+ What is the lifespan and what does it hate?

The latest research says that bedbugs inhabited our planet more than 100 million years ago.

As reported in the journal Current Biology, their evolution is far more complex than scientists had suspected.

The first ancestor of today's bedbugs is thought to be Cimicidae, which appeared on Earth about 115 million years ago.

However, these mathematical facts open the door to further questions.
Did prehistoric bedbugs suck blood as they do today?
If so, who was their host? The original one - the bat (Lat. Chiroptera) - appeared 30 million years after them.
Before biting into humans, did they suck birds or dinosaurs?

Interesting:
The Roman philosopher Pliny believed in the healing power of bedbugs. He even wrote about it in his work Naturalis historia.
The belief in the positive effects of bedbugs on the human body (treatment of ear infections, hysteria) persisted from the time of Aristotle until almost the 18th century.

The more modern the era, the more agriculture flourished, the more bedbug infestation of dwellings occurred.

The first natural pesticide used against these insects was diatomaceous earth. Diatomaceous earth is a loose rock from freshwater deposits. It is considered a high quality and pure rock (still used today to detoxify the body).

Bean leaves were used to trap bedbugs from infested houses and premises. Their hairy surface trapped the bedbug, but also other insects.

Bed bugs became more talked about in the 1970s, when there was a sharp increase in bedbugs. People could even see the first advertisements introducing the then unique means of exterminating cockroaches and bedbugs. This high increase is attributed to electric heating, which provided year-round comfort for bedbugs in addition to comfort for humans.

The sharp decline in bedbug infestations occurred in the early 20th century. This was due to a highly effective insecticide called DDT, which nearly wiped out bedbugs.

DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) has been banned for some time, and bedbugs still breed uncontrollably today.

What are bedbugs?

A bedbug is a nuisance insect that you can encounter anywhere, even in your own home. It is the most well-known parasite (ectoparasite) of humans.

In the past, they mainly inhabited the homes of poor people.

Generally, their prevalence is higher in old, dirty homes or in old objects.

However, modernisation has brought with it the fact that these little critters are spread all over the world, especially in areas populated by humans.

Even the cleaner ones can bring them home, for example from a holiday or staying in an already bedbug-infested environment. Sometimes they move in from a neighbouring dwelling.

Where do bedbugs hide everywhere?

Bed bugs can be anywhere really.

In addition to homes, bedbugs have conquered tourist sites, hotels, lodges, hospitals, boarding facilities, cruise ships, ports and, surprisingly, airplanes.

They also survive in barns, chicken coops, pigeon coops and, sporadically, in swallows' and sparrows' nests. They take up residence in caves, where they have a regular supply of food in the form of bat blood.

During the day, they hide in small crevices (mattress seams, cracks in walls, space behind tiles, space behind wallpaper, electrical plugs, garnishes, carpets). In the dark, they crawl out and temporarily parasitise other warm-blooded vertebrates, including humans.

Their biggest paradise is sofas and mattresses. They only leave their territory during feeding time and return to it again.

Interesting:
Bed bugs can sometimes be found after a thorough search of the house and furniture.
They usually hide near their host (bed, sofa, couch).
They leave behind reddish stains and droppings.
They can be tracked with the help of trained dogs, based on their characteristic smell of rotting raspberries.

How do they spread to the surrounding area?

You can wash and disinfect every corner of the house, yet they can still get to you. While hygiene is important, caution is also not to be underestimated!

Bed bugs are "lazy", and only move by slow crawling, usually over short distances. They can't jump, fly or swim, yet infestations tend to happen quite quickly.

There has even been a recent global spread after a brief hiatus in the 1990s.

How is this possible?

Simple, we help them transport themselves over longer distances.

The most common ways of introducing bed bugs into the home:

• Accidental introduction of bed bugs or their eggs from an infested area on clothing.
• accidental introduction of bedbugs or their eggs from the infested area in luggage
• accidental introduction of bedbugs or their eggs from the infested area on objects (souvenirs, furniture, clothing)
• movement of bedbugs into houses close to another infested dwelling (neighbourhood, multi-family buildings, hostels, dormitories)
• moving bedbugs into houses near wild animals on which bedbugs parasitise (birds, bats, poultry)

Is it true that we can unknowingly attract bedbugs?

Several scientists have addressed the question of whether humans can attract bedbugs.
The answer to this question is yes, because bedbugs are not only attracted to human odours.

• They distinguish over 100 compounds produced by the skin
• They feel comfortable in an environment where there is more carbon dioxide - the very carbon dioxide we exhale during sleep.
• Another plus for bedbugs is darkness, humidity and warmth.

You might be interested to know:
Dr William Henley and his colleagues did a simple test to see if bedbugs are attracted to dirty clothes.
They put two baskets of laundry in a room, one clean, one dirty. They placed a container full of bedbugs equidistant between the baskets.
The experiment lasted 96 hours. At the end of the experiment, there were up to twice as many bedbugs in the dirty laundry basket.

What do bedbugs look like?

Bed bugs are about 5 to 9 mm in size, rounded in shape and light brown to brick brown in colour.

Interesting:
The body of the house bug changes colour according to its state of saturation.
Before feeding, it is brown in colour. After feeding, it turns red, and is "swollen".

They have broadly flattened, segmented, egg-shaped abdomens with hairs visible only under a microscope.

The flat body of the bed bug harbours dwarf forewings (hemelytra) in its upper part, which are more broad than long. The hindwings are completely absent, so the bed bug can be considered a wingless insect incapable of flight.

In the front are beak-shaped mouthparts that allow them to suck blood.

You may be interested in:
The house bug is an extremely interesting species from a genetic point of view.
It has several non-standard cytogenetic phenomena in its chromosomes.
Its chromosomes are characterized by a holokinetic and highly modified structure, with unusual divergence during cell division.
It also has different numbers and unique variants of sex chromosomes.
These variations can be observed in other insects, but not at the same time.

The life cycle and lifespan of the house bug

The life cycle of the bed bug lasts roughly a few months.

During their lifetime, females are able to lay between 2 and 10 eggs per day.
Bed bug eggs are white to yellow in colour.
They are vase-shaped and less than 1 mm in diameter.
They are usually found on rougher surfaces, coated with transparent cement, which ensures that they adhere better to the surface.

Under ideal conditions, after about one to two weeks, pale coloured nymphs begin to hatch and need to be fed within three days or they will die.

The nymphs give rise to immature larvae which go through five life stages. During each stage they require feeding (blood meal) at least once a week. It takes them an average of 10 weeks to reach maturity with regular feeding.

When the last stage is completed, they become adult bed bugs.

What is the lifespan of a bedbug without a host?

The adult bedbug is extremely resilient. It can survive without feeding for almost a year!

How many species of bedbugs do we know?

We know of up to 75 species of bedbugs (Heteroptera). They are a wide variety of insects, but not all of them bother us.
We classify bedbugs that suck human blood as parasitic bedbugs, genus Cimex.

1. Of greatest importance to humans is the domestic bedbug (Cimex lectularis), which is found in temperate climates worldwide. Human dwellings have ideal conditions for this species of bedbug.
2. The tropical bedbug (Cimex hemipterus), which usually parasitises birds and bats, can also bother us. However, if it hits, it does not despise human blood.
3. If you are planning an exotic holiday, you should also start looking for the African bedbug (Leptocimex boueti). It is found mainly in the tropics of West Africa, but also in South America. Its speciality is bats, but also humans.

Table with the basic representatives of bedbugs

How do I know if it's a bedbug?

Have you woken up to find several reddened bedbugs on your body?

It doesn't always have to be a mosquito!

Read also the articles in the magazine:
Mosquito bites: What do they choose victims by and how can you protect yourself?
Insect bites: Can they be fatal? What is the first aid?

Bedbug bites most often occur in the morning because these insects are active at night.

Typically, there are 2 to 4 stings in close proximity (one line).

Specific signs of bedbug bites:

• a flat, slightly raised reddened area.
• reaches about 1 to 3 mm in diameter
• irregular in shape
• central bleeding wound
• painless at the outset
• pain and itching appear later

In more sensitive people it may appear:

• swelling
• hives
• rash
• blistering
• vesicles
• nodules
• fever
• fatigue
• other skin manifestations
• other allergic manifestations

Other manifestations related to the infestation:

• anxiety states
• fear
• sleep disturbances (insomnia)
• fatigue, exhaustion
• panic
• delusional parasitosis (obsession with bedbugs)

Can a bug bite be dangerous? What can it cause?

A bug bite is not generally considered dangerous. It causes discomfort such as pain or itching that goes away with the bite.

More serious allergic reactions in sensitive patients, and sporadically anaphylactic reactions, have been reported.

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Despite the fact that bedbugs can be infected with at least 28 other human pathogens, transmission to humans has not yet been confirmed, except for arboviruses.
There is evidence of transmission of arboviruses from bedbugs to humans.

Bacterial infection of the skin is more common. However, this is not primarily caused by a bug bite but by secondary introduction of infection into the skin through scratching and scratch wounds.

How to get rid of a bedbug bite and its complications as quickly as possible?

Bedbug scratch is a little more resistant and persists for several weeks in more susceptible individuals.

Later on, the stung area becomes painful until it becomes unbearably itchy.

Alcohol, vinegar, mentholated spirit or eucalyptus essential oil are recommended to be rubbed on the bites.
Among ointments, those with a cooling effect or those containing aluminium acetate are suitable.

For allergic manifestations, products containing hydrocortisone or antihistamines are used.

A scratched cut, secondarily infected with a bacterial agent, is rubbed with an antibiotic ointment.

Professional bedbug extermination is essential!

The house bug is an extremely resistant insect.

No wonder. The ancestor of the bedbug has survived even the era of such gigantic creatures as dinosaurs. For millions of years, it has adapted flexibly to all other changes in living conditions.

The bedbug is resistant to most chemicals. Even if you manage to eradicate the adults from some of them, the larvae survive, mature and lay more eggs. It can be 200 to 500 eggs per female per year.

For this reason, it is really naive to think that using commercially available products recommended in stores and on the internet will get rid of bed bugs more effectively and cheaper.

Chemical sprays in the fight against bedbugs

When you really want to get rid of bed bugs, you need to contact professional exterminators, preferably from a certified company.
A professional will cost you more money than a drugstore bought insecticide, but this money guarantees you a guarantee.
You should also take into account that exterminating them is not a one-time affair. It should be repeated 2 to 3 times within about a month from the first spraying.

Professionals use chemical means - insecticides with a long-lasting effect, which are highly effective against bed bugs and do not harm human health. Some companies use sprays in combination with steam, but for the most part they already use smoke.

Not only the choice of a quality spray (pyrethroids, dichlorvos, malathion) is of great importance, but also the method of application. Before the actual disinsection, an inspection of the infested premises is essential.

Subsequent spraying should be targeted, aiming at the hiding places of bed bugs even in the smallest crevices.

Preventive measures against infestation

You often ask about what bedbugs hate and what repels them.
Preventive measures against infestation, for example, can be helpful.

Bedbug infestations cannot be completely avoided.

If you bring one back from holiday as a souvenir, for example, be aware that it will become domesticated surprisingly quickly. It will become a lawless resident.

Basic precautions:

1. Regular and thorough household cleaning
2. disinfecting the house and premises several times a month
3. adherence to hygiene standards
4. use of multi-star hotels based on good reviews
5. outside the home, it is advisable to place the suitcase on an elevated place, clothes on hangers (never on the floor)
6. precautionary checking of purchased items and souvenirs, especially old ones (antiques, bazaars, sales)
7. checking luggage at the end of the trip, before unpacking
8. storing suitcases and travel bags outside the living area of the house (in the garage, in the cellar)
9. washing clothes thoroughly after returning home up to 90° (bedbugs die at temperatures above 50 °C, eggs and larvae at temperatures above 82 °C)
10. discard clothing or items infested with bedbugs
11. if your favourite clothes are infested with bedbugs, you can put them in a sealed bag and put them in the freezer, then wash them at high temperatures