, because most people think of [entomologists] as crazy anyway.
Pereira says its not all that uncommon. Harold Harlan, a retired military medical entomologist, raised thousands of bedbugs in his basement, feeding them on his own blood. And, as a recent Here Be Monsters podcast noted, pest control companies that use dogs to find bedbugs have to maintain a home colony for training purposes and sometimes find it easier to feed the bugs off of themselves.
Pereira says its not as bad as it sounds. The bugs are kept in Petri dishes covered with a penetrable plastic, so the bugs cant escape. And for many people, the bite is imperceptible -- less annoying than a mosquito.
UF Graduate assistant Heather Erskine demonstrates, placing a single bug on her hand and allowing it to feed. I honestly dont feel it, she notes. If you blindfolded me and said you put a bedbug on me, I wouldnt be able to tell you where.
For Campbell, bedbug bites are more painful, creating visible welts. Its almost like getting pricked by a needle, or getting a shot or something, she says. I can really feel their mouth parts.
For people battling infestations, discomfort is just part of it. Treatment can be expensive about $1,000 or more. And the bugs can take a mental toll, causing anxiety, depression, even Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
I get phone calls from people telling me about their anxieties, says Campbell. I am unfortunately an entomologist; I dont deal with psychology. So I just try to calm them down, so they dont do anything irrational. I tell them to seek professional help.
Such problems are part of the reason Koehler says pest control revenues in Florida now dwarf the citrus industry. Theyre also the reason a harmless bedtime wish has resurfaced as a more sinister warning.
Theyre back. They should be saying that: Dont let the bedbugs bite.
For help getting rid of bedbugs, check out these sites:
EPA - Getting rid of bed bugs
University of Florida - Bed bugs
University of Florida - Bed bug resources
( 2017 WTLV)
Excerpt from:
Letting bedbugs bite -- because science - Firstcoastnews.com
- Study Identifies Genetic Mutations That Make Bed Bugs Hard to Kill - Mentalfloss - December 24th, 2024
- How to Make a Homemade Bed Bug Killer Spray With Vinegar - December 22nd, 2024
- Sixty Years Ago, We Nearly Wiped Out Bed Bugs. Then, They Started Changing - December 22nd, 2024
- Norovirus: Symptoms, Prevention, and When to See a Doctor | NGPG - December 22nd, 2024
- Man arrested after posting video of himself spraying bug killer on ... - December 22nd, 2024
- How to get rid of bed bugs in apartment buildings - Rentokil - December 22nd, 2024
- Video shows man spraying bug spray on produce, chicken at AZ Walmart - December 22nd, 2024
- Bug Ego - Wikipedia - December 22nd, 2024
- DHHS Workers, Administration Disagree on Whether Bed Bugs Are Rampant - Midcoast Villager - December 22nd, 2024
- How to use cinnamon to get rid of household pests - Ideal Home - December 22nd, 2024
- Sixty Years Ago, We Nearly Wiped Out Bed Bugs. Then, They Started Changing - ZME Science - December 20th, 2024
- Bedbugs Are Stronger Than Ever and Scientists Just Found Out Why - VICE - December 20th, 2024
- Bed Bugs & Dirty Clothes - PCT Online - December 20th, 2024
- Biologists Discover What Makes Bed Bugs Uniquely Hard to Kill With Insecticides - Gizmodo - December 20th, 2024
- Bug Tech selects single mother as its free bed bug treatment recipient - KLBK | KAMC | EverythingLubbock.com - December 18th, 2024
- Bed Bugs | Backyard Farmer | Nebraska - byf.unl.edu - December 17th, 2024
- Hotel Worker Reveals the Telltale Sign of Bed Bugs in Your Hotel Room Mattress - Green Matters - December 17th, 2024
- She Tells Her Sister To Be Careful About Visiting Their Parents Bed Bug Infested House, But Her Sister Thinks Shes Just Being Paranoid - Twisted... - December 13th, 2024
- She Tells Her Sister To Be Careful About Visiting Their Parents Bed Bug Infested House, But Her Sister Thinks Shes Just Being Paranoid - Twisted... - December 13th, 2024
- Sacrifice and Survival - PCT Online - December 13th, 2024
- Sacrifice and Survival - PCT Online - December 13th, 2024
- Do bed bugs have a favorite colour? - The Indian Express - December 13th, 2024
- Do bed bugs have a favorite colour? - The Indian Express - December 13th, 2024
- John Mulaney accidentally texted Miguel about having bed bugs instead of his director: 'I have red bites' - Entertainment Weekly News - December 11th, 2024
- John Mulaney accidentally texted Miguel about having bed bugs instead of his director: 'I have red bites' - Entertainment Weekly News - December 11th, 2024
- Myrtle Beach area resort infested with bed bugs, new SC lawsuit alleges. Here are the details - Myrtle Beach Sun News - December 11th, 2024
- Myrtle Beach area resort infested with bed bugs, new SC lawsuit alleges. Here are the details - Myrtle Beach Sun News - December 11th, 2024
- Myrtle Beach area resort infested with bed bugs, new SC lawsuit alleges. Here are the details - SCNow - December 11th, 2024
- Myrtle Beach area resort infested with bed bugs, new SC lawsuit alleges. Here are the details - SCNow - December 11th, 2024
- Residents in housing block say they are 'living in hell' over 'bed bug epidemic' - MSN - December 11th, 2024
- Myrtle Beach area resort infested with bed bugs, new SC lawsuit alleges. Here are the details - Yahoo! Voices - December 9th, 2024
- Residents in housing block say they are 'living in hell' over 'bed bug epidemic' - Metro.co.uk - December 9th, 2024
- Are bed bugs attracted to certain colours? - The Indian Express - December 6th, 2024
- Alexandria Eberhardt on Ireland, bed bugs, and that hilarious time a soft serve swirl cone was simply not possible - The Boston Globe - December 6th, 2024
- ITCHY? New Jersey is Literally Surrounded by Bed Bugs - Here's Where - 943thepoint.com - December 6th, 2024
- Bedbugs Could Be More Horrifying Than You Think - The Atlantic - December 4th, 2024
- Huge bed bugs infestation in Tenerife as Brits warned of 'horrendous' conditions - The Mirror - December 4th, 2024
- Tower block tenants trapped in 'living nightmare' by bed bug infestations: 'I'm riddled with them' - The Big Issue - December 4th, 2024
- Gestion Supreme is Bringing Advanced Pest Control Solutions to the Greater Montreal Area - EIN News - December 4th, 2024
- Bed bugs blighted London's hospitals more than 500 times over a 7-year period - Metro.co.uk - December 4th, 2024
- Affordable Bed Bug Exterminators Wins the 2024 Quality Business - openPR - December 3rd, 2024
- Jet2 holidaymakers forced to bin luggage and fumigate house after claiming bed bugs 'followed' them back to UK - NationalWorld - December 3rd, 2024
- Stalker 2: How to Fix Hot on the Trail Bug - Prima Games - December 1st, 2024
- Question of the Week Spined Soldier Bug - December 1st, 2024
- Roblox Rivals update 7 patch notes: New weapons, bug ... - Destructoid - December 1st, 2024
- Bug (Breaking Bad) - Wikipedia - November 29th, 2024
- How to fix the STALKER 2 save bug SiegeGG - November 29th, 2024
- New York Enacts Law Mandating Landlord Notifications for Bed Bug Infestations within 72 Hours - Hoodline - November 29th, 2024
- Bugs in her body: Disturbing details revealed as 3 charged in death of Brockton woman face judge - Yahoo! Voices - November 29th, 2024
- Ongoing bed bug issue at a Timmins apartment building is 'like living in hell' - CTV News Northern Ontario - November 29th, 2024
- Bed bug battle continues in Timmins - CTV News Northern Ontario - November 29th, 2024
- Nasty bed bugs ruined couples vacation and followed them home (Video) - New York Post - November 26th, 2024
- There's a new law for New York landlords about bed bug infestations: What to know - NBC New York - November 26th, 2024
- Womans body had to be surgically removed from cockroach and feces-infested mattress after her skin got ... - The US Sun - November 26th, 2024
- Elderly woman dies after being surgically removed from mattress infested with cockroaches and bedbugs - The Mirror - November 26th, 2024
- 3 of Idahos Favorite Holiday Destinations Are Crawling With Bed Bugs - 107.9 LITE FM - November 26th, 2024
- New law requires NY landlords to notify tenants of bed bugs within 72 hours - Brick Underground - November 26th, 2024
- New York passes law requiring landlords to notify tenants of bed bug infestations - FOX 5 New York - November 26th, 2024
- Effective ways to manage bed bug bites this summer - IOL - November 26th, 2024
- New law forces landlords to notify tenants of bed bug infestations in NY - MSN - November 26th, 2024
- The One Piece of Bedding That Can Make Your Mattress Last for Years - Yahoo Life - November 26th, 2024
- Elderly woman surgically removed from mattress infested with cockroaches, bedbugs and feces - The Mirror US - November 26th, 2024
- Beating the bugs - FMJ - November 26th, 2024
- Your NY landlord is now required to tell you there are bedbugs in the building within 72 hours of discovery - Time Out - November 26th, 2024
- Ambush Bug - Wikipedia - November 25th, 2024
- New law forces landlords to notify tenants of bed bug infestations in NY - PIX11 New York News - November 25th, 2024
- Bed Bug Bites: Pictures, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention - Life Pathdoc - November 25th, 2024
- New law forces landlords to notify tenants of bed bug infestations in NY - AOL - November 25th, 2024
- NY to require landlords to notify tenants of bedbugs within 72 hours - Gothamist - November 25th, 2024
- 3 charged in death of elderly woman found stuck to mattress infested with cockroaches, bedbugs and feces: Prosecutors - Law & Crime - November 25th, 2024
- 3 Mass. women charged after woman covered in feces and bugs dies - MassLive.com - November 25th, 2024
- University dining hall inspected after bug found in food - November 23rd, 2024
- Sui Network Back Up After Scheduling Bug Leads to Two-Hour ... - CoinDesk - November 23rd, 2024
- Google Uses AI to Discover 20-Year-Old Software Bug - PCMag - November 23rd, 2024
- Bed bug infestation in Essex assisted living rooms as residents handed 342 bill - Daily Gazette - November 23rd, 2024
- Bug Bounty Basics - Pluralsight - November 23rd, 2024
- How-to Guide: Getting Rid of Bed Bugs Beyond the Beehive - The Independent - November 23rd, 2024
- From Iceland Cockroach And Bed Bug Population Escalating In Iceland - Reykjavk Grapevine - November 21st, 2024
- AAD Reading Room | Fresh Guidance on Scabies, Bedbugs, and Body Lice - Medpage Today - November 21st, 2024
- This is the latest holiday hotspot 'plagued' by bed bugs - what's caused the surge? - NationalWorld - November 21st, 2024