Despite their small size, bed bugs are probably the most terrifying thing humans can realistically encounter in their homes. But what do these blood-sucking demons fear most? According to recent research, the answer is clearly water.
Scientists at the University of California, Riverside tracked how bed bugs behave around water. The insects avoided wet surfaces as much as possible, but young insects were found to be more agile. The team’s research not only sheds light on one of humanity’s most chilling parasites, but could also help improve pest control efforts.
“These findings indicate that wet surfaces are inherently aversive to bed bugs, a factor that must be considered in the development and application of liquid-based control tactics to prevent bed bugs from avoiding newly treated surfaces,” the researchers wrote in their paper. published It was published in the Journal of Ethology in December of this year.
accidental discovery
Like many things in science, this discovery was made purely by chance.
Entomologist Dong-Hwan Choe was preparing to feed the bed bugs he kept in his lab when he noticed that the feeder was starting to leak blood into one of the colony vials where the bed bugs were kept. To my surprise, the insects in the vial moved away from the wet blood.
“The leaked blood was slowly wetting the paper from the top of the vial. I thought the bed bugs would happily drink the blood on the paper,” Choi said in a written statement. statement From university. “But what I saw was completely different. They were actively avoiding the areas of paper that were wet with blood. They weren’t even trying to walk near the wet areas.”
Curious, Choe and his team soaked the paper in water and found exactly the same pattern. They then conducted an even larger experiment, meticulously documenting how bed bugs young and old moved in the presence of surfaces with and without water.
The researchers found that, overall, bed bugs consistently spent much less time on wet surfaces as opposed to dry ones. Almost 90% of the time, the bug moved away from the wet surface just before it touched the water. However, young bed bugs (nymphs) were about 60% faster to turn away from water than older insects, suggesting that they have a particularly strong aversion to water.
This appears to be the first documented report that bed bugs are afraid of water, but intuitively it makes sense, the researchers say. These insects are incredibly flat, and the strong adhesion of water can block the spiracles, or external openings in their abdomens that allow them to breathe (their version of lungs). In other words, even a small amount of water can easily drown you.
What does this mean for bed bug control?
Bed bugs were nearly eradicated in the mid-20th century, but have made a strong comeback in recent decades. Bed bug populations may have stabilized in recent years, but they remain a persistent indoor pest. Therefore, it is clearly important to find the most effective way to permanently eradicate these insects from your home.
Other studies show that bed bugs have evolved wide range of resistance It covers even the most commonly used pesticides, highlighting the need for more comprehensive pest management that goes beyond relying solely on chemicals. These findings further indicate that exterminators need to be especially careful in how they use liquid-based control methods, the researchers said.
“If the insecticide doesn’t kill bed bugs right away, they will leave the treated area and spread to other areas,” Choi said.
After all, it’s comforting to know that real-life nightmares have their own horrors to worry about.
