The Resurgence of Bed Bugs in Australia: With Notes on Their Ecology and Control

30 Bed bugs are blood-sucking insects belonging to the family Cimicidae (Order: Hemiptera). Of the 89 species within the f a m i l y, there are two that mainly bite humans, the common bed bug, C i m e x lectularius Linnaeus, and the tropical bed bug, Cimex hemipterus Fabricius. Bed bugs were once a common public health pest worldwide, with estimates of up to 75% of homes in Britain infested (Professional Pest C o n t ro l l e r, 2003, vol. 32, pp.16-7). In developed nations, they declined in incidence and, through improvements in sanitation and with increasing use of residual insecticides, infestations became a rare event. However, this downward trend is now starting to reverse and globally there have been recent reports of an increase in bed bug numbers (Boase 2001; Kru e g e r 2000; Paul & Bates 2000). Some areas in Britain (Professional Pest Controller, 2003, vol. 32, pp.16-7) and the United States (Baumann 2002; Krueger 2000) have re p o rted a tenfold increase since 1999. Australia has not been excluded and a dramatic rise has also been observed here. U n f o rt u n a t e l y, evidence for the tre n d locally is anecdotal, as data on bed bug incidence are not collected systematically. Compounding this is the dearth of scientific reports relating to bed bugs in Australia, which means that there has been a notable lack of accurate and up-to-date information available to health professionals and pest managers. This article provides documented evidence for the recent rise in bed bug The Resurgence of Bed Bugs in Australia: With Notes on Their Ecology and Control