U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Controlling Bed Bugs
[Podcast running time: ~ 1:50]
                                
Hi I'm Sharon Durham with the Agricultural Research Service or ARS. ARS is the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Chief scientific research agency.

Until now, some people may have thought that bed bugs were some fictional creatures mentioned
in the bedtime saying, "sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite!" In fact, bed bugs believed to
be mostly eradicated in the United States by the 1950s are very real. 

The resurgence of these small, flat, blood-feeding insects is setting off alarms in major U.S.
cities. In the last decade, bed bugs have become a menace in homes, apartments, hotels, shelters,
and even places of work.

Bed bugs are not known to transmit diseases, but some people have severe reactions to their
bites. Also, getting rid of them can be costly. 

Entomologist Mark Feldlaufer and his colleagues in Beltsville, Maryland, are studying
compounds that affect bed bug behavior. They're also stepping up their efforts to develop
chemicals to control them. 

ARS scientists have identified two new defensive chemicals that alert other bed bugs of danger
and 17 other natural compounds associated with the bed bug's outer protective layer. This
discovery may help manage this pest in the future. Scientists are also examining the underlying
chemical basis of scent detection of bed bugs by dogs, so that training methods can be
standardized.

That's our podcast for today. If you suspect you have a pest problem, don't let the bed bugs bite.
Get help right away.