In the article
They are called bedbugs because they are bugs that prefer to live on beds. However, they also nest in sofas, mattresses, clothing, and other furnishings near the bed. Bedbugs love dark places and often nest in the seams and folds of fabric. These tiny, blood-sucking pests have been the bane of humankind for centuries.
It’s time to dive into the fascinating, albeit a bit creepy, history of these nocturnal nuisances and discover how they earned their reputation as the stealthy vampires of the insect kingdom.
Bedbugs have been around for ages. Like, we’re talking back to ancient Egyptian times here. Archaeologists have found bed bug remains in tombs from over 3,000 years ago. Can you imagine dealing with bedbugs without modern pesticides or mattress covers? No thanks!
Old books and writings show that folks in ancient Greece, Rome, and medieval Europe also had to put up with these blood-sucking bugs. Anywhere people shacked up together in close quarters—like castles, army barracks, or inns—bedbugs would find a way to move in and chow down.
These hitchhikers spread by latching onto travellers‘ belongings as they moved from place to place. Once they got into an area, bedbugs would set up home in beds, furniture, and anywhere else people slept. They’ve been the world’s most annoying roommate for thousands of years!
Bedbug on Mattress
Bed bugs hide throughout the daytime and stay away from places that are busy and bright at night. To find their hosts, they use carbon dioxide, heat, and humidity. Bed bugs like to feed on people’s faces, necks, arms, and hands, which are all open to the air.
Do you wonder why people are not bothered when bed bugs are sucking their blood? That is because bed bugs inject anticoagulants and anesthetics through their saliva. This causes an allergic response that shows up as a colourless wheal, welt, or lump where they bite you. Bed bugs leave behind semisolid and sticky waste that looks like reddish-black spots on pillows or furniture nearby after they poop. Spots and musky odours are significant signs that bed bugs are present.
The best places for bedbugs to live are paper, wood, and clothing, but they may also reside on metal, rock, or cement. In places where they are common, they can be found in mattress seams, coils, cracks in the bed frame, nightstands, wardrobes, boards, wood panelling, and in rooms close to where hosts sleep.
Bed bugs are very fast and can quickly spread to other areas in a house or workplace. They are capable of moving from one room to another in housing complexes, both up and down and side to side. Long-distance infestations happen when things that are already infested, like beds, furniture, or packing items, are moved to new places. Bed bugs can also be brought back and forth by visitors in their clothes, baggage, and laptop or iPad cases.
Oh, and these bugs can live for months between feedings. Once bed bugs infiltrate, they multiply quickly and spread throughout a home or building if left unchecked. Pretty soon, you’ve got a full-blown infestation on your hands.
Now that we know where bed bugs like to congregate and hide out, it makes total sense why they got saddled with the name bed bugs. They live and feed in beds!
The first written records of the name “bed bug” go back to 1583 in England. An early pest control book from 1589 also called them “wall lice” and “red coats.” But the bed bug label stuck in English and spread to other languages over time.
Before this, old texts referred to them as “wall lice” or “bloodsucking bugs.” But once they became universally known as bed bugs in English, the name just kind of proliferated everywhere these pests spread.
Via travellers, trade routes, and their sneaky hitchhiking skills, bedbugs made their way around the world through the centuries. By the early 1900s, bedbugs had become global pests that followed humans just about everywhere.
With the rise of modern heating and pesticides like Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) after World War II, bedbugs nearly vanished in more developed countries. People thought these blood-suckers were gone for good! But not so fast.
In recent decades, a perfect storm brought them back: more travel and tourism, bans on effective older pesticides, and new pesticide resistance. They have unfortunately made a major comeback in homes, hotels, offices, and public places in the past 20 years.
There is a lot to be said and learned about bedbugs. Unfortunately, some information about these tiny creatures is not at all accurate. Here are some of the common myths about bed bugs and the truth behind each one.
Adult Bed Bug
While still gross and annoying, bed bugs are no match for modern science. There are proven ways to get bed bug infestations under control and keep them from coming back. Here’s the scoop:
With constant vigilance and the right tools, you can stay bed bug-free and sleep easy! No more nighttime bed bug bites.
And there you have it—the centuries-long saga behind the bed bug’s name and where it came from. These hitchhiking blood-suckers have thrived in people’s beds since ancient times. Don’t let them take over your mattress!
If you want to defend your space against bed bugs, be sure to check out our bed bug treatment and our DIY bed bug products and methods. Our solutions can help you protect your home and finally gain victory over these pesky vampires of the insect world. Don’t live in fear of bedbugs—fight back! Contact us today to learn more.
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