{"id":93545,"date":"2023-06-12T12:15:38","date_gmt":"2023-06-12T17:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=93545"},"modified":"2023-06-12T12:15:50","modified_gmt":"2023-06-12T17:15:50","slug":"93545","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=93545","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Maybe, we should bring back those \u201ceffective pesticides<\/em>\u201d?<\/p>\n

Bed bugs\u2019 biggest impact may be on mental health after an infestation of these bloodsucking parasites<\/a><\/p>\n

Bed bugs are back with a vengeance. After an absence of around 70 years, thanks to effective pesticides such as DDT, they\u2019ve been popping up in fancy hotels, spas, department stores, subway trains, movie theaters \u2013 and, of course, people\u2019s homes.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a public health entomologist<\/a>. In the course of my work, I\u2019ve studied these little bloodsuckers, even letting bed bugs feast on my own appendages in the name of science.\u00a0No one likes dealing with bed bugs<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 and there are ways to minimize your chances of needing to.<\/p>\n

\n
\"closeup<\/div>\n
<\/div>
Colorized scanning electron microscopic image reveals the underside of a bed bug, including the proboscis (purple) and two eyes (red).<\/span>\u00a0CDC\/Janice Haney Carr<\/a>,\u00a0CC BY<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Know thy bed bug enemy<\/h2>\n

The common bed bug,\u00a0Cimex lectularius<\/em>, has been a parasite of humans for thousands of years. Historically, these tiny bloodsuckers were common in human dwellings worldwide, giving the old saying \u201csleep tight, don\u2019t let the bed bugs bite\u201d real meaning. They had nearly disappeared in developing countries until the mid-1990s, when they began\u00a0making a comeback<\/a>\u00a0because of restriction or loss of certain pesticides, changes in pest control practices and increased international travel.\u00a0In many areas<\/a>\u00a0around the world, they are now\u00a0a major urban pest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\"brown<\/div>\n
<\/div>
A bed bug extends its beaklike proboscis to feed on human blood.<\/span>\u00a0Jerome Goddard<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Adult bed bugs are less than a quarter-inch long (about 5 mm), oval-shaped and flattened, resembling unfed ticks or small cockroaches. Tucked backward underneath their head they have a long proboscis \u2013 a tubular mouthpart they can extend to take a blood meal. A bed bug needs only between three and 10 minutes to\u00a0consume up to six times its weight in blood<\/a>\u00a0in a single meal.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
The Conversation is a news organization dedicated to facts and evidence<\/h5>\n