Bedbugs are an international epidemic and current methods for detecting them and monitoring infestations are inadequate. This is where biologists Regine and Gerhard Gries come in. With chemist Robert Britton, they have found a set of chemical attractants that lure bedbugs into traps and keep them there.
Gerhard Gries has done pioneering work in chemical and bioacoustical communication between insects. Regine Gries has been running lab and field experiments, but more importantly, she has been allowing the bedbugs in their lab to feed on her. She has endured more than 180,000 bites because the bugs need human blood. Regine has been the host because she does not react to the bites, suffering only a mild rash, whereas Gerhard gets the intense itching and swelling that most people endure when bitten by a bedbug.
The research has yielded three chemicals that attract bedbugs. Along with histamine, which chemically tells bedbugs that they are near a safe place to eat, and two other chemicals that were discovered earlier, the researchers created a cocktail of odors that effectively lure bedbugs into traps.
"The biggest challenge in dealing with bedbugs is to detect the infestation at an early stage," said Gerhard, who is a biology professor at Simon Fraser. ""This trap will help landlords, tenants, and pest-control professionals determine whether premises have a bedbug problem, so that they can treat it quickly. It will also be useful for monitoring the treatment's effectiveness."
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularis) were nearly eradicated a few years ago, but are now seen globally in record numbers. They are infesting low-income housing and five-star hotels, as well as theatres, libraries, and public transit. While they are not generally known to carry diseases the way lice and fleas can, they can transmit the pathogen that causes chagas disease, a South American disease usually transmitted by another bug.
A trap and bait for bedbugs based on the Simon Fraser research may be on the market sometime next year.
