Advances in the Biology and Management of Modern Bed Bugs, by Stephen L. Doggett, Dini M. Miller and Chow-Yang Lee (Editors). Hoboken, NJ: WileyBlackwell, 2018, 472 pp.

Abstract

Bed bugs are blood-sucking ectoparasites that have long associated with human since ancient times in Egypt. Initially believed to be associated with bats in caves, this creature has since found its way into human dwellings and now has become an important pest of public health concern in urban areas. Once a common problem in most parts of the world including the temperate regions and the tropics up through the World War II era, bed bugs have been largely eradicated since due to wide scale usage of pesticides, especially DDT and Malathion. Nevertheless, during the late 1990’s there have been signs of bed bugs re-emergence globally. While scientists have not been able to confidently pinpoint a single cause for the resurgence, few theories have been suggested including increase rate of global travel and development of insecticide resistance.