If you’ve ever woken up to clusters of itchy red bites, only to discover the tiny, bloodthirsty culprits hiding in the seams of your mattress, you know the sheer horror of a bedbug infestation.
These relentless parasites don’t just disrupt your sleep—they invade your sense of security.
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are small, flat insects that feed on human blood while we sleep.
They’ve been around for thousands of years, but thanks to their growing immunity to pesticides, infestations have surged in developed countries over the last two decades.
Getting rid of them is an expensive nightmare, often requiring professional fumigation, multiple treatments, and even discarding furniture.
But a team of researchers at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in British Columbia, Canada, may have just found a game-changing solution.
Their discovery?
A chemical compound that could finally lead to an effective, affordable, and widely available bedbug trap.
And at the heart of this breakthrough is a scientist who sacrificed her own skin—literally—allowing herself to be bitten over 180,000 times to crack the bedbug code.
Why They’re So Hard to Get Rid Of
Unlike mosquitoes or ticks, bedbugs don’t transmit disease, but they are a public health nightmare.
Their bites can cause skin irritation, allergic reactions, and even psychological distress, as victims often develop insomnia or anxiety over the infestation.
Once they invade a home, they spread rapidly, hiding in cracks, furniture, and even electrical outlets.
Scientists have long been searching for a reliable way to trap bedbugs before an infestation spirals out of control.
Many insects, such as ants and cockroaches, are easily lured using pheromones—chemical signals that guide their behavior.
However, bedbugs have been far trickier.
Their communication signals have remained elusive—until now.
A Scientist’s Unthinkable Sacrifice for Science
To uncover bedbugs’ secret language, biologist Regine Gries agreed to something few people would: she let bedbugs feed on her blood for five years straight.
Every week, thousands of bedbugs feasted on her arm as she and her husband, fellow biologist Gerhard Gries, worked tirelessly to decipher the chemical cues behind bedbug behavior.
Why her? Regine’s body had a unique advantage—unlike most people, her skin barely reacted to bedbug bites.
While most people suffer from intense itching and swelling, her minimal reaction made her the ideal test subject.
By meticulously collecting bedbug feces and shed skins after each feeding session, the team analyzed the chemicals left behind.
It was grueling, painstaking work.
But after thousands of trials, they finally identified the key ingredient that keeps bedbugs in their hiding places: histamine.
How Bedbugs Use Histamine to Feel ‘Safe’
For years, scientists assumed bedbugs relied solely on carbon dioxide and body heat to find humans to feed on.
But the SFU researchers found something surprising: bedbugs also use histamine to determine if a shelter is safe.
Histamine is a chemical naturally found in our bodies, often associated with allergic reactions.
But bedbugs don’t produce it internally; they leave traces of histamine in their feces and shed skins after feeding.
This chemical signals to other bedbugs that the shelter is safe, encouraging them to stay put—even if no human host is nearby.
The discovery was groundbreaking.
By isolating and synthesizing histamine, the team realized they could create a bedbug trap that would fool the insects into settling inside, making extermination far easier.
Breaking the Traditional Thinking on Bedbug Traps
Until now, the most common methods of bedbug detection have relied on human body heat, carbon dioxide, or blood-mimicking lures.
But these have had mixed results, often requiring constant monitoring or expensive equipment.
Histamine-based traps, on the other hand, could work passively—without heat, carbon dioxide, or frequent maintenance.
That means homeowners, travelers, and even hotels could place these traps near beds and furniture, attracting bedbugs to a designated spot instead of allowing them to spread undetected.
Kenneth Haynes, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky, called the research “the breakthrough that is required to deal with this difficult pest.”
When Will We See These Traps?
After proving their findings in the lab, the researchers took their histamine-laced traps into the real world, testing them in bedbug-infested apartments in Vancouver.
The results? Overwhelmingly successful.
With their method now validated in real-life infestations, the SFU team is working with Canadian pest control company Contech Enterprises to bring a commercial trap to market.
They expect it to be available as early as next year, providing an affordable and effective solution for anyone battling these bloodsucking pests.
Why This Matters for Everyone—Even If You Don’t Have Bedbugs (Yet)
Bedbug infestations aren’t just a problem for those affected—they’re a growing global issue.
Thanks to increased travel, these pests spread faster than ever, hopping from hotels to homes, dorm rooms to airplanes.
Once inside, they multiply at an alarming rate.
With this new technology, early detection and containment become far easier.
Hotels, hospitals, and households could prevent small infestations from turning into expensive disasters.
And for those already dealing with an infestation, a simple, passive trap could drastically reduce the need for costly extermination treatments.
A Scientific Turning Point?
For decades, scientists have struggled to stay ahead of bedbugs, as these parasites have evolved resistance to nearly every chemical pesticide thrown at them.
But this discovery represents a turning point—one based on understanding the insect’s biology rather than relying on harsh chemicals.
Regine Gries’ personal sacrifice—those 180,000 bites—may have finally led to a safe, effective, and scalable solution.
If this technology reaches the market as expected, it could revolutionize how we detect and control bedbugs, saving millions from the stress, cost, and physical discomfort of an infestation.
And if nothing else, the next time you hear someone complain about a bad work assignment, you can remind them: at least they weren’t a living, breathing bedbug buffet for science.
Sources: Chemical & Engineering News, CBC News
