You may not think of an animal like the bed bug of having a history, but this one does. In fact, it has been found that this is one of the strongest species of animals present on the Earth because of what it has accomplished.
While most humans would be okay with the bed bug being extinct this is anything but what is likely to happen over the next years.
Taking a look back, it can be found that the bed bug has been found in ancient writings. It is commonly believed that the bed bug has been around for thousands of years, probably as long as humans have inhabited Earth as well.
The bed bug was first called a pest in the 17th century. They came to the Americas just as the colonists did. They traveled with them on board the shipping vessels that were used by immigrants. With each new wave of colonists came a new wave of bed bugs.
In the 1940’s and the 1950’s, the United States was using a product called DDT. This is known as the first type of pesticide that was used. It was first developed in the early period of World War II. Its purpose was to stop the spread of infectious diseases such as malaria and typhus by killing off the mosquitoes and other pests that helped to spread the disease.
DDT was used throughout the military but it was also used by everyday people as well. This allowed it to be used heavily and virtually everywhere in the United States readily. It was even used as an agricultural insecticide. So, what does this have to do with the bed bug? DDT actually almost caused the extinction of the bed bug in North America. During the middle of the 20th century, it was hard to find a bed bug.
Are They Gone, Then?
Unfortunately for most people, the bed bug did not die out during this time period but over the last several decades has staged a come back that is large enough to cause them to re-infest many areas quickly. North America has seen a tremendous growth of bed bugs in the last ten or so years.
But, there is something different this time around….
DDT is no longer used today as a pesticide. It was banned from use, as were other products that are similar to it, as it was found to be dangerous not only for the bed bug and other pests but also to the human population itself.
This poses as bit of a struggle for those that are trying to treat bed bug infestations today. Many of the products that are used today are just no effective at treating these pests. In fact, the bed bug can be just as hard to treat and get rid of as that of the cockroach. In short, there is no 100% guaranteed method to treat an infestation of bed bugs.
