Bed bugs are not merely a contemporary annoyance. Recent studies indicate they have coexisted with us since our ancestors began residing in caves approximately 60,000 years ago, potentially making them the oldest household pests in our history.
The research, featured in *Biology Letters*, explored the genetic lineage of two types of bed bugs. One variety resided on bats, while the other transitioned to humans. Both groups faced a decline during the last Ice Age; however, only the bed bugs that adapted to humans bounced back.
As humankind started to evolve and establish permanent communities about 12,000 years ago, bed bugs discovered an ideal setting for proliferation. Their numbers increased in tandem with the emergence of early cities such as Mesopotamia. This chronology positions them as older pests than even rats or cockroaches in domestic environments.
“Warren Booth, a study co-author and an associate professor of urban entomology at Virginia Tech, noted, ‘There were bed bugs cohabitating in the caves with these humans, and when they migrated, they carried a portion of the population with them.'” This phenomenon accounts for the lower genetic diversity observed in the human-adapting bugs compared to their bat-associated cousins.
The research team concentrated on “effective population size,” a concept denoting the number of individuals that contribute to subsequent generations. This information enabled the researchers to trace the fluctuations of bed bug populations alongside human history. The bed bugs that opted for human hosts adapted successfully and are now prevalent worldwide.
According to lead author Lindsay Miles, the study provides enhanced insights into how pests have evolved in close proximity with us. It also poses inquiries regarding other species that may have undergone similar shifts from wild to urban habitats.
Currently, bed bugs inhabit furniture, walls, and bedding, feeding on human blood. They prove difficult to eradicate and are easily spread. Their extensive association with humans illustrates the challenges of completely evading a pest once it has acclimated to living alongside us.
