Bedbug bait and trap invented by Simon Fraser University …

After 180,000 bedbug bites and eight years of study, Simon Fraser University scientists say they have invented a new kind of bedbug bait and trap.

The trap, which will be available commercially next year, will workby emittinga set of chemical attractants, or pheromones, that lure the bedbugs into traps, and keep them there.

BiologistRegineGriesdiscovered the pheromonesafter acting as a hostfor more than a thousand bedbugsduring the research, which also involvedher husband, biology professorGerhardGries, SFUchemistRobertBrittonand a team of students.

"The biggest challenge in dealing with bedbugs is to detect the infestation at an early stage," saidGerhard Gries in a newsrelease on Monday.

"This trap will help landlords, tenants, and pest-control professionals determine whether premises have a bedbug problem, so that they can treat it quickly. It will also be useful for monitoring the treatments effectiveness."

In this undated photo, a common bedbug is engorged with blood after feeding on a human. (The Associated Press)

RegineGriesendured 180,000 bites from the team'sbedbug colony as part of the research, the release said, because she is immune to the bites, getting only a slight rash instead of the usual itching and swelling most people suffer.

Bedbugs are wingless pests that feed on humans as their preferred source of blood. The small, flat insects were all but wiped out after the Second World War but have returned with a vengeanceto Canadian homes, hotels and shelters.

The insects will bite all over a human body, favouring the face, neck, upper torso, arms and hands. Theycan go for weeks or months without feeding, depending on the temperature.

The Gries research began eight years ago, when theyinitially isolated a pheromone mix that attracted bedbugs in lab experiments, but not in bedbug-infested apartments.

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