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In the 1800's, bedbugs were a significant pest in parts of both the ][United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]].  Government Entomologist  Dr. Riley, PhD, described the ubiquity of bed bugs in 1889:

In the 1800's, bedbugs were a significant pest in parts of both the ][United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]].  Government Entomologist  Dr. Riley, PhD, described the ubiquity of bed bugs in 1889:

{{cquote|I have occasionally met with a favored individual who had never seen a bed bug; but such fortunate people are rare and there are very few housekeepers who have not, by accident perhaps, or through slovenly servants, made the intimate acquaintance of the ubiquitous pest…. It’s odor and the effects of its bites are universally known, and the word “bed buggy” has entered our literature as descriptive of a particular class of odors.}}

{{cquote|I have occasionally met with a favored individual who had never seen a bed bug; but such fortunate people are rare and there are very few housekeepers who have not, by accident perhaps, or through slovenly servants, made the intimate acquaintance of the ubiquitous pest…. It’s odor and the effects of its bites are universally known, and the word “bed buggy” has entered our literature as descriptive of a particular class of odors.}}<ref>Chris Hebbern,''All about bed bugs'', Skeptic North., Sept. 2, 2010</ref>

In the 1930s there were large sections of London where every house was infested, resulting in an investigation by the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Act of 1936 which required councils to take action. Toxic fumigation using sulfur dioxide (sulfur candles) or hydrogen cyanide, are reported to have helped reduce infestations by up to 80%, with DDT later becoming the primary insecticide. Declining numbers overall continued from the late 30s through 1980s until the recent resurgence.<ref>Chris Hebbern,''All about bed bugs'', Skeptic North., Sept. 2, 2010</ref>

In the 1930s there were large sections of London where every house was infested, resulting in an investigation by the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Act of 1936 which required councils to take action. Toxic fumigation using sulfur dioxide (sulfur candles) or hydrogen cyanide, are reported to have helped reduce infestations by up to 80% in a town under study. DDT became the primary insecticide beginning in 1945. Declining numbers overall continued from the late 30s through 1980s until the recent resurgence. Some state laws once required that the furniture be tagged as fumigated before it could be resold.  

Diligence and use of the pesticide DDT in the 1950s and broadbased pesticides also resulted in the virtual disappearance of bedbugs overall in the United States. Some state laws once required that the furniture be tagged as fumigated before it could be resold.  

Diligence and use of the pesticide DDT in the 1950s and broadbased pesticides also resulted in a dramatic reduction of bedbugs overall in the United States, though significant reservoirs of bed bug infestation persisted

through this period, particularly in inner-city areas. During the bed bug recession period of the 1950s, infestations were

mainly found in homeless shelters, and prisons, while during in the period 1967-73, about 61% of infestations were found in domestic residential property, while about 25% were in institutional settings<ref> [http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=15&ved=0CI8BEBYwDg&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.icup.org.uk%2Freports%255CICUP911.pdf&ei=_7fkTMOcM4X7lwfpgvC1Cw&usg=AFQjCNHAv-kTckL-i94tT9QVwttxl-L2YQ&sig2=nWe_LzSDoRelL73t_I6ljg  ''Bed bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae): An evidence-based analysis of the current situation,'' Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Urban Pests], p. 9, 2008</ref></ref>

In the year 2000 reported infestations of bedbugs began a dramatic increase, the prime causes of which are yet debated. Social aspects such as  increased travel immigration and population density, clutter, etc. have all been blamed, as well as changing pest control products and methods and the development of strains of bedbugs that are resistant to insecticides. As regards the latter, one theory for the cause of bedbug resurgence postulates that use of DDT and its successors ([[DDT ban|DDT was banned]], effective Jan 1, 1973) on household pests such as the German [[cockroach]] also killed bedbugs before they became established in a home. After roaches developed resistance to every insecticide used, hydramethylnon bait was introduced in the early 1980s, which provided superior effectiveness. This resulted in a switch from spraying and dusting and baseboard treatment which also controlled bedbug populations, to the use of baits and Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) in the early 1990s. In addition, besides DDT, many more pesticides, including broad spectrum residual chemicals, were banned or heavily restricted in the United States during the past few decades, and many developing countries have also banned many powerful pesticides, due to the danger of harmful effects to humans. <ref>[http://waronbedbugs.blogspot.com/2007/03/tracing-cause-of-bedbug-epidemic.htmlThe War on Bedbugs]</ref>  

The current resurgence of bedbug infestations appears to have started almost synchronously in the late 1990’s in Europe, the United States, and in Australia. 2007 Data from a survey of pest control companies in the latter country indicated a 4500% increase over seven years.<ref>''Bed bugs (Hemiptera: Cimicidae): An evidence-based analysis of the current situation,'' Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Urban Pests, p. 1, 2008</ref><ref>Doggett S.L. and R.C. Russel, ''Bed bugs: Recent Trends and developments,'' Australian </ref>

 

 

The prime causes of the increased bedbug infestations are yet debated. Social aspects such as  increased travel immigration and population density, clutter, etc. and even climate change (dismissed), have all been blamed, as well as changing pest control products and methods and the development of strains of bedbugs that are resistant to insecticides. As regards the latter, one theory for the cause of bedbug resurgence postulates that use of DDT and its successors ([[DDT ban|DDT was banned]], effective Jan 1, 1973) on household pests such as the German [[cockroach]] also killed bedbugs before they became established in a home. After roaches developed resistance to every insecticide used, hydramethylnon bait was introduced in the early 1980s, which provided superior effectiveness. This resulted in a switch from spraying and dusting and baseboard treatment which also controlled bedbug populations, to the use of baits and Insect Growth Regulators (IGRs) in the early 1990s. In addition, besides DDT, many more pesticides, including broad spectrum residual chemicals, were banned or heavily restricted in the United States during the past few decades, and many developing countries have also banned many powerful pesticides, due to the danger of harmful effects to humans. <ref>[http://waronbedbugs.blogspot.com/2007/03/tracing-cause-of-bedbug-epidemic.htmlThe War on Bedbugs]</ref>  

Dr. Michael Potter, a  professor and urban entomologist at the University of Kentucky, stated, “What made this problem pretty much go away for decades was the availability of very effective, long-lasting insecticides that were cheap, affordable and available not only to pest control companies but to consumers over the counter,” he said. Having conducted a study comparing older pesticides to those used today, he found insecticides in two families, organophosphites and carbamates, are especially effective at eradicating bedbugs.  While some of these compounds can be found in insect traps or spot treatments, most are no longer permitted for use by pest-control professionals in North America.<ref>''FAQ about Bedbugs: Pesticide bans have led to a resurgence of the dreaded pest,'' National Post, August 7, 2010</ref>

Dr. Michael Potter, a  professor and urban entomologist at the University of Kentucky, stated, “What made this problem pretty much go away for decades was the availability of very effective, long-lasting insecticides that were cheap, affordable and available not only to pest control companies but to consumers over the counter,” he said. Having conducted a study comparing older pesticides to those used today, he found insecticides in two families, organophosphites and carbamates, are especially effective at eradicating bedbugs.  While some of these compounds can be found in insect traps or spot treatments, most are no longer permitted for use by pest-control professionals in North America.<ref>''FAQ about Bedbugs: Pesticide bans have led to a resurgence of the dreaded pest,'' National Post, August 7, 2010</ref>