Why is it so hard to get rid of bed bugs? - Gale E. Ridge

In 1834, the British Royal Navy ship, the Chanticleer, was dealing with a terrible cockroach infestation.

The ship's surgeon, however, wrote enthusiastically about the stowaways, describing them as a “most valuable insect.” Their shining characteristic?

Devouring every bedbug on board. Bedbugs have tormented humans for millennia, so detested that their mere mention can make hearts race and arms itch.

So why are these unwelcomed houseguests so difficult to defeat?

There are approximately 100 species of bedbugs.

Thankfully, only three feed on humans, all of which are chestnut brown, half a centimeter long, and incredibly flat— as long as they haven’t eaten recently.

To find their next blood meal, bedbugs follow the biological signals our bodies release, such as carbon dioxide, odor, and body heat.

Once located, they use their straw-like mouthparts to inject a cocktail of proteins that dilate blood vessels for easier feeding, along with an anesthetic to block any pain that might give them away.