'They don't bother me at all': The man who chooses to sleep with bedbugs for science
Summary
Entomologist Richard Naylor has spent five years using himself as a host to test bedbug control products in a laboratory suite at his home in Gloucestershire. He says he has largely stopped reacting to the bites and sleeps with the insects when tests require a person in the bed.Key Facts
- Naylor breeds about 50,000 to 60,000 bedbugs for research and product testing.
- He feeds around 20,000 bedbugs on his arm every three to four days.
- Naylor says he sleeps with the bugs when testing sprays, repellents, or devices because bedbugs need a host to become active.
- He runs the not-for-profit Bed Bug Foundation and sends bedbugs to canine detection teams and businesses around the world.
- Naylor says bedbugs have become resistant to modern insecticide sprays, making infestations difficult to eliminate.
- A pharmacist quoted in the article says bites can be itchy but do not usually pose health risks; scratching may lead to infection.
- The NHS says severe allergic reactions to bedbug bites are possible but rare.
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