Woman Develops Bedbug Traps By Letting 200,000 Of Them Feast On Her Arms

Bedbugs are a growing problem around the world these days. This is why bedbug control methods are being investigated and developed by many researchers today. Two of these researchers, Regine and Gerhard Gries, have been developing bedbug traps by resorting to methods that would make some people faint. Regine allows starved bedbugs, sometimes more than one thousand at a time, to feed on her arms. Gerhard, on the other hand, is probably pleased that his allergies prevent him from resorting to the same “scientific” methods. Gerhard learned of his bedbug allergy by letting starved bedbugs feast on his arms, which is probably the worst way to discover that you are allergic to bedbugs.

Regine and her husband are both biologists at Simon Fraser University near Vancouver, British Columbia. Regine is allowing the bedbugs to feed on her arms in order to develop chemical bedbug traps that make use of pheromones. The two researchers have recently made use of a chemical that attracts bedbugs, and can therefore prevent them from infesting our mattresses and clothes. Unfortunately, discovering this bedbug trap has come at a high price, as every Saturday Regine let’s at least one thousand bedbugs bite at the skin of her arms.

Since 2006, when the researchers first started work developing a bedbug trap, Regine has allowed at least two hundred thousand bedbugs to feast on her arms. In order to ensure that the bedbugs will feast on her arms, Regine starves the bedbugs for one month. This will prevent the light from detering the bedbugs from eating, as bedbugs fear light. The bedugs are so hungry when they are released from their enclosures once a month that they scurry towards Regine’s arms while ignoring their instinctive fear of light. Starving the bugs is the only way to get them to feed, unless Regine was conducting her “experiments” in total darkness.

Through her experiments Regine has developed a chemical that lures bedbugs into traps. The bedbugs sense the chemical as human blood. A Canadian company has recently used Regine and Gerhard’s research to develop bedbug traps that will hit the market sometime next year.

Are you dedicated enough to the study of insects to allow yourself to sustain insect bites in order to further your knowledge of insects? Would you sustain bedbug bites like Regine did if it meant making millions from the sale of bedbug traps?