Bedbugs News and Research

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Bedbugs are small insects without wings. They are a type of nocturnal parasites, as they rest during the day and feast at night, although they may also bite during the day occasionally. Bed bugs usually live in bedding or mattresses and feed on the blood of humans. Their mouth has evolved in such a way that allows bed bugs to easily pierce skin without causing pain to humans.

Smell produced by young bed bugs repels other bed bugs

Bed bugs are an increasingly common pest that necessitates extensive decontamination of homes. However, researchers from Lund and Sundsvall in Sweden have now discovered that young bed bugs produce a smell that repels other bed bugs. It is hoped that these findings could contribute to more effective control of the blood-sucking insects.

1 Apr 2011

Ohio officials seek federal permission for use of propoxur to halt bedbug infestations

Mom's comforting tuck-them-in-words - "Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite"- is becoming an impossible dream for millions of people as the world experiences a resurgence of an ancient scourge that is fostering human misery, financial burdens and the risk of exposure to potentially toxic materials. That's the message from the cover story of the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS' weekly newsmagazine.

10 Mar 2011

Transgenic fungal approach can fight against malaria and bug-borne diseases

New findings by a University of Maryland-led team of scientists indicate that a genetically engineered fungus carrying genes for a human anti-malarial antibody or a scorpion anti-malarial toxin could be a highly effective, specific and environmentally friendly tool for combating malaria, at a time when the effectiveness of current pesticides against malaria mosquitoes is declining.

24 Feb 2011

Americans taking bed bug resurgence seriously

One out of five Americans has had a bed bug infestation in their home or knows someone who has encountered bed bugs at home or in a hotel according to a new survey released by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).

12 Jan 2011

WebMD Health announces 2010 Year in Health

WebMD Health Corp., the leading source of health information, today announced its 2010 Year in Health, which represents the health stories, searches, questions and trends that WebMD's audience of more than 83 million monthly visitors sought from the company's websites, mobile applications and communities during the year.

6 Dec 2010

Tips to maintain an upperhand on bedbugs

Think twice before combing the alleyways and resale stores for a bargain - one man's trash may be more than a treasure, as several Chicagoans recently discovered.

20 Nov 2010

Apps Genius launches Bed Bug Alert app for Apple iPhones

With bedbug infestations on the rise, Apps Genius the developer and publisher of social games and software applications, recently launched the Bed Bug Alert app for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch. The Bed Bug Alert app is currently available for $1.99 from the Apple Store.

3 Nov 2010

CKI to distribute Allergy Technologies' ActiveGuard mattress liners

Cadence Keen Innovations (CKI) has recently announced that it will be the exclusive distributor of Allergy Technologies' ActiveGuard Mattress Liners, which kill bed bugs within 72 hours, to the cruise industry and other CKI-supported hospitality facilities.

21 Oct 2010

58% of scientists believe in surge of bedbug infestations: Survey

58% of scientists responding to a survey by Principal Investigators Association believe in a surge of bedbug infestations.

18 Oct 2010

NPMA releases results of 2010 Comprehensive Global Bed Bug Study

A new survey conducted by the National Pest Management Association and the University of Kentucky, confirms what pest management professionals across the U.S. and around the world have been seeing in the field - bed bugs are back in a very big way, with 95 percent of U.S. survey respondents indicating that their company has encountered a bed bug infestation in the past year. Prior to 2000, only 25 percent of U.S. survey respondents encountered a bed bug infestation.

27 Jul 2010

Scientists report first preliminary description of bed bug's sialome

With bed bugs reemerging as a nuisance in some parts of the country, scientists are reporting the first preliminary description of the bug's sialome - the saliva proteins that are the secret to Cimex lectularius' ability to suck blood from its human victims and escape to bite again with risking a lethal slap. The findings, which could have medical applications in diagnosing bed bug bites and preventing the itch, appear in ACS' monthly Journal of Proteome Research.

25 Jun 2010

Mislabeled high fire risk kids nightwear recalled by Big W

Big W stores in Australia have apologized after selling inflammable children’s night wear labeled as “low fire danger”. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) deputy chair Peter Kell said in a statement, "The ACCC enforces a mandatory standard for the labelling of children's nightwear,” "It is designed to reduce the risk of burns injuries to children by providing specific information on the fire hazard," he said. "There is considerable research which shows that clear labelling helps minimise the risk of these injuries, which is why the ACCC regularly monitors compliance."

1 Apr 2010

Dermatologist addresses common parasitic infestations and latest treatment options at Academy Annual Meeting

If simply the thought of bedbugs, scabies and head lice makes you feel a little itchy, imagine how those affected by these common infestations feel when they learn what has been creeping around them and causing symptoms such as intense itching, red bite marks or irritated scalps.

5 Mar 2010

Bed bugs are back in America

They're BAA-AACK! Thirty years after bed bugs were believed to be exterminated nationwide, the teeny, insidious bloodsuckers--which feast on sleeping humans--are making a comeback of epidemic proportions.

11 Sep 2009

Researchers examine medical effects of bed bugs and control and eradication strategies

A review of previously published articles indicates there is little evidence supporting an effective treatment of bites from bed bugs, that these insects do not appear to transmit disease, and control and eradication of bed bugs is challenging, according to an article in the April 1 issue of JAMA .

1 Apr 2009

Hazardous conditions found in home healthcare may put frail and seniors at risk

A large-scale study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health has identified the type and frequency of hazardous conditions found in the home healthcare (HHC) setting.

4 Mar 2009

Long-term pesticide exposure may increase diabetes risk

Licensed pesticide applicators who used chlorinated pesticides on more than 100 days in their lifetime were at greater risk of diabetes, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The associations between specific pesticides and incident diabetes ranged from a 20 percent to a 200 percent increase in risk, said the scientists with the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

4 Jun 2008

Invertebrate immune systems are anything but simple

A hundred years since Russian microbiologist Elie Metschnikow first discovered the invertebrate immune system, scientists are only just beginning to understand its complexity.

23 Jun 2007