Lindsay Miles joined Virginia Tech’s “Curious Conversations” to talk about her research on bed bugs, focusing on genomic sequencing, the history of bed bug populations, and the implications of their mutations. She explained how bed bugs evolved alongside humans, their genetic similarities, and the challenges in managing their populations due to their emerging resistance to pesticides. 

“Curious Conversations” is available on Spotify, Apple, and YouTube.

Takeaways

Bed bugs have 15 chromosomes, unlike humans who have 23, and a low effective population size because of their genetic similarity.

Bed bugs can trace their lineage back around 100,000 years, are thought to be human’s first pest, and have had historical infestations related to human population growth.

Resistance mutations in bed bugs complicate pest control efforts and understanding their genetics can inform pest management strategies.

About Miles

Miles is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Entomology and an affiliate with the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. Her research focuses on population genetics and molecular evolution to understand how urbanization impacts organisms and she is currently studying how urbanization and pesticide use can influence genomic evolution in bed bugs.

Learn more

Bed bugs are most likely the first human pest, new research shows

Researchers find first evidence of potential bed bug insecticide resistance in gene mutation

About the podcast

"Curious Conversations" is a series of free-flowing conversations with Virginia Tech researchers that take place at the intersection of world-class research and everyday life. Produced and hosted by Travis Williams, assistant director of marketing and communications for the Office of Research and Innovation, university researchers share their expertise and motivations as well as the practical applications of their work in a format that more closely resembles chats at a cookout than classroom lectures. New episodes are shared each Tuesday. 

Contact:

Tags

Share this story