You're probably aware of the resurgence in bedbugs that has plagued apartment buildings, hotels, and homes throughout the country, regardless of social class. Bedbugs are notoriously easy to get, and infestations happen quickly and pervasively, often filling entire apartment complexes from the initial infestation of just one unit.

If you've ever wondered just why infestations happen with such speed and intensity, a study discussed in Fox News article Inbreeding Reason for Bedbug Spread provides some insight.

Entemologists led by Coby Schal and Ed Vargo of North Carolina State University presented a study at the recent American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene meeting in Philadelphia. The scientists studied "the genes of bedbugs infesting three multistory apartment buildings in North Carolina and New Jersey and found very low genetic diversity, meaning most of them were very close relatives."

The upshot of this finding is that it may only take one or two bedbugs hitching a ride on some furniture or a suitcase to begin an entire infestation. Imagine how quickly a mated female can proliferate: Once her eggs hatch, the new bedbugs mate with each other and with their mother – and bedbug populations soar.

Interestingly, this type of inbreeding (without the detrimental genetic effects that occur when some animals inbreed) is also found with cockroaches, another insect that can lead to allergies.

For more on bedbugs and bedbug prevention, see:
Allergy Armor Bed Bug Bedding Packages
Bed Bug Prevention Tips
How to Avoid Bringing Home Bed Bugs