KEY POINTS:
No one knows for certain what caused the resurgence of bed bugs in the US. Contributing factors may include:
• Bed bugs were a common problem in the USA during WWII
• Worldwide increase in bed bug activity
• More frequent introductions during international travel
• Changes in pest management practices & resistance to pesticides
• Lack of public awareness is perpetuating the continued dispersal of bed bugs
Bed bugs were a common problem in the United States up throuhg the World War II era. Around this time, they were virtually eradicated from the US with the wide scale usage of pesticides, such as DDT and Malathion. During the late 1990's bed bugs began to re-emerge as a pest in the United States, Canada, Australia, the UK, along with a number of other countries. Their secretive behavior, coupled with a lack of public awareness, has enabled this insect to move very efficiently from one dwelling to another an dhas facilitated their rapid dispersal.
While no one can say for certain what caused the resurgence of bed bugs in the United States, there are a number of factors that have probably influenced the emergence of this difficult pest. Bed bugs have increased on a world-wide basis over the past decade. With increased international bed bug activity, it is likely that the frequency that these insects are encountered during travel has also increased and as a result they are being introduced into the US much more frequently than in the past. Most of the early introductions did in fact appear to be associated with travel as many of the infestations were associated with hotel guest rooms in the late 1990’s.
Changes in pest management practices and the development of resistance to modern day pesticides may have been the catalyst that enabled bed bugs to survive and go on to develop infestations which may have not been able to establish in years past. In the past, hotel guest rooms were typically treated on a regular basis with residual pesticides. During the mid 1990's there was a dramatic shift in pest management practices. Routinely scheduled treatments of baseboards in hotels, motels and apartments were replaced with very targeted applications of baits for pests such as cockroaches. The implications of this are that when baseboards were being treated regularly, a few bed bugs that may have been introduced by the international traveler were likely to contact pesticide as they left the luggage and traveled to the bed. Today, with the absence of these pesticides, as these same bugs are introduced from abroad, they are able to travel freely and safely from the luggage to the bed and successfully begin an infestation. It is very likely that this factor has played a role in the bed bug's ability to become re-established in the United States.
One thing that is certain is that bed bugs are excellent hitch hikers and once they are introduced into an environment they are able to readily spread from infested locations to new locations that were previously un-infested. All one needs to do is to spend a night in a bed bug infested environment and there is chance that they will take at least one bug with them to their next destination. Now that bed bugs are well situated in the country they are not only being introduced from foreign countries but are disseminating at a rapid rate within our country from well established populations. Dispersal mechanisms within the country include the purchase of rental furniture, used/second hand furniture, reconditioned mattresses and infested delivery vehicles just to name a few. Because bed bugs have the ability to survive for many months without a blood meal they are able to hide in the cracks of furniture for long periods of time until someone comes along and purchases it for their home.
But perhaps the most significant factor that has enabled bed bugs to spread throughout the US at an exponential rate is the lack of public awareness. Many people simply don't believe or realize that bed bugs truly exist. As a result people do not think twice before picking up discarded furniture that is infested with bed bugs and bringing them into their home. Once the bugs are introduced into the new structure, their secretive and cryptic lifestyle renders them undetected for several months or more in many cases. Often it is not until the infestation becomes overpopulated that a live bug is actually seen. So very often the bites are occurring, but the individual has no idea what is causing them. Eventually many of the affected individuals will seek medical attention, but the connection between the bites and the bugs is not always made by the medical professional. In many cases bed bug bites are mistaken for scabies, chicken pox, dermatological reactions, etc. Medical professionals in major metropolitan areas are becoming more aware of this issue and there are fewer misdiagnoses. However the further away you get from areas where bed bugs are very prevalent, the more common misdiagnoses are. All of these factors enable bed bugs to increase in number for weeks or months before being detected. As a result the bed bug population is able to become well established and is enabled to hitch hike a ride with hotel guests, spread to adjoining rooms or apartments.
