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Research was plentiful at the National Pest Management Association’s (NPMA’s) Global Bed Bug Summit, which was held in Nov. 30 to Dec. 2 in Indianapolis. Even presenters without Ph.D.s quoted facts and figures related to Cimex lectularius.
Bed bugs are being put under a microscope so we can better understand their behavior. And once we know more about bed bug behavior, pest management professionals (PMPs) can devise ways to more effectively control them.
One of the six researchers who presented on the first day of the event issued a call for bed bugs. That’s right, he needs your specimens to help prove his theories.
Dr. Warren Booth, assistant professor, College of Engineering and Natural Sciences, The University of Tulsa in Oklahoma, is conducting genetic research to determine the source of resurgent bed bug populations. If you have bed bugs to spare (and who doesn’t?), contact him at warren-booth@utulsa.edu.
Research continues to change the way we think about bed bugs, and now you can do your part so we can learn more about the pests that have crawled the earth for 2 million years. (And how do we know that? Research, of course.)
Managing Editor Diane Sofranec can be reached at dsofranec@northcoastmedia.net or 216-706-3793.