Transcript
Research in nanotechnology has led to a promising solution to an ancient problem: bed bugs.
Bed bugs are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the
blood of people and animals while they sleep. Bed bugs are reddish-brown
in color, range from one to seven millimeters, and are wingless. They
can live several months without a blood meal.
Bed bug infestations usually occur around or near the areas where
people sleep. These areas include apartments, shelters, rooming houses,
hotels, cruise ships, buses, trains, and dorm rooms. They hide during
the day in places or objects around a bed.
Bed bugs have been shown to be able to travel over 100 feet in a
night, but tend to live within eight feet of where people sleep. A bed
bug bite affects each person differently. Bed bugs are not considered to
be dangerous; however, an allergic reaction to several bites may need
medical attention.
New York City consistently ranks in the top 10 or 15 cities with the
worst bed bug problem across the nation. And they are not easy to get
rid of.
But finally, bed bugs need to watch their step. Researchers at Stony
Brook University have developed a safe, non-chemical resource that
literally stops bed bugs in their tracks. This innovative new technology
acts as a man-made web consisting of microfibers 50 times thinner than a
human hair, which entangle and trap bed bugs and other insects. This
patent-pending technology is being commercialized by Fibertrap, a
private company that employs non-toxic pest control methods.
The nanotech solution was developed at Stony Brook University's
Center for Advanced Technology in Sensor Materials. According to team
leaders, the nanotechnology produces entanglements that are millions of
times more dense than conventional woven products such as fabrics or
carpets. The microfibers trap bed bugs by attaching to microstructures
on their legs, taking away their ability to move, which stops them from
feeding and reproducing.
Successful tests were performed using live bed bugs and termites in
Stony Brook University's Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center.
The microfibers are safe for humans and pets and, unlike chemical treatments, the insects cannot develop a resistance to it.
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