Bed bugs are far older than people, and most of their relatives still feed on bats and birds. The species that bite us have shared human homes for thousands of years, became rare after the insecticide DDT came into use, then came back. Rothamsted Research scientists date that comeback to the late 1990s, with insecticide resistance a major factor.
Reviewed by James Rhoades, Owner, ThermoPest · Last reviewed 16 October 2026
If you’ve just found bed bugs, it can help to know you’re dealing with one of the oldest pests people have. This guide covers where they came from, how people fought them in the past, why they nearly vanished and why they returned. Where we can, we name the UK research behind the dates and figures.
Where did bed bugs come from?
Bed bugs belong to a family of blood-feeding insects called the Cimicidae. In 2019, an international team including Professor Mike Siva-Jothy of the University of Sheffield published a family tree of bed bugs. The University of Sheffield’s summary of the study says bed bugs have been feeding on other species for more than 100 million years, which means they lived alongside the dinosaurs.
The study made three points that changed how scientists think about bed bug history:
- Bats weren’t their first host. Scientists had long assumed bed bugs started out on bats. The Sheffield summary says bed bugs evolved around 50 million years before bats did, so their very first host is still unknown.
- Most species still don’t bite people. Most bed bug species feed on bats, and others colonised birds.
- The two species that bite us are older than humans. The paper estimates that the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) and the tropical bed bug (Cimex hemipterus) split from each other about 47 million years ago, long before any human ancestors existed.
What did bed bugs feed on before humans?
Before people, the ancestors of today’s human bed bugs fed on other animals. An older idea is that bed bugs first fed on bats and then moved on to people sharing the same caves in the Mediterranean region. The 2019 study shows bed bugs are older than bats themselves, so exactly which animals passed them on to people isn’t settled. What is clear is that the species in your bedroom adapted to feeding on humans long before beds existed.
How long have bed bugs been around humans?
For thousands of years. In 1999, archaeologists Eva Panagiotakopulu and Paul Buckland reported bed bug remains from Tell el-Amarna in Egypt in the journal Antiquity. They concluded that bed bugs have troubled people for at least 3,550 years.
From there, bed bugs followed people as towns and trade grew. Historical accounts trace them reaching Italy by AD 100, China by AD 600, and Germany and France in the 1200s and 1400s. They were first reported in England in 1583, though they were probably here earlier.
Bed bugs also turn up in ancient Greek comedy, Roman medicine and early London writing. We cover those in our guide to bed bugs in folklore and literature.
Were bed bugs common in medieval times?
Yes, across much of Europe. The heat from sleeping and cooking fires let bed bugs live comfortably indoors, and that they were found in castles as well as in working people’s huts. The poor suffered most, because crowded, shared sleeping spaces made it easy for bugs to spread from bed to bed.
How did people deal with bed bugs in the past?
With a lot of effort and some dangerous methods. Remedies used before modern insecticides included:
- Boiling water to scald bugs in bedding, bed slats and springs.
- Fire: alcohol or paraffin poured over the joints of a bed and set alight. One 1777 guide even advised filling cracks in the bed with gunpowder and lighting it.
- Burning sulphur, sometimes called the “fire and brimstone” method.
- Poisons: arsenic and mercury compounds were typical remedies in the 1800s and early 1900s.
- Fumigation: hydrocyanic acid gas was the standard bed bug fumigant in the first half of the 20th century.
Many of these were as dangerous to people as to bugs. Please don’t try any of them at home.
Bed Bugs in Britain in the 1930s
Bed bugs were a big enough problem in Britain that the government studied them. According to entomologist C. G. Johnson’s report in the Journal of Hygiene (1941), a committee on the eradication of bed bugs, appointed by the Minister of Health, issued its report in 1934 and called for research into the insect’s biology. Johnson’s own research on bed bugs in Britain ran from 1935 to 1940. Through the 1930s and ’40s, bed bugs were a common problem in many towns and cities.
Why did bed bugs almost disappear?
Because of DDT, which was tested against bed bugs from 1942. It worked so well that, after a few years of civilian use, bed bugs became hard to find. Interest in using heat against bed bugs all but vanished once DDT arrived.
The decline didn’t last everywhere. DDT failures were being noticed by the late 1940s, as some bed bug populations became resistant.
When and why did bed bugs come back?
In a 2012 review in Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Davies, Field and Williamson of Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire describe a global resurgence that began in the late 1990s, affecting Europe, North America and Australia at about the same time. Researchers point to a few connected causes.
| Cause | What changed |
|---|---|
| Insecticide resistance | Many bed bug populations now survive the sprays that used to kill them |
| Fewer older treatments | Older insecticides were removed by regulation, leaving pyrethroids as the main option |
| Travel and movement | More people moving across cities and between countries, carrying bugs in luggage and belongings |
Insecticide Resistance
Resistance is the cause researchers stress most. The worldwide resurgence of the last two decades or so is largely put down to insecticide resistance. Bed bugs resist in several ways:
- a thicker or altered outer skin (cuticle) that lets less insecticide in
- more of the enzymes that break insecticides down
- genetic changes, known as kdr mutations, that stop some insecticides acting on their nerves
Fewer Older Treatments
The Rothamsted review explains that as regulations removed older chemicals, pyrethroids became the main way to control bed bugs, and growing resistance to pyrethroids is now causing treatment failures. And when whole classes of insecticide are taken off the market, there are fewer alternatives if a pest comes back.
Travel and How Bed Bugs Spread
Travel matters too: people move across towns and around the world more than ever. Bed bugs don’t fly or jump. They travel in luggage, clothing and second-hand furniture, which is why the NHS advises checking second-hand furniture before bringing it indoors, and checking luggage and clothing if you’ve stayed somewhere with bed bugs. Our guide on how to prevent bed bugs covers what to check.
Are bed bugs still on the rise?
Bed bugs are still a common problem, especially in cities with lots of travel and shared buildings. We’re not aware of an official count of infestations across the UK, so treat any single headline figure with care. For London figures, read how common bed bugs are in London and why.
One thing history makes clear: bed bugs aren’t a sign of a dirty home. The NHS says they’re found in both clean and dirty places. They’ve lived in castles and huts alike for centuries.
What do bed bugs cost people?
There are no reliable UK-wide figures for what bed bugs cost, but the kinds of cost are easy to see:
- Households: professional treatment, extra laundry, and replacing items that can’t be washed or treated. Lost sleep and worry are real costs too.
- Landlords: treatment, and time a property can’t be let while it’s dealt with.
- Hotels and short lets: rooms taken out of use, refunds and damaged reviews.
- Workplaces: disruption, and the risk of bugs travelling home with staff.
Acting early usually keeps costs down, because a small infestation is easier to treat than one that has spread to other rooms. For ThermoPest’s prices, see our pricing page.
What does history tell us about getting rid of bed bugs?
History’s main lesson is that quick fixes don’t last. Fire, poisons and burning sulphur didn’t solve the problem, and today’s shop-bought foggers and bug bombs tend to scatter bed bugs into new hiding places rather than clear them. Our guide to getting rid of bed bugs yourself explains what DIY can and can’t do.
Heat isn’t a new idea either: people were scalding bed bugs long before DDT. Because many bed bugs now resist sprays, heat has become important again. At ThermoPest our approach is heat-led, with targeted spray where it’s needed, so it reaches the cracks and seams where bugs and eggs hide. Return visits may be needed. Read how bed bug heat treatment works.
The good news is that bed bugs aren’t known to spread disease, as we explain in are bed bugs dangerous? The NHS advises contacting a pest control service, because it’s very difficult to get rid of them yourself.
FAQs
How long have bed bugs been around?
Much longer than people. A 2019 study involving the University of Sheffield found the bed bug family has existed for more than 100 million years. Bed bugs have lived with humans for at least 3,550 years, based on remains found at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt.
What did bed bugs do before beds were invented?
They fed on other animals, and most bed bug species still do. Many feed on bats and some on birds. The two species that bite people are older than humans, so they fed on other hosts before switching to us and settling into our sleeping places.
Were bed bugs common in medieval times?
Yes. Bed bugs had reached Germany and France by the 1200s and 1400s, and were found in rich castles and poor huts alike. They were first reported in England in 1583.
Why are bed bugs making a comeback?
Mainly because many bed bugs now resist common insecticides. Rothamsted Research scientists describe a global resurgence from the late 1990s, as older chemicals were withdrawn and resistance to pyrethroids grew. More travel and movement of people helps them spread to new homes.
What is the purpose of bed bugs?
Bed bugs don’t have a purpose in a human sense. They’re one family of blood-feeding insects among many, and most of their species live on bats and birds rather than people. The few species that feed on humans are simply very good at living alongside us.
Found signs of bed bugs at home?
If you’re waking up with bites or have spotted dark spots on the mattress, an inspection will confirm what you’re dealing with and where the bugs are hiding. ThermoPest is a member of the BPCA and NPTA, and our technicians arrive in unmarked vans.
