Scientists Develop Nontoxic Alternative to Control Bedbugs

Drawing inspiration from a traditional Balkan remedy that uses kidney bean leaves to trap bedbugs, scientists at UC Irvine and the University of Kentucky have incorporated a technique to document how microscopic hairs on the leaves can trap biting insects effectively.

In the age-old folk remedy, people protected themselves from bedbugs by scattering bean leaves next to their beds. When the bugs scuttled across the leaves, which are layered with microscopic hairs known as trichomes, they got trapped. The moment the bugs stepped on them, they got entangled in the trichromes and the next morning the people would burn the leaves, reports Sciencemag.org.  

In recent years, the population of bedbugs has been on a rise in the U.S. They are spotted everywhere, right from hotels and offices, to schools and theaters. Though they don't spread any disease, their bites cause itching, swelling, and psychological distress. People suffering with these pests often turn to protective measures such as freezing, burning, vacuuming or poisoning.

A study published in the journal of the Royal Society Interface is a collaborative, in which scientists used bean leaves as templates to microfabricate materials that closely match the leaves geometrically. They noticed that the synthetic material could catch bedbugs temporarily, but was not as effective as the bean leaves themselves.

Bean leaves are doubtless the best remedy to control bedbugs, but the only drawback is that they don't last very long, as they dry out. Also, their usage is very limited as they cannot be used anywhere else other than floors.

As an alternate to bean leaves, the synthetic materials could be a nontoxic option. Scientists are working on an effective remedy to replicate the effect.

Catherine Loudon, an entomologist and lead author of the paper said in a press statement, "Plants exhibit extraordinary abilities to entrap insects. Modern scientific techniques let us fabricate materials at a microscopic level, with the potential to 'not let the bedbugs bite' without pesticides."