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The oldest insect remains of the genus Cimex, which common bed bugs belong to, were found by archeologists in southern Oregon caves, according to a new study to be published by the Entomological Society of America.
The Paisley Five Mile Point Caves near Paisley are the sites of some of the oldest preserved evidence of human activity in North America, which suggests the insects may have been in contact with humans between 5,100 and 11,000 years ago.
Though the remains are relatives of the bed bug, they’re “not the bed bug we all know and love from hotel rooms,” says Martin E. Adams, Paleoinsect Research and co-author of the study.
Cimex pilosellus, Cimex latipennis, and Cimex antennatus were the species discovered, and are all parasites of bats. Cimex lectularius and Cimex hemipterus parasitize humans, and they are believed to come into that role thousands of years ago when humans shared caves with bats, according to Science Daily. Adams says it’s unclear why the species found may not have parasitized humans.
“The presence of warm-tolerant cimicids in the caves, such as Cimex antennatus, may suggest that climatic conditions at Paisley Caves 5,100 years ago were similar to what Cimex antennatus enjoys today in its current range,” the study says.
The Entomological Society of America will publish the findings in its Journal of Medical Entomology.
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