Why is there such a recent resurgence of bed bugs in the U.S?
In the United States, bed bugs were common place through the late 1940’s. The widespread use of pesticides (organophosphates such as DDT and Malathion) at that time practically eradicated bed bugs from the US. However, in the late 1990’s increased international travel became more commonplace and bed bugs began to re-emerge as a pest in the United States, Canada, and many other countries. Because this insect’s nature is very guarded, they have the ability to move very efficiently from one establishment to another. The public’s lack of awareness about them contributes to their swift spread. During the mid 1990’s, pest management began to change and “go green”. There was a dramatic shift in pest management practices from “general” applications of the “spray and pray” approach, (which was to spray every week on about the same day) to using “very specific and targeted applications” like cockroach and ant baits. This resulted in many of the non-targeted more difficult pests, like the bed bug
