Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite!

random3434 · May 16, 2009

When you go to bed tonight!

Boom in tiny bedbugs is causing big trouble

waltky · Apr 10, 2013

Natural way to fight bedbugs...

Leaf-like material 'traps bedbugs', say researchers
9 April 2013 - A material designed to mimic the hooked hairs found on leaves could help trap and control bedbugs, the Journal of the Royal Society Interface reports.

The US scientists were inspired by a traditional Balkan remedy that used kidney-bean leaves to combat the pest. Infestations have increased worldwide, partly due to pesticide resistance. An ensnaring solution could sidestep this. Sceptics ask if enough insects could be trapped to control numbers but suggest it may help monitor populations.

'Hard act to follow'

Catherine Loudon, an entomologist and lead author of the paper said: "Plants exhibit extraordinary abilities to entrap insects. Modern scientific techniques let us fabricate materials at a microscopic level, with the potential to 'not let the bedbugs bite' without pesticides." The researchers were inspired by an age-old remedy formerly used in Bulgaria and Serbia where kidney-bean leaves were strewn on the floor next to beds to trap the bugs. The greenery was burned the next day. Bedbugs have no evolutionary link with bean plants - although the general idea that plants have developed to trap insects like aphids and spider mites is known.

Scientist footage: a bedbug gets trapped in the hairs of a kidney bean leaf, and only momentarily caught on the synthetic material which attempts to mimic it

Using scanning electron microscopy and videography, the team studied the capture mechanism of the leaves. They found that rather than a Velcro-like mechanism that would only hold the bug momentarily, the leaves impaled the bedbugs' feet. The scientists carefully studied the microscopic hairs on the kidney-bean leaves, looking at their geometry, orientation, sharpness of tips, density and height. They used this as a template to develop a synthetic material. They found this was able to catch the bedbugs temporarily, but it did not stop them as effectively as the real thing.

Michael Potter, an entomologist from the University of Kentucky who collaborated on the research said: "Nature is a hard act to follow, but the benefits could be enormous. Imagine if every bedbug inadvertently brought into a dwelling was captured before it had a chance to bite and multiply."

'Questionable effectiveness'
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freedombecki · Apr 11, 2013

Riddance! Bean leaves, too. Gotta go get some seed and grow some!

waltky · Oct 20, 2017

Bedbugs infest British airplanes...

British Airways flight faces bed bug infestation
20 Oct.`17 - After a Canadian family complained of suffering bed bug bites, British Airways apologized to the family.

According to reports, the family was covered with bites while they were on a transatlantic flight between Vancouver and London and even pointed out the insects to the attendants on the flight. Heather Szilagyi, her seven-year-old daughter, Molly, and her fiance, Eric Neilson, were covered with painful insect bites while travelling from Canada to Slovakia. Apologizing to the family, British Airways upgraded their return flights to business class.

In a statement, Szilagyi said she had first noticed the bed bugs on the seat in front of her, then spotted another crawling out from behind a TV monitor. Speaking to the Canadian broadcaster CTV, she said, “I wanted to grab it but they’re quick and it crawled back inside, behind the screen.” Szilagyi further added that she alerted a flight attendant but was told the flight was full and nothing could be done.

She explained, “It was nine hours of knowing that I was probably going to get bit, but not being sure. But there wasn’t really anything I could do about it. I was surprised I was able to relax – but what can you do? Me and my daughter are both really sensitive to insect bites, so she was just covered all over. I’ve still got a really infected one. We were not asking for a refund. All we were asking for was a flight on a different plane, to make sure it was a different plane, to make sure that the plane that was infested with bed bugs was taken care of.”

In a statement, a British Airways spokesperson said, “We have been in touch with our customer to apologise and investigate further. British Airways operates more than 280,000 flights every year and reports of bed bugs onboard are extremely rare. Nevertheless, we are vigilant and continually monitor our aircraft.”

British Airways flight faces bed bug infestation
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waltky Wise ol' monkey Supporting Member

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