The Hidden Bloodsuckers Behind Urbanization: Bedbugs as "Humanity's Oldest Neighborhood Trouble"!

1. Prologue──A Moving Shadow by the Pillow on a Summer Night

In the city at midnight. As you were peering into your smartphone, a post with the hashtag **"#BedBugsAreCrazy" caught your eye on the timeline. It featured a photo of a small, brown bug running across a purple train seat, accompanied by a series of trembling emojis—"Apparently, they appeared on the line I was on too," "I can't sit anywhere anymore." In Tokyo's commuter trains, there was a viral report of a passenger actually capturing a bug with tape and handing it to a station attendant.nlab.itmedia.co.jp.

This "new face of fear" is actually an old friend that shares the longest history with humanity. 60,000 years ago, when Neanderthals left their caves, bedbugs that had clung to bats also embarked on a journey—and even tonight, they quietly continue their existence in our bedding.

2. Genomes Reveal the "First Urban Pest"

In May 2025, a paper published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters astonished entomologists worldwide.

• Research Team: Dr. Lindsey Miles and Associate Professor Warren Booth from Virginia Tech, USA

• Method: Whole-genome comparison of 19 specimens (9 human lineage, 10 bat lineage) collected in places like the Czech Republic

• Main Results

  1. Divergence into two lineages about 245,000 years ago

  2. Both lineages experienced a drastic population decline during the **Ice Age (about 20,000 years ago)**

  3. Only the human lineage rapidly recovered 13,000 years ago—synchronized with the beginning of agricultural settlement

  4. During the emergence of Mesopotamian cities 7,000 years ago, there was another rapid increase, followed by exponential expansion

Researchers concluded that "bedbugs likely became 'urban creatures' historically earlier than cockroaches or black rats," granting them the title of "the oldest urban pest."phys.orgsmithsonianmag.com.

Furthermore, the team identified mutations in genes related to insecticide resistance. The genome supported the mystery of how populations, once drastically reduced by the introduction of DDT, rebounded with resistance in just five years.

3. The "Revival Bedbug" Creeping into Japan

3-1. Triggers of the Resurgence

• In the 1970s, Japan nearly eradicated bedbugs due to improved sanitation and widespread use of pesticides

• In the late 2000s, the increase in inbound tourists and globalization of logistics led to their re-entry

• Reports of large outbreaks in France and South Korea around the 2024 Paris Olympics added fuel to the fire

The number of consultations at dermatology clinics in Japansoared to more than three times the pre-pandemic level in 2023, and in some prefectures, data shows that public health consultation lines were overwhelmedhealthist.net.

3-2. Infiltrating Living Spaces

• Train Seats: A passenger post was reposted over 10,000 times, spreading the warning "Beware of cars with fabric seats"nlab.itmedia.co.jp

• Internet Cafes: An infiltration video garnered 820,000 views, leading to the catchphrase "Retreat immediately if you find blood feces"nlab.itmedia.co.jp

• Private Lodgings and Budget Hotels: Checklist images and the "suitcase retreat method in the bathroom" went viral

These posts frequently topped the Yahoo! Real-time Search trending words, leading to the creation of hashtag cultures like "#BedBug" and "#BedbugPolice."

4. The "Three Temperature Differences" of Japanese People Reflected on SNS

In a reader survey conducted by ITmedia Netorabo, 57% of respondents answered "I've never seen them in person, but I'm scared," highlighting that "information disasters" are preceding actual harmnlab.itmedia.co.jp.

5. Five Steps to "Fear Correctly" Taught by Experts

6. Co-Evolving with Bedbugs

Every time humans left caves, lit fires, built cities, and traveled across borders, bedbugs accompanied them with a "free pass."The genome almost completely traces these footprints, and social media visualizes the ongoing spread."

Dr. Miles, a biologist, states, "The study of urban pests is a mirror of human society." As the population estimation curve shows two phases of acceleration 13,000 years ago and 7,000 years ago, human "concentration" and "movement" are key .

On the other hand, social media spreads fear faster than infectious diseases. Without resistance to information , our lives could be compromised before the pests.

7. Conclusion—"The city is a 'symbiotic sphere' for humans and bedbugs"

• Bedbugs are a byproduct of urbanization , and as long as cities exist, complete eradication is impossible.

• Science deciphers the logic of evolution and updates drugs and behavioral guidelines.

• Citizens have no choice but to opt for "non-coexistent symbiosis" with accurate information and social literacy .

When you find yourself scrolling through your smartphone late at night and come across "#BedbugsAreScary," before kicking off your covers in fear, check the basis and countermeasures of that post. This is our wise way of dealing with the "neighbors" we've had for 60,000 years .

References & Web Information

Main reference sources:

• Biology Letters papers & Phys.org articlesphys.org

• Smithsonian Magazine commentarysmithsonianmag.com

• Healthist "Rapid Increase Due to Global Human Movement!"Trends and Measures of Bedbugs" healthist.net

• ITmedia Netlab "Bedbugs on the Train" "Found in Internet Cafe"nlab.itmedia.co.jpnlab.itmedia.co.jp

• Wikipedia "Bedbugs" Basic Informationja.wikipedia.org