Bed bugs inhabit every country on the planet, will feed on anyone, and can live in many climates. They usually hide during the day and come out at night to feed on our blood while we sleep. They cause sleepless nights, pain and itching (at the site of bites) and paranoia. Many people find themselves asking where did they come from? How did they get here? The history of bed bugs is long, dating back at least 3,000 years. People have used many ways to rid themselves of these unwanted pests, and even tried to find ways to use them to cure medical ailments.
It is widely believed that bed bugs originated in the Middle East in caves where they fed on bats and early humans. They traveled as hitchhikers around the world as we started to explore other parts of our planet. One of the first mentions of bed bugs was found in ancient Greece from as early at 400 BC. Archeologists have also found fossilized bed bugs dating back 3,500 years. The bugs were mentioned by Aristotle in his theory as to their medical use. He believed that bed bugs could be a cure for multiple ailments, such as snake bites, ear infections and hysteria.[1] That theory was proved to be unsuccessful and people soon started to try to rid themselves of these pests.
Some of the earliest methods to get rid of bed bug included using pepper, plants and fungi. [1] Later, as the bug population grew, people started to use more drastic methods including covering their sleeping areas with gasoline, kerosene and grease from pork meat. These dangerous methods were also widely unsuccessful and people continued to experiment with new extermination techniques. The bed bugs were reduced by more modern cleaning methods including washing bed linens and de-cluttering homes. We were also able to drastically reduce the population of bed bugs with the invention of DDT and other synthetic organophosphate insecticides. During WWII bed bugs were almost unheard of – until the bugs started to develop a resistance to the DDT and began to thrive once again. [1]
Now, in the 21st century we have much more sophisticated methods to eliminate bed bugs. While chemical treatments are still used by some exterminators, this process is outdated and sometimes requires multiple applications, taking months to exterminate the problem. One of the most effective bed bug extermination methods is HEAT! With the use of heat a professional bed bug exterminator can eliminate all the bugs, and their eggs in as little at 6 hours (depending on the size of the room or structure).
Don’t wait, if you have a bed bug problem, call in the professionals. AZEX Pest Solutions can come in, inspect your home or business and let you know what the best plan of action would be to 100% eliminate the problem. Call AZEX today to find out more about the AZEX Heat process and schedule a free inspection!
Sources:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bed_bug