VIDEO: Rare Tropical Species Bed Bug Not Seen For 60 Years Resurfaces In Merritt Island

By  //  November 13, 2016

may have arrived in a ship at Port Canaveral

ABOVE VIDEO: A type of bed bug that has not been seen for 60 years has resurfaced in Merritt Island and researchers think that this tropical species of bed bug can develop more quickly than the common bed bug. (WFLA video)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA (WFLA) – A type of bed bug that has not been seen for 60 years has resurfaced in Merritt Island and researchers think that this tropical species of bed bug can develop more quickly than the common bed bug.

“This could mean that this species would develop more quickly, possibly cause an infestation problem sooner, and also could spread more rapidly,” said Brittany Campbell, a doctoral student at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, where the tropical bed bug finding was confirmed.

In 2015, a Brevard County family reported finding tropical bed bugs in their home. UF/IFAS scientists confirmed the bug finding, which is the only finding in Florida. The last time tropical bed bugs were confirmed in Florida was back in the 1930s and 1940s, according to UF/IFAS.

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Experts speculated the tropical bed bugs may have arrived in a ship at Port Canaveral, not far from the local infestation, according to a WESH report.

The family who found the bed bugs live near the Ulumay Wildlife Refuge on Merritt Island.

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A tropical bed bug. (Courtesy: University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences)
A type of bed bug that has not been seen for 60 years has resurfaced in Merritt Island and researchers think that this tropical species of bed bug can develop more quickly than the common bed bug. ( University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences image)