The classic bedbug strain that all newly caught bugs are compared against is a colony originally from Fort Dix, N.J., that a researcher kept alive for 30 years by letting it feed on him.

But Stephen A. Kells, a University of Minnesota entomologist, said he “prefers not to play with that risk.”

He feeds his bugs expired blood-bank blood through parafilm, which he describes as “waxy Saran Wrap.”

Coby Schal of North Carolina State said he formerly used condoms filled with rabbit blood, but switched to parafilm because his condom budget raised eyebrows with university auditors.

The post How Researchers Keep Their Bedbugs Alive appeared first on danwin.com.

Saw this a few days ago on St. Marks and sent it out to EV Grieve, who was kind enough to link to the Flickr. Curbed NY and ScoutMob (who didn’t credit EVG or me, but I’ll let it pass, because of their yummy deals) also posted the photo. You can’t underestimate our fascination with bedbugs…New York has been under terror alert with the news that some of our greatest American icons, Victoria Secret and Abercrombie & Fitch, have succumbed to the evil bugs.

I blame the heightened fear on this well-written, terrifying New York magazine piece by Marshall Sella…I didn’t even know bedbugs were that bad until I read this. Now I will never sleep outside of my hyperbaric chamber again.

Update: The WSJ profiles the artist, a “Samuel Mark“

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