


Stony Brook Researchers Have New Tool In Fight Against Bedbugs

Researchers Develop Man-Made Web Stopping Bugs In Their Tracks
Trapped Bed Bugs (credit: Handout/Stony Brook University)

Trapped Bed Bugs (credit: Handout/Stony Brook University)

STONY BROOK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) —There’s some good news in the battle against bedbugs.

Researchers at Stony Brook University have developed what is essentially a man-made spider web that stops bedbugs in their tracks, 1010 WINS reported.

It consists of microfibers 50 times thinner than a human hair which can entangle and trap bedbugs and other insects.

“They can very easily walk along standard fiber materials, like bed sheets, but these nanofibers are smaller than the hooks of their legs,” Prof. Miriam Rafailovich told 1010 WINS. “As soon as they enter a bed of nanofibers they’re stuck, they get entangled, and the more they struggle, the more entangled they get.”

Once the bugs are trapped, they are prevented from feeding and reproducing.

“When they’re trapped, they’re very agitated and they die very quickly, much faster than when they’re in their dormant, non-feeding state,” Rafailovich said.

The fibers are safe for both humans and pets, Rafailovich said. Also, since the trap is chemical-free, the insects can’t develop a resistance to it.

The patent is still pending, but it’s being developed commercially by the private company Fibertrap.

“We are very excited to move this advancement from the lab to the consumer,” said Fibertrap co-founder Kevin McAllister. “Our goal has always been to make a difference for people living in areas where bed bugs are pervasive and difficult to eradicate.”

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