Bed bugs have been around for thousands of years. By the early 1930’s, all of the houses in many areas had at least some degree of bed bug infestation. Bed bugs also became a major problem at U.S. military bases during WWII. Initially, bed bugs were treated using various fumigants. DDT started being used shortly after as a safer alternative. The combination of the fumigants and the DDT did a great job controlling these blood sucking pests. Bedbugs started to make a comeback in the mid to late 1990’s. Their comeback has been attributed to bans on potent pesticides, increased resistance to chemicals, and increased international travel.
Contrary to popular belief, bed bugs are not a result of poor housekeeping. Anyone and everyone can get bed bugs in their home. People bring bed bugs into their homes unknowingly in infested luggage, backpacks, purses, furniture, bedding, shoes or clothing. Bed bugs are commonly brought into homes from movie theaters, hotels, and other peoples homes. They can also travel between apartments through cracks in walls and floors, and even through the duct work. All of these things, combined with their amazing resilience, can make bed bugs extremely difficult to control.
Unfortunately, lower class victims of bed bugs often suffer more than middle to upper class victims, mainly because they can’t afford the costly bed bug treatments.