History of Bed Bugs

While many people born in the 20th century have never got to see a real-life bed bug, these little nasties have been around for centuries. Some say that they may even have evolved before the days of cavemen, feeding on the blood of bats, which of course are also mammals.

The origin of bed bugs

People have been writing and according to folk lore, talking about bed bugs since Ancient Greek and Roman times. They were also the source of both Hebrew and Christian writings around the time that BC became AD (the birth of Christ), and were written about by people in new lands, including the first colonial Americans. Whether the bugs were already in the Americas, or whether they were taken to the New World in sailing ships from Europe is beside the point. People felt strongly enough to record their bites.

The decline of bed bugs in the 20th century

After the First World War, people worldwide started using highly toxic chemicals to kill insects of all kinds, including cockroaches, mosquitoes and bed bugs. This resulted in a very sharp decline of bed bug colonies, so much so that in the 1990s, college professors teaching entomology in both the USA and Britain, were reported to be unable to find living specimens to show their students. Pest management professionals at the time also said that they had no experience of bed bug infestations; all they knew was what they had read.

The resurgence of bed bugs

Bed bugs began rearing their ugly little heads at the turn of this century. While there is no comprehensive literature that tracks exactly where bed bugs are now most prolific, various researchers specify cities in the USA and Canada as well as those in certain European countries.

Recent bed bug outbreaks

If the truth be known, relatively few bed bug outbreaks get any sort of publicity. But when it comes to a court case, it is difficult for owners of buildings or accommodation venues to escape media attention. When the person who was bitten is a lawyer, there is sure to be more publicity than any bed bug deserves!

In May 2006, New York lawyer Sidney Bluming and his wife Cynthia booked into the prestigious Hyde Park Hotel in London. Owned by the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, the five-star hotel had a pristine reputation and was known to operate according to the highest standards of conduct and hygiene. The health and safety of all their guests was paramount – which is why they could charge top rates. The Blumings were secure in this knowledge, until they woke up scratching... Worse still, as they claimed, the bugs infested their luggage and hitched a ride home with them.

While the incident was described by the hotel as "regrettable, but isolated", cases of guests being bitten at hotels are not isolated. Some other cases during the first decade of the 21st century include:

• A claim in Illinois, USA against two Chicago residents attending a trade show were awarded a total of close to US$200,000 after being bitten by bed bugs.
• A claim in New York by an opera singer who stayed at the prestigious Hilton Hotel in 2007 and was bitten by the bloody-minded bugs.
• A number of claims against the Grand Hotel in Brighton, UK following a Labor Party conference in 2005.

So if you are planning to travel soon, there is one word of advice that you really should heed: "Don't let the bed bugs bite."