Survived 100 Days Starving and Sucking Blood... Half of Seoul Infested with 'Bindae'

Recently, bed bugs found in jjimjilbangs and university dormitories nationwide have also appeared in Seoul. It has been identified that more than half of the 25 autonomous districts in Seoul have launched bed bug control measures.

Image unrelated to the article content. [Photo by Nowon Eulji University Hospital]

According to pest control specialists, a total of 24 bed bug control operations were carried out this month in 13 out of the 25 districts in Seoul. Most of these were in goshiwons and private homes.

Bed bugs are mainly found in beds, bedding, furniture, or cracks in walls, and are also called 'bed bugs' in English.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency stated regarding the bed bug outbreak, "Bed bugs are not vectors that transmit diseases, so epidemiological investigations are not conducted. However, information on the characteristics of bed bugs and control methods has been posted on the website. To prevent bed bug bites, it is recommended to spray household insecticides containing permethrin on bedding, and after everything is dry, ventilate the area."

The reason bed bugs, once thought to have been eradicated domestically, have recently reappeared is attributed to increased international trade, travel, and immigration. Resistance to powerful insecticides such as DDT and a decrease in the population of cockroaches, which were natural predators of bed bugs, have also been pointed out as causes.

Bed bugs, which are blood-sucking insects, can survive for about 90 to 100 days without feeding, and female bed bugs live for several months, laying approximately 100 to 200 eggs. Unlike mosquitoes, bed bugs feed on human blood from the moment they hatch from eggs throughout their lives, so their perceived reproductive capacity is higher.

Moreover, even if the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius, bed bugs do not easily disappear; they only experience difficulties in growth and hatching, and are known to survive for 70 to 150 days without feeding.

Additionally, due to resistance to insecticides, it is known that eradication with household insecticides is difficult. Laundry confirmed to be infested with bed bugs must be washed in water hotter than 70 degrees Celsius or exposed to hot air from a dryer for more than two hours to eliminate them.

A Seoul city official said, "We plan to create and distribute a bed bug prevention and management guidebook to district offices and others."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.