Kill them all

Scientists Create Bedbug Catching Plant

Inspired by bean plant leaves that 'hook' bed bugs.

Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite. Scientists at the University of California and the University of Kentucky may soon have the key to making this bedtime mantra funny again: artificial bean plants. Eastern Europeans’ have used bean leaves for centuries as bedbug traps—keeping them in their bedrooms and burning the leaves later once they’re filled with bugs. Inspired by this custom, scientists aimed to mimic the plants’ behavior, with microscopic hairs to “hook” the bedbugs and trap them. Catherine Loudon, one of the lead biologists on the project, says even she was skeptical at first. “You can think of lots of reasons why it wouldn’t work. That’s why it’s so amazing.” Phobic New Yorkers, rejoice.