DDT for Bed Bugs
This is an ancient insect whose roots are thought to go back to the times of cave dwellers. For many years, bed bugs were found in numerous communities around the US. As late as the 1950's, bed bugs were a considerable problem. After the discovery of DDT and its application here, the incidence of bed bug infestations declined.
If you read the bed bug blogs you will find lots of angry vilification of Rachel Carson, who wrote the book 'Silent Spring', which then led to the banning of DDT, for the theory is that because DDT was banned, now we have bed bugs, a theory which makes no sense whatsoever since DDT was banned half a century ago, and we are only experiencing a plague of bed bugs in the last couple of years. People are also unaware that bed bugs became resistant to DDT back in the 1940s, which is one of the reasons why the pest control industry turned away from DDT and began using alternative chemicals in the last part of the century. DDT is constantly being promoted as the bed bug panacea, but the truth of the matter is that bed bugs are amazing creatures showing an ability to adapt to any form of pesticide, and that includes DDT, which bed bugs long ago defeated in the 1940s, and which they will defeat again should DDT be brought back onto the market because now we have bed bugs.
Bed bugs probably continue to carry with them the genes for DDT resistance, since such resistant strains existed earlier in the previous century. Hotels, including four and five star hotels which target the market for international travelers, are one of the hot spots for bed bug infestations. This has led some to speculate upon what possible connection might exist between international travel and the bed bug epidemic. It is worth remembering here that DDT has not been banned in every country for the last half century, and so therefore we must assume that the DDT bed bug exists in the countries which have continued to use DDT throughout the last half century, and that bed bugs resistant to such strong pesticides have infested hotels and in the great mixing bowl bed bugs have been trading genes for resistance to a wide variety of pesticides, including resistance to DDT. So therefore we must assume that the DDT resistant bed bug already exists, both those strains which continue to carry the previous resistance to DDT built up in the 1940s and those strains which have imported such resistance and can now no doubt be found in four and five star hotels, New York lofts, penthouses, and Manhattan office towers.
We don't think DDT is a solution for bed bugs now.Sure '” despite being ecologically-minded and kind of nervous around pesticides in general '” like many of you, my first reaction to bed bugs was 'œBring back DDT!' However, learning more made me realize this was not practical, and not even an effective solution anymore. I don't want to entertain a discussion of this. The fact is, bed bugs started showing resistance to DDT as early as 1948 in Hawaii, and reports from the 1950s and 1960s, as well more recently, tell us that bed bugs were not killed when spraying with DDT was done for malarial mosquitos.
In 1969, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) cancelled the registration of certain uses of DDT (on shade trees, on tobacco, in the home, and in aquatic environments) after studying the persistence of DDT residues in the environment. Applications on crops, commercial plants, wood products, and for building purposes were cancelled by the USDA in 1970. Under the authority of the EPA, the registrations of the remaining DDT products and DDT-metabolites were cancelled on 4 January 1973,with the following exemptions: public health use for control of vector-borne diseases, USDA or military use for health quarantine, and use in prescription drugs for controlling body lice. All of these remaining uses were voluntarily cancelled (due to failure to pay maintenance fees) by October 1989.
- Treating Bed Bug With chemicals - September 19th, 2022 [September 19th, 2022]
- Symptoms Picture Gallery - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - September 21st, 2022 [September 21st, 2022]
- Simplified Bed Bug Preparation - September 22nd, 2022 [September 22nd, 2022]
- Quality Pest Control Methods - September 23rd, 2022 [September 23rd, 2022]
- Pajamas Diminish Bed Bug Bites - September 24th, 2022 [September 24th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Picture Gallery - September 25th, 2022 [September 25th, 2022]
- Pesticides - September 26th, 2022 [September 26th, 2022]
- Male and Female Bed Bugs - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Affordable Bed Bug Registry Detection Method - September 28th, 2022 [September 28th, 2022]
- Introduction About Bed Bug - September 29th, 2022 [September 29th, 2022]
- Insect Bed Bug - September 30th, 2022 [September 30th, 2022]
- Welcome to Bed Bug Registry Database - December 3rd, 2022 [October 1st, 2022]
- How to Kill Bed Bugs - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- How Bed Bug Bite - October 3rd, 2022 [October 3rd, 2022]
- Get Rid of Bed Bugs - October 4th, 2022 [October 4th, 2022]
- Control Bed Bugs - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Contact Us - October 7th, 2022 [October 7th, 2022]
- Box Spring Treatment - October 8th, 2022 [October 8th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 9th, 2022 [October 9th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 10th, 2022 [October 10th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Wall or Baseboard - October 11th, 2022 [October 11th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Videos - December 5th, 2022 [October 12th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Treatment Synergy - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Treatment and Removal, How it is done - October 14th, 2022 [October 14th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Transmit Disease - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Tape - October 16th, 2022 [October 16th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Sniffing Dogs - October 18th, 2022 [October 18th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Spray - Non Toxic - October 19th, 2022 [October 19th, 2022]
- Bedbug Species - October 20th, 2022 [October 20th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 22nd, 2022 [October 22nd, 2022]
- Bed Bug Repellent - October 24th, 2022 [October 24th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 26th, 2022 [October 26th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 27th, 2022 [October 27th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Pillow Case Encasement Covers - October 29th, 2022 [October 29th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - October 30th, 2022 [October 30th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Network - October 31st, 2022 [October 31st, 2022]
- Bed Bug Molting - November 1st, 2022 [November 1st, 2022]
- Bed Bug Mattress Encasement Protector Covers - November 2nd, 2022 [November 2nd, 2022]
- Bed Bug Look Like - November 3rd, 2022 [November 3rd, 2022]
- Advanced Bed Bug Preparation - November 4th, 2022 [November 4th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Wall or Baseboard - November 5th, 2022 [November 5th, 2022]
- Bedbug Legislation - November 6th, 2022 [November 6th, 2022]
- Bed bug Knowledge - November 7th, 2022 [November 7th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - November 8th, 2022 [November 8th, 2022]
- Bedbug in Hotel - November 9th, 2022 [November 9th, 2022]
- Bedbuig in Clothes, Fabrics - November 11th, 2022 [November 11th, 2022]
- Bedbug History - November 12th, 2022 [November 12th, 2022]
- Bedbug Hiding PLaces - November 13th, 2022 [November 13th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Nesting Location - November 14th, 2022 [November 14th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - November 15th, 2022 [November 15th, 2022]
- Bedbug Feedings - November 16th, 2022 [November 16th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - November 17th, 2022 [November 17th, 2022]
- Bedbug Epidemic - December 3rd, 2022 [November 18th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Eggs and Nymphs - November 19th, 2022 [November 19th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Distribute - November 20th, 2022 [November 20th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Discrimination - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - November 22nd, 2022 [November 22nd, 2022]
- Bed Bug Colony - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - November 24th, 2022 [November 24th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - November 25th, 2022 [November 25th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Box Spring Encasement Covers - November 26th, 2022 [November 26th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Bites Pictures - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- Bedbug Bites - December 3rd, 2022 [November 28th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - November 29th, 2022 [November 29th, 2022]
- Bed Bug Products - December 3rd, 2022 [November 30th, 2022]
- Allergy Sentry Box Spring Encasement - December 1st, 2022 [December 1st, 2022]
- Affordable Bed Bug Detection Method - December 5th, 2022 [December 2nd, 2022]
- Advanced Bed Bug Preparation - December 3rd, 2022 [December 3rd, 2022]
- Adult Bed Bugs - December 3rd, 2022 [December 4th, 2022]