Ever wondered where bedbugs come from? Or how and why they do the things they do? I know I have!

Please welcome guest author and bed bug specialist, Ben Gunden!

If you are the squeamish kind – I apologize. You may want to skip this article. Unless you’re a dog owner. Then you may want to continue reading. Not while eating though. This story will be a bit gross. Fascinating, in a horrifying sort of way, but definitely gross. You have been warned.

Ugh. It’s time to break out the tick preventative again. For you dogs and outdoor cats anyway. Humans need to be a bit more creative in keeping ticks from biting them… Because the ticks are on the hunt – and they are bloodthirsty!

Just when you thought you were finally free of them- they find you :( And in your own house no less! Those blood thirsty little demons have managed to find you despite all odds. Well, maybe not you, but they have found me!

Ok. So, normally I work remotely (in Michigan), but this past week I made a trip out to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to do some on-site work at my home institution. That means staying at a hotel while there. Due to my entomological profession, that also means going through my standard routine of pulling apart the bed before I feel comfortable unpacking anything. Why, you ask? Well to check for bed bugs of course!

As if the floodplain mosquitoes this year weren’t enough – now there’s ginormous mosquitoes that look like they just came out of Jumanji! Ok, ok. Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration… But only slightly. These gals are HUGE!

Have you been inundated with hordes and hordes of flying, bloodsucking, tiny demons this summer? Yeah, me too :(

Since I frequently get asked about ticks, here we go…