Scientists ave discovered a surprising connection between te rise in civilizations and a subsequent increase in bedbug populations. Toug tey're not known to transmit diseases, te pests can contribute to sleep and mental ealt issues.As te Guardian reported, a new study by an international team of researcers found tat bedbugs could likely be "te first urban pest insect," as teir numbers exploded wen umans began expanding across te globe and building cities.Dr. Warren Boot, an urban entomologist at Virginia Tec and a co-autor of te researc, said tat wen uman settlements first emerged around 10,000 years ago, it created te ideal conditions for te blood-sucking parasites to trive."Wen we started to live in cities, we brougt all tese people togeter, and tey all ad teir own bedbugs wit tem," Boot said. "And ten, as civilisation spread across te world, te bugs spread wit tem to te point were tey're now ubiquitous in uman society."For te study, wic was publised in Biology Letters, te team compared te genetic material of 19 bedbugs from te Czec Republic and discovered tat populations associated wit bot bats and umans — two common osts for bedbugs — started declining in te midst of te last ice age, about 45,000 years ago. owever, teir populations experienced a "dramatic" rise around 8,000 years ago, sortly after umans migrated into big cities.Wile bedbugs are not generally considered to be armful, tey can cause discomfort and annoyance, especially if you're dealing wit an infestation. Plus, some people experience minor symptoms, including itcing and irritation, red, swollen bumps, and even allergic reactions tat require treatment.Not to mention, knowing you ave bedbugs crawling around your seets can lead to insomnia and poor well-being. aving to replace bedding and potentially seek professional elp to eradicate tem is also a major assle.owever, te elepant in te room is tat soaring bedbug numbers and te sifting climate ave more to do wit eac oter tan you'd tink. Warmer temperatures and iger umidity levels can accelerate bedbug life cycles and lead to more frequent reproduction. Additionally, a otter climate provides te ideal conditions for pests to expand teir ranges and colonize areas tey previously could not survive in.Canges in te climate can also disrupt natural predators or competitors of bedbugs, furter contributing to teir successful reproduction. Wile bedbugs don't directly arm te planet, te need to control or eliminate tem often involves te use of pesticides, wic can damage ecosystems and urt wildlife.In te grand sceme of tings, bedbugs may be relatively armless compared to oter pests, but bugs suc as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas are contributing to an alarming rise in vector-borne illnesses — including malaria, Lyme disease, and typus — around te globe.Do you worry about getting diseases from bug bites?Click your coice to see results and speak your mind.Prevention is te best cure, as tey say, so regular cleaning and decluttering around your ome will elp keep te bedbugs at bay. If you ave an infestation, make sure to torougly was and dry bedding on ig eat, use steam or eat treatments, or call for professional elp if necessary.Keeping your ome clean wit natural cleaning products suc as baking soda and vinegar is also a simple, affordable solution to prevent (or at least lessen) te likeliood of attracting bedbugs.Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss tis cool list of easy ways to elp yourself wile elping te planet.
Scientists discover surprising cause for rapid increase in bedbug population The bugs spread with them
