Background: Bed bugs have made a dramatic comeback in recent years infesting everything from homes and hotels to schools movie theaters and hospitals. Current forms of treatment (e.g. heat cold vacuuming and pesticides) tend to be costly tedious and unreliable. Hiring a professional can be expensive and unfortunately many bed bug sufferers resort to ineffective potentially dangerous measures. Technology Description: Researchers at the University of California and the University of Kentucky have developed a concept for the physical capture of bed bugs using microfabricated surfaces. These pesticide-free microfabricated surfaces mimic plant leaf structures that can capture bed bugs and their functional aspects include the shape spacing and orientation of the microstructures. It was shown that the geometry and the mechanical properties of the microstructures influence the effective capture of bed bugs. Polymers are used in microfabrication that do not generate aversion or avoidance by the bed bugs. Applications: Microfabricated surfaces which entrap insects afford new opportunities for pest control especially in the critical early stages of infestation. Incorporating these new materials into carpets rugs and other surfaces within dwellings will potentially revolutionize the prevention detection and control of bed bugs using sustainable environment-friendly technology.
Pesticide-free and hence environment-friendly technology.