Daily Archives: January 1, 2015

If you're dealing with a bedbug infestation but you don't want to bomb your home with nasty chemicals (that might not work anyway), you've got a new option. Researchers from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada, have discovered a new, safe weapon against bedbugs that is a total game changer: A bedbug trap based on pheromones.

"This trap will help landlords, tenants, and pest-control professionals determine whether premises have a bedbug problem, so that they can treat it quickly," says Gerhard Gries, PhD, study author and professor of Animal Communication Ecology at Simon Fraser University. "It will also be useful for monitoring the treatment's effectiveness."

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What's astonishing is the researchers' dedication to the cause. Gerhard's wife and fellow researcher, Regine Gries, MSc, used her own arms every week for five years to feed over a thousand bedbugs so that they could continue their research. Regine was the host because she is surprisingly immune to the bites and only suffers from a slight rash rather than the insane itching and swelling that most people face.

(This writer personally had an encounter with bed bugs. Let's just say the bedbugs won.)

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Bedbug infestation is a serious concern, as these nasty biters are found everywhere including low-income housing, five-star hotels, movie theaters, libraries, and public transportation.

The researchers are currently working with Contech Enterprises Inc. to develop effective and affordable traps and infestation monitoring kits to be commercially available by next year. Contech is a Canada-based company that makes environmentally-friendly garden and agriculture products, such as insect lures and nontoxic animal repellants.

While the researchers develop a home product, Regine will continue to be buffet for the crawlers. "I'm not too thrilled about this," admits Regine, "but knowing how much this technology will benefit so many people, it's all worth it.

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kill bed bugs - The New Way to Kill Bedbugs | Rodale News