Bed bugs given taste of own medicine
Published: 04 June 2009
To get rid of bed bugs once and for all, scientists are developing a spray to push the little critters off valuable bed linen and comforters across the world and stop the little bloodsuckers from thriving.
North America may be one of the major breeding grounds for bed bugs at the moment, yet the insects may be given a taste of their own medicine after a recent scientific breakthrough.Two teams of researchers are working together to see if the bugs' chemical signals can be used with regular insect repellent to confuse them and render their intentions impossible, with the study being carried out at Wittenberg University and Ohio State University in the US.
The new spray forces the creatures to walk through "desiccant dusts", thus dehydrating the tiny beasts and saving bed linen, duvet covers and bedspreads from the tiny blood-sucking menace.
Lead author of the study Joshua Benoit said: "We think that rather than pursue completely new pesticides, it's better to use old pesticides in new ways."
The world's first-ever National Bed Bug Summit was hosted in April by the US Environmental Protection Agency, highlighting the growing problems with the miniature nuisance.
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