By Mary Frost
Brooklyn Daily Eagle

BROOKLYN -- As reported in the Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn complaints to the city about bedbugs have surged more than 1,900 percent since 2004.

“Now, I notice mattresses stacked up everywhere on the sidewalk,� one reader commented. “It’s one of those rare stories that really changes the way you walk down the street.�

While everywhere Brooklynites are whispering about the drastic increase in bed bugs, their reappearance reflects a return to a connection between man and bedbug that has existed since the dawn of human existence.

Like rats and taxes, the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) has been our boon companion throughout history. From feeding first on cave bats, it’s likely that the small, bloodsucking arthropods evolved to prefer the blood of human cave dwellers. From there, they hid in our clothing and tools as we brought them into tents and houses – and nowadays into condos, hotel rooms, cruise ships, mass transit and college dorms. The school system reports that children are bringing bedbugs home with them from the classroom.

The Original Bug

The word “bug� itself first meant bedbug, according to Richard Fagurlund, the “Bugman� of the San Francisco Chronicle. It is from an old Welsh word, bwg (pronounced boog), which means evil spirit or hobgoblin.

Sailing ships in days of old were notoriously infested with bed bugs. During the early 20th century, “Bed bugs were rated among the top three pests in and around structures. Surveys showed that as many as a third of all residences were infested in some cities,� according to Techletter.com.

Flash forward to the modern era. The widespread use of powerful pesticides after World War II created – for the first time in human history – a generation of bedbug-free humans. (They also nearly wiped out the bald eagle and massive numbers of fish, but that’s another story.)

By the 1950s, bedbugs were so scarce American scientists had a hard time finding live samples for laboratory work. Exterminators stopped getting calls about the bugs, and doctors forgot what bedbug bites looked like.

The saying, “Sleep tight; don’t let the bedbugs bite� faded into a cute nighttime lullaby.

They’re Back, Stronger Than Ever

Now bedbugs are back – with a vengeance.

Richard Cooper, one of the top bed bug experts in the U.S. and the co-author of “The Bed Bug Handbook: The Complete Guide to Bed Bugs and Their Control� told the Brooklyn Eagle Tuesday that bed bugs “aren’t just a Brooklyn problem – this is a national, worldwide problem.�

Our lack of knowledge about the bugs is coming back to bite us, Cooper says.

“The lack of public awareness has enabled bed bugs to spread exponentially. The vast majority of Americans don’t even know that bed bugs are a real insect – they think their bites are mosquito bites or poison ivy. The last thing that crosses their mind is bed bugs.�

A global resurgence preceded the U.S. resurgence, he said. “More bed bugs were introduced more frequently, allowing bedbugs to become more established in the U.S.�

While nobody knows absolutely what is behind the resurgence, Cooper says that it probably has to do with resistance to pesticides. Internationally, “chemicals that once worked to manage bed bugs are no longer working at all.�

Dealing with resistant bedbugs takes a multidisciplinary approach, Cooper said. “Silica dust and diatomaceous earth work by dehydrating the insect – they’re not toxins, so there’s no resistance.� He also recommends the use of steam and freezing devices and mattress encasements, which he uses in his own home “proactively.� As VP of BedBugCentral.com, Cooper provides a wealth of resources – for free – online.

A Bleak Future?

Without intervention at the federal level, Cooper predicts that some segments of society will see bedbug infestations rise dramatically. While the wealthy will have the resources to deal with the problem, bedbugs will evolve into a lower-class problem. “The past two or three years we’ve seen the number in the lower economic sectors rise dramatically.

“We’ll also see major instances in senior centers and in senior living residences. We’re dealing with people whose eyesight is not good and who may already have rashes. If we don’t have proactive and educational programs, the bugs have the opportunity to spread.�

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