Bed bugs reach an all-time high

According to Google Trends, that is:

Insofar as internet search interest in particular insects reflects infestation levels, it seems summer 2010 is a banner year for our little cimicid friends. Peaks occur every summer as rising temperatures increase both the reproductive rate of the bugs and their motility.

Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug

Incidentally, it’s a shame Gawker can’t seem to figure out what real bed bugs look like. I certainly wouldn’t mind an infestation of stag beetles. That’d actually be kinda cool.

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A Plague of Bed Bugs

Cimex lectularius - the common bedbug

Bed bugs are back.  The resurgence of these blood-feeding pests is perhaps the biggest entomological story of the past decade.  Take a look, for instance, at the Google search volume for “bed bugs” over the past few years:

Google Trends shows an increase in bed bug interest relative to other pests, 2004-2009

Why am I telling you all of this?

I’ve just posted a new online bed bug photo gallery.  I was fortunate to get my hands on a vial of live bed bugs recently, and it turns out that the little guys are excellent entomological models. Cute, cuddly, and willing to work with feed from the photographer.  I’ve posted some of the shots below, and the full series is at alexanderwild.com.

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