The Non-Mystery of the Bed Bug Epidemic

by Jeffrey Tucker
Sep. 14, 2010

The New York Times Science article headline says that the scary resurgence of the bed bug is baffling to scientists, but the bafflement evaporates by page 2 of the story: “Many pesticides don't work, and some that do are banned.”

Ah ha! Bingo. The nasty critters had been wiped out by the 1950s, and now they are back thanks to government regulation. DDT was the ideal solution, is out of the question because…no one knows. The EPA keeps refusing to authorize propoxur, even though it works pretty well, since the government has to save us from chemicals, don’t you know, even when these bloodsucking fiends are taking over the whole country.

The reason for the panic is explained by May Berenbaum:

there is a particular horror associated with being consumed while relatively helpless, asleep in what should be the security of one's own bed (or chair or couch). With bedbugs, it's personal -- unlike cockroaches, ants, silverfish and other vermin that are attracted to our possessions, bedbugs are after us. And they're remarkably adept at circumventing our defenses: They not only attack while we sleep, but they also inject anesthetics, so as not to awaken us, and anticoagulants, so that in every 10-minute feeding they can suck in two to three times their weight in clot-free blood.

Meanwhile, the NYT has even weighed in with an editorial, warning us not to “blame environmentalists.” That’s right: we should blame government regulators who listened to environmentalists.

What’s the government doing now? The EPA offers some uninspiring advice:

Reducing clutter where bed bugs can hide through storage/ and or disposal of item
Eliminating bed bug habitats
Physically removing bed bugs through cleaning

You can check your state and the infestation level at the bedbug registry.

The Volokh Conspiracy has more detail on this incredible debacle.