1982
A.G. Wheeler, Jr. (1982) Somebody’s Been Sleeping in My Bed! A Comprehensive Look at the Infamous Bed Bug, a Pest that has Plagued Man Since the Beginning of Civilization. Pest Control Technology 10(2): 38-44 [article is a revised excerpt from Mallis 6th ed.] AFPMB library accession number: 111083:
Despite the development of insecticide resistance in certain populations, bed bugs are no longer regarded as common household pests. Most pest control specialists probably make fewer than a dozen bed bug calls each year, and some have never seen an infestation.
Bed bug problems, however, still occur, in the most luxurious of homes, and the pest control operator must be prepared to treat an insect with which he has had little experience. Pratt (1958) cautions that because most homeowners still think of this pest as a sign of slovenly housekeeping, the control specialist should use considerable tact when investigating problems, especially in more affluent surroundings.
1990
Byron Reid (1990) Don’t Let the Bedbugs Bite. Pest Control 58(6): 48-50 AFPMB library accession number: 148825:
Indeed, their principal medical importance is associated with the itching associated with their bites. Far more important is the social stigma associated with bedbugs, which arises from the public’s perception that bedbug infestations arrive because of poor personal hygiene and bad housekeeping.
There was a time when pest control operators received calls about infestations of bedbugs on a regular basis.
However, in the last 40 years the incidence and prevalence of bedbug infestations has been greatly reduced by synthetic organic insecticides. Development of effective, persistent residual insecticides has made control of bedbug infestations a relatively easy matter. As a result, the frequency of bedbug control infestations and the need for control operations have dropped to their current low levels.
This situation, while beneficial to human populations in general, has had the unfortunate side effect of giving most pest control operators little opportunity to gain practical experience in dealing with this most challenging insect pest. But in this and other industrial countries, the well-publicized rise in people living in substandard housing and in the street has been associated with an increase in bedbug infestations.
Bonus (Reid, 1990):
But even with today’s effective insecticides, poor inspections causing failure to find all bedbug hiding places will result in inadequate control. So just as with all other pest control situations, the first step in controlling bedbugs is to thoroughly inspect the premises and define the extent of infestation.
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