Bedbug scientist sleeps with insects

In the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, a scientist maintains a population of 60,000 bed bugs to evaluate commercial pest control methods. Dr. Richard Naylor, 45, runs the Bed Bug Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that produces research for the pest management industry. His work involves direct physical contact with the insects to observe their behavior under controlled conditions.

Naylor feeds the bugs twice a week by attaching pots of hungry insects to his forearms or legs with elastic bands. He works on his web administration tasks while the insects suck his blood. He reports that he can feed thousands of bugs in a short period. Once the insects are full, he swaps the pots for fresh ones. He has been bitten millions of times and says his immune system stopped reacting to the bites more than a decade ago.

The scientist states that he no longer experiences swelling or inflammation from the bites. He notes that most people react to bed bug bites with a reaction more severe than a mosquito bite, but his response has faded over time. He still experiences occasional symptoms of anemia. He estimates it takes about 40,000 bites to reach a state of non-reactivity, a threshold he crossed years ago.

Testing requires a human host because bed bug behavior changes in the absence of people. The insects are triggered by carbon dioxide from breath and body heat. Without a person in the room, the bugs sleep and do not move, making it difficult to test traps and sprays. Naylor sleeps with the bugs in a self-contained two-bedroom suite in his garden to test new devices and repellents.

His wife, Alexia, has worked in the business for 15 years. She is a former biology teacher and is accustomed to his work with animals. Naylor says she is not jealous of his bedmates. He notes that they have been together since he was 16, when his bedroom was filled with unusual pets like tarantulas and scorpions. He has infested the family home four times in about 25 years.

Naylor breeds the bugs and sends them worldwide, often to canine detection teams that help hotels identify infestations. He says people are often horrified when they learn about his job. He compares their reaction to people in malarial zones, who are often more concerned about mosquitoes that can cause serious illness or death than about bed bugs. He has worked on bed bugs since 2001 and built the garden lab with his wife to conduct product trials.