Dr. Schmidt explains the world: How many insects are in my bed?

France has recently had to contend with a bed bug infestation. Is that bad?

Actually not. Bed bugs are nocturnal animals that bite us humans, similar to mosquitoes. They have a proboscis that pierces our skin to draw blood. They mainly nest where there is a lot of tourist traffic. And in France these were mainly hotels.

How many bedbugs usually live in our beds?

In most cases, probably none at all. Because they don’t go unnoticed for long. They can only reproduce if they have food. They sting people to feed themselves. And when they do that, people will complain. And then someone will take care of the little beasts. So in this respect, the quantity will be limited.

Do bedbugs transmit any diseases?

This was once assumed – and perhaps this is still true in certain areas where many blood-borne diseases are found. But for us, bedbugs are only considered disgusting and not dangerous.

Do the animals nest somewhere other than mattresses?

Yes, they can also hide under a picture frame or under the wallpaper.

What else lives in my bed?

Much.

Silverfish?

Rather not. They like a slightly different climate than yours in bed.

But the mattress is full of insects, right?

The animal that is most common there, the house dust mite, is an arachnid. Unlike bed bugs, they cannot be seen with the naked eye. You can see traces of feces from the bugs and sometimes parts of the skin because they shed their skin at certain intervals as they grow. If we include microbes, fungi and bacteria, then we can easily reach a five-digit number of species in the apartment. But in the area of ​​multicellular organisms this is limited.

Do mites bite like bedbugs?

No, house dust mites feed on skin flakes and whatever else falls off of us humans.

Bed, pictures and wallpaper – the household is full of little creepy crawlies.

For a few years now, researchers have been studying residential buildings as independent biotopes. They typically provide greenhouse conditions for all sorts of animals. Also species that do not otherwise exist in the wild here.

For example?

Over the course of the 20th century, the pharaoh ant made its way into our homes. She likes it warm and dry. This is possible all year round in centrally heated houses. And you won’t be able to get rid of them so easily.

Like cockroaches.

They are a little less robust. I think cockroaches are the most robust insects there are. They are now resistant to many pesticides. In addition, many cockroaches lay eggs that themselves have a chitin shell and are therefore particularly protected.