Unrelenting Spread of Bed Bugs Across the Human World
Pesky Partners: A Historical Perspective on Bedbugs' Rise among Humans
According to a study published in the journal "Biology Letters", bedbugs might have been the first creatures to thrive in urban life. The study suggests that the expansion of these parasites correlates with the growth of human populations and the development of larger settlements.
The research indicates that bedbugs could have been amongst the first inhabitants of early cities. As the human population grew and began living in larger settlements, the population of bedbugs is believed to have exploded, with other closely related species such as the German cockroach and house rat appearing later.
Tracing their origins, bedbugs were previously known to be parasites of bats. However, it is believed that they switched hosts around 245,000 years ago, also to include Hominini. Two distinct genetic lines emerged: one associated with bats, predominant in Europe and the Near East, and one associated with humans, now widespread worldwide.
Transitioning to humans as a host proved advantageous for bedbugs. As humans became increasingly sedentary, and especially as they settled in cities, they presented a paradise for parasites, the study's team led by Lindsay Miles and Warren Booth from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg suggested.
The burgeoning human population, growing from approximately five million at the beginning of civilization to over eight billion today, provided the ideal ground for bedbugs' proliferation. The oldest known large settlement, Çatalhöyük in the Anatolian region of Turkey, dates back to around 9,400 years, accommodating between 800 and 8,000 people.
Around 13,000 years ago, as more substantial settlements emerged, there was a sharp increase in the number of bedbugs associated with humans, while the population of the bat-associated line did not exhibit a similar trend and even declined following the last ice age around 20,000 years ago.
This temporal pattern provides compelling evidence that the history of bedbugs is intrinsically linked to that of modern humans and their urbanization. Bedbugs may have been the first true urban parasites.
The use of insecticide DDT once seemed to eradicate the human-associated line in the 20th century, only for DDT-resistant populations to reappear within five years. Today, bedbugs continue to pose a significant economic and health problem.
In a twist of events, France experienced a full-blown hysteria regarding bedbugs in 2023, with numerous reports of alleged or actual sightings in homes, cinemas, and various establishments, often accompanied by photographs. While it's true that bedbugs have been spreading in the country, according to government figures, the sudden social media frenzy appears to have been significantly instigated by Russian involvement, as French politicians have alleged.
A single female bedbug can cause an outbreak within just ten weeks, laying one to twelve eggs per day, cultivating the conditions for exponential population growth. These parasites target animals with a regular resting place, such as beds, and are attracted to heat, CO2, and body odor. Although they do not transmit diseases, scratched bites can become infected.
(References: ntv.de, Annett Stein, dpa)
- Studies: The transition from being primarily bat parasites to widespread human parasites became especially significant with the development of permanent human settlements and urbanization, facilitated by overlapping bat and early human habitats. Urbanization then provided bedbugs with an environment where their populations could grow exponentially, making them one of humanity’s earliest and most persistent pests.
- As urban life flourished and human settlements expanded, education on health-and-wellness, including hygiene practices, became increasingly important to curb the spread of parasites like bedbugs, which were thriving in these conditions.
- The correlation between the rise of bedbugs and the growth of human populations was further highlighted in studies, where it was observed that the expansion of scientific knowledge led to the development of more effective pest control methods, such as the use of DDT, which initially seemed to eradicate the human-associated bedbug line, but later proved to be temporary due to the emergence of DDT-resistant populations.
