At night, these parasites crawl onto your bed, bite you and suck your blood. Then they find a nearby hideout where they leave disgusting telltale signs. But these pests have an Achilles’ heel that stops them cold.
SUBSCRIBE to Deep Look!
Join our community on Patreon!
DEEP LOOK is a ultra-HD (4K) short video series created by KQED San Francisco and presented by PBS Digital Studios. See the unseen at the very edge of our visible world. Explore big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small.
Adult bed bugs are about the size and color of an apple seed. After biting, they hide in a nearby cranny, like the seam of the mattress.
At the University of California, Irvine, biologist and engineer Catherine Loudon is working to create synthetic surfaces that could trap bed bugs. She was inspired by the tiny hooked hairs that grow from the leaves of some varieties of beans, such as kidney and green beans. In nature, these hairs, called trichomes, pierce through the feet of the aphids and leafhoppers that like to feed on the plants.
Researchers have found that these pointy hairs are just as effective against bed bugs, even though the bloodsucking parasites don’t feed on leaves. Loudon’s goal is to mimic a bean leaf’s mechanism to create an inexpensive, portable bed bug trap.
“You could imagine a strip that would act as a barrier that could be placed virtually anywhere: across the portal to a room, behind the headboard, on subway seats, an airplane,” Loudon said. “They have six legs, so that’s six opportunities to get trapped.”
— Where do bed bugs come from?
Bed bugs don’t fly or jump or come in from the garden. They crawl very quickly and hide in travelers’ luggage. They also move around on secondhand furniture, or from apartment to apartment.
— How can I avoid bringing bed bugs home?
“It would probably be a prudent thing to do a quick bed check if you’re sleeping in a strange bed,” said Potter. His recommendation goes for hotel rooms, as well as dorms and summer camp bunk beds. He suggests pulling back the sheet at the head of the bed and checking the seams on the top and bottom of the mattress and the box spring.
—+ For more tips, read the entire article on KQED Science:
—+ More Great Deep Look Episodes:
‘Parasites are Dynamite’ Playlist:
—+ 🏆Congratulations 🏆to the following fans for correctly identifying the creature’s species name in our community tab challenge:
Stay in Your Layne
Brian Lee
Brad Denney
Elise Wade
Raminta’s Photography
—+ Thank you to our Top Patreon Supporters ($10+ per month)!
Allen, Aurora Mitchell, Beckie, Ben Espey, Bill Cass, Bluapex, Breanna Tarnawsky, Carl, Chris B Emrick, Chris Murphy, Cindy McGill, Companion Cube, Cory, Daisuke Goto, Daisy Trevino , Daniel Voisine, Daniel Weinstein, David Deshpande, Dean Skoglund, Edwin Rivas, Elizabeth Ann Ditz, Eric Carter, Geidi Rodriguez, Gerardo Alfaro, Ivan Alexander, Jane Orbuch, JanetFromAnotherPlanet, Jason Buberel, Jeanine Womble, Jeanne Sommer, Jiayang Li, Joao Ascensao, johanna reis, Johnnyonnyful, Joshua Murallon Robertson, Justin Bull, Kallie Moore, Karen Reynolds, Katherine Schick, Kendall Rasmussen, Kenia Villegas, Kristell Esquivel, KW, Kyle Fisher, Laurel Przybylski, Levi Cai, Mark Joshua Bernardo, Michael Mieczkowski, Michele Wong, Nathan Padilla, Nathan Wright, Nicolette Ray, Pamela Parker, PM Daeley, Ricardo Martinez, riceeater, Richard Shalumov, Rick Wong, Robert Amling, Robert Warner, Samuel Bean, Sayantan Dasgupta, Sean Tucker, Shelley Pearson Cranshaw, Shirley Washburn, Sonia Tanlimco, SueEllen McCann, Supernovabetty, Tea Torvinen, TierZoo, Titania Juang, Two Box Fish, WhatzGames, Willy Nursalim, Yvan Mostaza
—+ Follow KQED Science and Deep Look:
Patreon:
Instagram:
Twitter:
KQED Science on kqed.org:
Facebook Watch:
—+ About KQED
KQED, an NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco, CA, serves Northern California and beyond with a public-supported alternative to commercial TV, radio and web media.
Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, which is also supported by the National Science Foundation, the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Fuhs Family Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.
#bedbug #bedbugtrap #bedbugbite
Very interesting video and some great closeup shots of these pesky bugs.
DON’T WATCH THIS WHILE EATING!!
May I know what plant is it?
this makes me want to buy a new mattress and new sheets and blankets
I'm an artist so I always have some chemical on me so I don't really itch when they bite me I guess I'm immune cus of lead posing
What is the name of that leaf
Yes the reason I am watching this is I think I have bed bugs well I do have bed bugs three times in three nights I've woken up with something crawling on me only to find this tiny little red insect that I now know is bed bugs can anyone tell me what I should do to get rid of them.
"the people form the balkans discoverd this years ago"
i'm from the balkans,and my grandma indeed did this,but with tomato plants instead of bean plants.
Warning!
If you are sensitive to bugs you might want to get out of this video
This video is only for educational purposes only.!
OMG ! I had a PTSD when I saw this video… I remember passing the worse days of my life when I found them in the new apartment I moved on.
My whole body was itching and I couldn't sleep. Consequences: my skin turned red and inflamed from scratching.
1. Bed bugs are really tiny so you barely can see it.
2. Not everyone is allergic to their "bites".
3. Idk if it's true : avoid used/old mattress + dirtiness helps their reproduction
4. Once you have them in your house, it's very difficult to get rid of
The music matches the subject a lot especially the beginning
This makes my skin feel itchy
Can people bring “BEDBUGS” into your car?????PLEASE HELP. I’ve never seen a bedbug in person so I goggled it.
Why make a non degradable synthetic one ? Don't get it!!
SEND HELP
Had bedbugs for 4 years, got rid of them by sleeping with no covers only the plastic the mattress came with.
I hate these creatures with passion.
video will tell you exterrminator don't reach their goal
the thing is insecticide only kill a percentage of bed bugs because they get used to it so in another words you have to use two insecticides at the same time since I have hardwood floors with many cracks where they can hide I put a generous amount of Diatomaceous Earth on the floor and broom it under the baseboard and into the floor cracks until the whole floor looks Dusty. I also put a plastic membrane Vapor Barrier kind under the mattress and box spring so in other words about bugs to tried your back to reach your mattress and move around in the insecticides and the gfms Earth and get pretty sick I tried this with many of my rooms and it works great and everybody is happy by using several Methods at the same time
I love bedbugs! Whoever else loves bedbugs, like
Just use Japanese 🦟 glue
They've already invented traps like this with glue
As a pest control technician, trust me be careful people. They are everywhere
I found some in my project house so I tried brake parts cleaner on 'em and it was very effective
#howtokillbedbugs
I became friends with my bed bugs, I also named them. At the morning i take my bed bugs for a walk
Nightmarish experience. Pulled bed away from wall and went after them twice a with flashlight a knife to get at them in cracks. And a piece of masking tape. To watch them suffer before crushing them. Awful. In the middle of the night you sense them, even if it’s just your imagination working.