Monthly Archives: January 2015

Courtesy: Simon Fraiser University

Courtesy: Simon Fraiser University

VANCOUVER, British Columbia A Canadian biologist sacrificed her skin and comfort for five years, inviting bedbugs to feed on her day after day; all in the name of science and discovery.

Now, Regine Gries says it has paid off.

The Simon Fraser University researcher began the project to find a bedbug repellant eight years ago. Her husband, Gerhard, is also a researcher and her lab partner and SFU chemist Robert Britton also led the project.

Regine endured 180,000 bedbug bites during their research. A lot of her blood was needed to feed the bedbug colony and to make their research successful.

When the bedbugs bit Gerhard he suffered a more serious reaction, while Regine suffered only a rash. So, she was chosen as the meal for the blood-sucking insects.

During their research, Gerhard and Regine and their team of university students learned that bedbugs communicate with odors. CNN reports one odor may be used like a dinner bell, to announcefresh meat, when another odor could indicate danger.

The researchers are now working with Contech Enterprises, Inc. out of Victoria, Canada, to re-create some of the odors so they can be used to bait and trap the bedbugs.

They expect the product to be available sometime in 2015.

Read the original here:
Thousands of bed bugs feast on woman for five years

VANCOUVER, British Columbia Regine Gries has been bitten by more than 1,000 bedbugs each week for the last five years, and she allowed it to happen.

In fact, Gries welcomed the 180,000 bites.

Now her literal blood sacrifice has paid off. She and her husband Gerhard, both biologists at Simon Fraiser University in Vancouver British Columbia, say they have figured out how to attract and repel the bloodsucking parasites.

It turns out bed bugs communicate by odor. The researchers have been able to identify that histamine effectively repelled the creepy creatures.

They also discovered five odors that attract bedbugs and could be used to draw them into death traps.

Thats where Regine Gries blood comes back into the story. She sacrificed her own skin night after night as part of the experimentation process to feed the bugs they were using in their research.

But her blood, sweat and probably tears may all have been worth it for people plagued by the beasts.

A Victoria British Columbia company, Contech Enterprises, is now developing what is being called the first affordable bait and trap for detecting and monitoring infestations.

Contech expects it to be commercially available next year.

49.282729 -123.120738

Read this article:
Woman allows thousands of bedbugs to bite her for 5 years

VANCOUVER, British Columbia(KCPQ) -

Regine Gries has been bitten by more than 1,000 bedbugs each week for the last five year and she allowed it to happen.

In fact, Gries welcomed the 180,000 bites.

By giving blood weekly to her life partners bug experiment, SFU scientist Regine Gries has all but given us the gift of freedom from bed bug torture. Credit: Simon Fraser University, Greg Ehlers

Now her literal blood sacrifice has paid off. She and her husband Gerhard, both biologist at Simon Fraiser University in Vancouver British Columbia, say they have figured out how to attract and repel the bloodsucking parasites.

It turns out bed bugs communicate by odor. The researchers have been able to identify that histamine effectively repelled the creepy creatures.

They also discovered five odors that attract bedbugs and could be used to draw them into death traps.

Thats where Regine Gries blood comes back into the story. She sacrificed her own skin night after night as part of the experimentation process to feed the bugs they were using in their research.

But her blood, sweat and probably tears may all have been worth it for people plagued by the beasts.

A Victoria British Columbia company, Contech Enterprises, is now developing what is being called the first affordable bait and trap for detecting and monitoring infestations.

More here:
Woman Allows Thousands of Bedbugs to Feed on her for 5 years, Makes Incredible Discovery

Vancouver, British Columbia (KCPQ) Regine Gries has been bitten by more than 1,000 bedbugs each week for the last five years, and she allowed it to happen.

In fact, Gries welcomed the 180,000 bites.

Now her literal blood sacrifice has paid off. She and her husband Gerhard, both biologists at Simon Fraiser University in Vancouver British Columbia, say they have figured out how to attract and repel the bloodsucking parasites.

It turns out bed bugs communicate by odor. The researchers have been able to identify that histamine effectively repelled the creepy creatures.

They also discovered five odors that attract bedbugs and could be used to draw them into death traps.

Thats where Regine Gries blood comes back into the story. She sacrificed her own skin night after night as part of the experimentation process to feed the bugs they were using in their research.

But her blood, sweat and probably tears may all have been worth it for people plagued by the beasts.

A Victoria British Columbia company, Contech Enterprises, is now developing what is being called the first affordable bait and trap for detecting and monitoring infestations.

Contech expects it to be commercially available next year.

49.282729 -123.120738

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Woman allows thousands of bedbugs to bite her for five years

Thank you for your review. I would like to make a few comments though. As you may have heard bedbugs have become a very common problem in hotels around North America. In response to this the Buchan Hotel has a very strict procedure we follow regarding bed bugs. First, our housekeeping staff have been trained to identify signs of bedbugs. If there is any indication in a room we immediately take that room out of service and a certified commercial pest control company inspects not only that room, but any rooms adjacent. If confirmed, the room is treated, and then kept out of service until a follow up inspection can be made. Once we have received an "all clear" from our pest control company (Orkin) or we have acted upon any recommendations the inspector might make, we will not rent that room.

Additionally, we have monitoring traps in literally hundreds of locations around the hotel. we have invested in mattress and boxspring covers recommended by professionals to prevent bedbugs.

This is the first report of bedbugs we have had at The Buchan Hotel this year, and all of our inspection reports are available for anyone to see upon request.

I am sorry you have had this experience, but I can assure you it was an isolated case and that The Buchan Hotel takes all measures regardless of cost to prevent this from happening.

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

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Bed bugs. - Review of Buchan Hotel, Vancouver, British ...