Infested: How the Bed Bug Infiltrated Our Bedrooms and Took Over the World

275 Pages·2015·13.95 MB·English

by  Brooke Borel

b r o o k e b o r e l
the university of chicago press • chicago and london
h o w t h e b e d b u g
i n f i l t r a t e d
o u r b e d r o o m s a n d
t o o k o v e r t h e
w o r l d
brooke borel is a science writer and journalist. She is a contributing editor to
Popular Science, where she authors the blog Our Modern Plague.
The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637
The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London
© 2015 by Brooke Borel
All rights reserved. Published 2015.
Printed in the United States of America
24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 1 2 3 4 5
ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 04193- 3 (cloth)
ISBN- 13: 978- 0- 226- 04209- 1 (e- book)
DOI: 10.7208/chicago/9780226042091.001.0001
“Party Rock Anthem” lyrics printed with permission of Peter Schroeder, David Listen-
bee, Stefan Gordy, and Skyler Gordy. Published by Nu 80’s Music LLC, Redfoo LLC, and
ESKAYWHY Publishing. Administered by Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc.
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Borel, Brooke, author.
Infested: how the bed bug infiltrated our bedrooms and took over the world /
Brooke Borel.
pages; cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-226-04193-3 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-226-04209-1 (e-book)
1. Bedbugs—History. I. Title.
QL523.C6B67 2015
595.7'54—dc23 2014035967
o This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48- 1992 (Permanence of Paper).
For Mike,
who endured years of bed bug stories
at every dinner party
Slovenly man has carried this abominable bug to all parts
of the civilized world.
leland ossian howard, 1902, chief
of the division of entomology, us
department of agriculture
The June bug’s got the golden wing,
The lightning bug the flame,
The bed bug’s got no wing at all,
But he gets there just the same.
The pumpkin bug’s got a pumpkin smell,
The squash bug smells the worst,
But the perfume of that old bed bug,
Is enough to make you burst.
When that bed bug comes down to my house,
I takes my walking cane,
Go get a pot and scald him hot!
Goodbye, Miss Liza Jane!
nursery rhyme, circa 1900s
Now do not raise your hands in amazement, I beseech you,
nor turn away, with uplifted eyes and disdainfully curled
lips, at my want of refinement, at my utter disregard of
taste. Do not even marvel at my presumption in present-
ing to your notice the humble, despised, loathed objects
discussed in this paper. Cast aside, for this one and only
time, I pray you, prejudice and old associations, and be-
lieve the sad, inglorious tales hanging around them false,
or at least much exaggerated. Fancy me a second Cinderella,
dwelling in by- corners, searching and sifting the debris of
your houses, and spying out hidden secrets of Unwelcome
Guests, who will visit you whether you like their company
or not.
charlotte taylor, “unwelcome
guests,” harper’s new monthly
magazine, december 1860

CONTENTS
prologue
MYSTERIOUS BITES
xi

one
CRYPTIC INSECT
meet the bed bug 1

two
THE FALL
ddt and the slaying of the beast 19

three
THE FORGOTTEN ERA
out of sight, out of mind 31

four
THE RETURN
a pyrethroid paradox 49

five
ANNIHILATION
by any means necessary 84

six
FEAR
when things go bite in the night 113
seven
MONEY
the wild west of the bed bug economy 136

eight
MYSTERIOUS RASH
the psychological toll of travel 160

nine
THE ORIGIN OF A SPECIES
the bed bug’s beginning 180

epilogue
HORROR, CURIOSITY, AND JOY
211

appendix 1
BROOKE’S BED BUG GUIDE
215

appendix 2
BED BUG SONGS
221

appendix 3
BED BUG LITERATURE
223

appendix 4
BED BUG LIMERICKS
227
aCkNOwlEdgmENTS 229
rEfErENCES 231
iNdEx 253