Surging Bedbug Populations: How Human Migration to Ancient Cities is Sparking a Pest Crisis, According to Scientists

Bedbugs have been around for a long time. They survived the mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, but their numbers dwindled until cities were built. This change allowed them to multiply and thrive, especially as humans began living closer together.

Dr. Warren Booth, an expert in urban insects from Virginia Tech, explains that bedbugs and humans share a unique bond. When we settled in cities, we brought our bedbugs with us. As civilizations grew, these pests spread worldwide and became a common part of urban life.

A study analyzed the DNA of 19 bedbugs from the Czech Republic. Nine of these were closely tied to humans, while the others were linked to bats. The research showed that both types of bedbugs were declining about 45,000 years ago due to Earth cooling from the last Ice Age. However, human-associated bedbugs rebounded dramatically around 8,000 years ago as humans began to settle into larger communities.

For context, the first cities emerged around 9,000 years ago in places like Çatalhöyük in Turkey, which housed thousands of people. By about 5,000 years ago, Uruk in Mesopotamia had a population of around 60,000.

Bedbugs have been with us for more than 100 million years, originally feeding on the blood of other creatures before turning to bats and early humans. Professor Michael Siva-Jothy from the University of Sheffield notes that the history of humans and bedbugs is deeply intertwined. However, he questions the conclusions of recent studies based on just a small sample of bedbugs from one region. He suggests that other parasites, like head lice, which have been around for over a million years, might also lay claim to the title of the first true urban pest.

Understanding the nature of bedbugs can help us tackle pest control today. As cities continue to grow, so do the challenges of managing these ancient companions of human civilization.



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