History of Bedbugs

Bed bugs were mentioned as early as 400 BC in Greece. Bed bugs were also noted in Germany in the 11th century, in France in the 13th century and in England in 1583. They were seen in large numbers in 1666 in London. In the mid-19th century, smoke from peat fires was recommended as a way to rid the home of the bugs. They also used dust from the fireplaces, lime dust and diatomaceous earth (DE) in amorphous form. Bugs and insects exposed to DE may take up to several days to die as it is a physical killer and not an internal killer, but bugs do not become resistant to physical killers. Bed bugs were common before the mid- twentieth century. The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Health stated that many or not all homes had some degree of bed bug infestation in 1933.

During WWII, General MacArthur said that bed bugs are the "greatest nuisance insect problem ... at bases in the U.S".

Western countries almost wiped out bed bugs due to their use of the hazardous yet famous DDT chemical. However, bed bug infestations are making a comeback for several reasons. Obviously some of the most dangerous chemicals have been banned, there is an increased resistance to some of the safer pesticide, increased international travel, and honestly people are unaware they have been exposed and are transmitting them to others. The current wave of bed bug infestations across America has caused great concern in bed bug prevention, eradication, reporting sightings, and overall education about this human pest.(Wikipedia 2011.)