If you've ever been unlucky enough to find them hiding in your mattress, or underneath your pillow, you know the headaches that can arise from an infestation of bedbugs.

The common bedbug (Cimex lectularius) is a small, flat parasitic insect that feeds primarily on human blood… while we're sleeping. 

Immunity to pesticides has allowed these insects to make a strong recovery in the developed world in recent decades, and has led to an increase in infestations.   

Althoughthe bites don't necessarily hurt, they can lead to skin irritations from scratching, psychological distress, and in some cases, severe allergic reactions. Furthermore, getting rid of bed bugs can be a nightmarish process involving costly fumigation bills.  

There has been lots of research into the early detection of bed bugs, and several groups are working on developing traps baited with pheromones. Pheromones are chemicals produced by animals that trigger a behavioural response from animals of the same species. For instance, they might indicate where an animal can find food, or shelter. 

The problem with bed bugs is that the appropriate chemicals have been hard to identify, specifically, the chemical that bedbugs use to communicate that a particular habitat is safe.  

Now, thanks to a scientist who was willing to sacrifice her own skin for the greater good, researchers at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in British Columbia, Canada, have uncovered that compound, and in doing so, have taken a big step toward developing a pheromone trap for these pesky parasites.  

In a research project few would envy, biologist Regine Gries allowed bed bugs to feast on her blood, enduring thousands of bites each week for five years. In total, it's estimated she has been bitten more than 180,000 times. Watch the CBC news report.

Regine agreed to play host for her biologist husband, Gerhard Gries, because her skin was only minimally affected by the bedbug bites. It may seem like a high price to pay (for love or for science), but it could soon be worth it. 

The couple, along with chemist Robert Britton, and a team of SFU students, found that bedbugs release very small amounts of histamine in their faeces and in the skin they shed after feeding. 

Researchers say the presence of histamine signals to bedbugs that a given shelter is safe, and keeps them stationary regardless of whether they've recently fed on human blood.

In addition to histamine, the team has identified and synthesised five other chemical components needed to lure bed bugs into traps. 

Testing the response of the bugs to each potential pheromone, however, meant collecting an enormous amount of shed skin and faeces, which required a lot of feeding – hence, the feasted-upon-forearm of Regine Gries.

After a series of successful trials in bedbug-infested apartments in Metro Vancouver, the team has this month published their research in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie.

Kenneth Haynes, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky, told Chemical & Engineering News this study could be the basis of "the breakthrough that is required to deal with this difficult pest".

The researchers are now working with Canadian company Contech Enterprises and expect an affordable commercial trap to be available next year.

Source: Chemical & Engineering News