Scientific research on bedbugs has shed new light on a possible extermination technique.

Homosexual mounting is a common behaviour in bed bugs as male sexual interest is directed towards any newly fed individual. The only mode of copulation in the common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is by traumatic insemination, where the male pierces the female abdomen with his needle-like penis. Homosexual mating would result in abdominal injuries in mounted males, as males lack the female counteradaptive spermalege structure. I here show that bed bug alarm pheromones, previously hypothesized to be a predator chemical defence, can be used by newly fed males to signal their sex and reduce the risk of homosexual mating. Mechanical blocking of the male pheromone glands significantly increased homosexual mounting duration compared to control males, while applying male extracts containing mainly alarm pheromone onto male–female mating pairs completely interrupted or shortened mating duration and reduced sperm transfer. Males confined with other males received piercing scars, demonstrating that homosexual mating occurs. The focal males in the all-male confinement experiment had reduced longevity compared to singly held males, but why this reduction in longevity occurred is not clear. Mounted males thus benefit from being able to discharge alarm pheromones, while mounting males consider the alarm signal a major sex identification cue, suggesting that male bed bugs use alarm pheromone communication to avoid homosexual harassment and mounting.To sum all that up for you, male bedbugs will mate try to mate with any bedbug that has fed recently. The male bedbug also has an extremely sharp, needle like penis, which is used to piece the abdomen of a female bedbug. Because of this, female bedbugs have a special piece of armour plating that directs the male bedbug's razor sharp member into its safe and proper place. Male bedbugs do not have this piece of armor plating.

If specific pheromones are applied to a bedbug infestation, it can cause the males of the species to go into a sex crazed frenzy, essentially causing the male population of bedbugs to rape each other to death.

While this study is interesting (you can read it here), and could possibly play an important role in future bed bug control methods, there is no product on the market today that uses this method. Bizarre though, huh?

If you suspect you have bedbugs, CALL BIO-CLEAN IMMEDEATLY! They spread exponentially over time, infesting an entire house within just a few days. Not only do they reproduce quickly, but their sticky eggs attach to shoes and clothing-- your bedbugs infestation could quickly be shared by your friends and loved ones! If you think you have bedbugs, call bio-clean today.

Labels: bed bugs, bedbugs