When bed bugs made a resurgence recently it was difficult for some authorities to get ahead of the problem
. As a result these pervasive little bugs spread like so much wild fire from old homes and apartments, through movie theaters and department stores, and into newer homes and newer apartments. Before we knew it pretty much every city in the country was once again fearing the midnight visits of bed bugs in a legit way once again.
Problem was, there was over time less of an understanding of how to identify bed bugs and even once you had a failure to continue to innovate extermination techniques in the face of their absence. As the scourge spread across the country and throughout cities bed bugs became something of an unspoken crisis. People had them but they were not so quick to discuss them in casual conversation. Bed bug infestation after bed bug infestation became a sort of hidden scarlet letter on each who came in contact with them.
Over time, as is so often the case, people faced the problem presented to them with innovation. Soon there were new ways to eliminate bed bugs. Mattress cases that would suffocate the bed bugs after just a few days. More effective cleaning processes that could get these bugs out of clothes that many assumed would never be wearable again. There were more effective sprays to deal with the infestation and a clearer understanding from everyone and everyone of how to identify bed bugs. Newspapers ran helpful tutorials on signs of a bed bug infestation and ways to manage the itchiness they caused.
The biggest innovation was probably the arrival of the bed bug canine, a dog specially trained to sniff out bed bugs specifically with the same focus that bomb and drug sniffing dogs have helped keep us safe for years. Soon companies were popping up across the country to offer the fool proof services of bed bug sniffing dogs to nervous renters and home owners. These dogs were effective and reliable and the companies were an honest gatekeeper from opportunistic exterminators looking to capitalize on bed bug fears.
In the end when the scourge of bed bug infestations reemerged in our cities we figured out how to once again tamp down their existence. While we likely are far off from permanently eliminating the bugs we now have a fighting chance against our individual infestations.