Where Are Bed Bugs From?

Before we delve into the history of bed bugs, where they come from, and how they managed to survive all these years, this is a good place for a few paragraph refresher course on what bed bugs are.  Bed bugs are scientifically known as Cimex, specifically Cimex lectularius (the common bed bug most of us are familiar with) and Cimex hemipterus (the tropical version of the insect). There are more species of bed bugs, but these are the two that are mostly associated with biting humans.

They are part of the Cimicidae family, which means they are parasitic insects which feed on warm blood. Bed bugs primarily feast on humans but will also bite other warm-blooded animals such as poultry, livestock and house pets. Specifically, bed bugs are classified in the: phylum Arthropoda >> class Insecta  >> order Hemiptera >> family Cimicidae.

Bed bugs’ bodies are flat, and oval shaped with a reddish-brown hue. If someone has never seen picture of a bed bug, they may be mistaken with a baby cockroach, tick, or carpet beetle. Depending on their age, they are anywhere from 1mm to 7mm in length. Their growth cycles take around two months from newly hatched until adulthood. They will go through about 5 cycles of growth, each time shedding their skin. (see our article on how to know if you have bed bugs). Eggs take about one week to hatch.

Bed bugs travel by crawling.  Unlike other bloodsuckers, like the mosquito, they don’t fly; nor they do they jump like the flea.  But they can crawl at a rapid pace and are voracious climbers, so finding them on walls, furniture legs, and even on ceilings is not unheard of.

here Did Bed Bugs Come From?

Popular scientific belief is that bed bugs became a mainstream pest more than 3000 years ago in Ancient Egypt and then in Greece around 400 BC. We know they were prominent in Ancient Egypt, because their fossilized remains have been found. And we know they were in Greece, because they appeared in the text of plays and other literature from that era.

But the bugs themselves are as old as time itself and are believed to have originally been a parasitic bug that feasted on bats, and then moved on to humans when humans began sharing habitat space in caves with the flying vampires.

And as humans moved from caves to homesteads to villages to town to cities to metropolises, bed bugs traveled with them. Originating in northern Africa and the Middle East, bed bugs soon were found in civilizations across Europe and Asia. And as the colonists left Europe to embark on a new life in the New World, they brought bed bugs with them over on the ships, thus beginning the infestation of what would become the United States. It is believed that bed bugs (like rats and many diseases) did not exist on the North American continent until the settlers brought them over.  This belief is based on the fact that no signs that native Americans had bed bugs prior to colonization have ever been discovered.

But bed bugs don’t just live in the U.S., they can be found anywhere with a temperate climate. If you discover someone you know has bedbugs, take extra precautions. And keep reading to look for other signs to see whether or not you have bedbugs around your bedroom, or elsewhere in your home.

How Bed Bugs Spread Throughout History

Nowadays it’s easy to see how bed bugs can spread to all four corners of the earth – via airplane. But originally, they spread on horse drawn wagons and in people’s possessions who walked across vast distances on land.  And then, of course, ships brought bed bugs to new continents as people from Asia and Europe traveled throughout the world.

And later, as the railroad was developed, they had the means to easily travel across land via rail-car. And when passengers disembarked and stayed at the litany of dingy hotels that could be found near railroad stops, bed bugs would attach themselves to the clothing and travel bags of travelers and spread from railroad stations to homesteads.

Today, it is common to find bed bugs in all modes of transportation, such as airplanes, buses, and trains (including subway cars, monorails and light rails). But bed bugs are no longer found just on transportation vessels and places to sleep, they are now being found everywhere where people gather – from movie theaters to office buildings to stores to schools. The infestations are becoming more and more widespread.

Is Any Place Safe, or Immune, to Bed Bugs?

No place is really safe or immune to bed bug infestations within their temperature preferences. Bed bugs like temperate climates, so nothing too hot, nor too cold, and they will thrive.  If you look at the list of cities in the United States that have the biggest bed bug epidemics, you will discover that many of those cities are cold during the winter, such as Philadelphia, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. So when I write too cold, I mean Sibveria cold, not Cleveland cold.

But even history shows us bed bugs traveled to colder climates.  While as we pointed out above, bed bugs are believed to have originated in the northern Africa and the middle east, they soon traveled with humans north to colder regions such as Germany and England. 

And when they came to the new world, the pilgrims who brought them landed in the northeast area of the United 
States, which suffers some of the most frigid winters in America. 

Why Are They Called “Bed” Bugs?

Bed bugs got their common name, primarily because they feast on people while they sleep in their beds. Hence the term “bed bugs.” They’ve also been called a litany of other names such as “well lice”, “red coates”, and “mahogany flats.”

They attack people in bed, because when humans sleep, especially in their deepest sleep, they give off carbon dioxide which bed bugs can smell. And when they sense the carbon dioxide and notice it is dark, they crawl from their hiding places onto their host and feed.

Most of us have heard the refrain: “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” It is believed the popular saying originated in the 1800’s and had to do with mattress pads that were stuffed with corn husks, straw, and other materials that were natural hiding places for bed bugs. The saying though, most likely originated because of the first part “sleep tight”, meaning sleeping soundly, and the bed bugs lived in the straw filled mattresses and it just became a fun rhyming mechanism. See this article on the phrase from Indiana University Bloomington for more information on the etymology of the saying.

The Eradication and Resurgence of Bed Bugs the United States

Yes, bed bugs at one time were thought to be eradicated in the United States. This was due to the many harsh chemicals that we used to kill them. Everything from DDT (most common) to Malathion and Propoxur. DDT was outlawed in the U.S. in 1972. And both Malathion and Propoxur in the 1990’s were banned during the presidency of Bill Clinton, when the EPA banned major chemicals and the congress passed strong pesticide laws.

So spread of bed bugs in the modern world, and especially the United States, can be attributed to variety of factors: the elimination of DDT and other cancerous causing chemicals, a much easier world to travel thanks to airplanes, and a host of other countries where travel has been made easier by them becoming freer and more democratic. By the 1990’s the United States saw the emergence of bed bugs again. And by the 2000’s, bed bugs had infested virtually every corner of the country.

With these influences, it’s easy to see how bed bugs have not only survived throughout history, but have propagated even in today’s times. Bed bugs today are one of the most reported nuisances to pest control companies in the United States. And unfortunately, thanks to the outlawing of chemicals, one of the most difficult to pests to destroy. Although there are many non-toxic solutions to killing bed bugs, the treatments take longer. But on the flip side, it is much better for humans, pets and the environment, and just as dangerous for the bed bugs. See our article on natural ways for treating bed bugs.