For most people, the thought of bedbugs is enough to trigger an instant shudder.

But one scientist has spent the past five years deliberately sleeping alongside the insects—and says their bites no longer bother him.

Entomologist Dr Richard Naylor raises about 60,000 bedbugs to evaluate pest-control products from around the world. He has also volunteered himself as the products’ human test subject.

Twice a week, Dr Naylor gives the insects what he calls a “feeding day”. He secures some of the bugs to his arm, lets them bite him and carries on working while they feed.

When he needs to assess new devices or bedbug repellents, he also spends a night in a bed containing the insects.

‘I must have been bitten millions of times by now, so I stopped reacting a long time ago. I get a red patch on my arm after the bugs have fed, but it disappears after about half an hour,’ he said. 

‘If there is no one sleeping in a bed, the bedbugs just sleep; they just go on standby. And so I can’t test anything in the test bedrooms without there being a host in there.’

The researcher operates the non-profit Bed Bug Foundation from a two-bedroom suite in the garden of his home in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

The insects are kept inside the walls of the self-contained laboratory, where Dr Naylor helps companies evaluate products before they reach the market.

The bedbugs are also bred and shipped around the world, frequently to canine detection teams that help hotels identify infestations.    

Dr Naylor told BBC News: ‘I don’t know of any other pest that has the same level of emotional and psychological impact on people.’

He said bedbug infestations can also leave some people experiencing symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder.

His comments come as experts warn of a dramatic increase in infestations involving the notoriously resilient insects—an era some have dubbed “peak bedbug”.

Bedbugs have developed resistance to modern insecticide sprays, making established infestations particularly difficult to eliminate.

Pest-control firm Rentokil reported that confirmed bedbug activity in the UK rose by 44 per cent year on year between 2023 and 2025. JG Pest Control, meanwhile, said it had carried out more than 5,000 bedbug-related visits in the past 12 months.

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Recent outbreaks have affected hotels, trains and aircraft. Last month, six Southeastern services were cancelled after suspected bedbugs were found on trains travelling between Kent and London. 

The cancellations came after two incidents the previous month in which bedbugs were discovered in drivers’ cabs operated by the same train company.

A report in the Journal of Pest Science last month concluded that bedbugs carry different genetic signatures depending on where they’re from, allowing them not only to survive our efforts to eradicate them but to evolve and strengthen their resistance.

Their spread is also due to the frequency with which people travel around the country. 

Bedbugs ‘hitchhike’, which means they cling to clothing and bags, Professor Logan explains. Hotels are hotbeds because of their large, transient population. 

The same is true of trains, planes and hospitals. A Qantas flight was grounded in Rome earlier this month after the creatures were spotted scuttling around in economy.

‘But what we’re starting to see now is bedbugs also in places like offices, workplaces and pubs,’ said Professor Logan.

An infestation at The Guardian newspaper, reported last month, has resulted in staff being allowed to work remotely and given home bedbug ‘monitors’ – gadgets which lure bugs out of their hiding places with special chemical attractants.

In other offices in London, staff have refused to come in when colleagues have revealed they have infestations at home. 

Rising temperatures may also be to blame. ‘Climate change is making it better for them and worse for us,’ Professor Logan says.

According to Martim Gois, co-founder and chief executive of hospitality company Valpas, Europe is ‘at peak bed bug’, with an unprecedented ‘surge’ in numbers observed in hotel rooms. 

The tiny insects can hide in mattress seams, bed frames and upholstered furniture and are often transported into homes through luggage, clothing and unwashed second-hand clothes.

According to Hannah Shore, head of sleep science at leading bed retailer MattressOnline, bed bugs can quickly multiply if they are left untreated in ‘soft furnishings’ such as bedding, carpets and curtains.

She told the Daily Mail: ‘Bed bugs are most commonly found in beds due to the easy access to food (blood), but during the day, they walk around in search of food, which may take them further afield.

‘They often attach themselves to suitcases or climb into suitcases, meaning you then take them home with you and, if left untreated, they start a new colony there.’

The Block delivered a dramatic grand finale on Sunday night, with the contestants celebrating some of the biggest paydays in the show’s history.

After seasons marked by disappointing profits and properties struggling to find buyers, the 2026 series ended on a high. Every team sold their home, with each group walking away with a substantial financial reward.

Courtney and Sev’s House 4 was the second property to go under the hammer and immediately began attracting bids, setting the stage for one of The Block’s most lucrative results.

The Brisbane best friends entered the auction with a reserve of $3.45 million. Bidding quickly intensified, and within moments they had already secured a $500,000 profit.

Following a tense bidding war, the property sold for $4.72 million, giving Courtney and Sev a staggering $1.27 million profit.

The result left both friends in tears and almost unable to speak when host Scott Cam revealed they had become instant millionaires.

“The Block is freaking me out,” Scott joked as he celebrated the result with the pair, warning that their auction total would be difficult for the remaining teams to surpass.

His prediction proved accurate. Courtney and Sev’s $1.27 million profit became the biggest sale result of The Block’s 2026 season.

Along with their profit, the friends received Scotty’s additional $500,000 prize and the $100,000 winner’s prize, taking their total earnings to $1.87 million.

Their extraordinary result also established a new record for the highest final total ever achieved by a team on The Block.

“It’s so much more than we could’ve ever dreamed of. Never in a million years could we have ever dreamed of that happening,” Courtney told nine.com.au

“And in this market,” Sev added.

Courtney said the timing and circumstances had worked in their favour, adding: “Everything has just lined up and we’re so happy and so grateful.”

The Brisbane duo surpassed the previous record set by Steph and Gian Ottavio, who won $1.75 million on the show in 2023.

House 1 was the first property auctioned, having been renovated by Adam and Jolene.

With a reserve of $3.45 million, the house sold for $3.905 million, with a profit of $455,000 for the South Australian couple. 

IT entrepreneur Danny Wallis placed the winning bid, securing his 15th Block house in the show’s history. 

The cattle station managers broke down in tears over the ‘life-changing’ sum, sharing that they’d no longer have to return to remote work with close to half a million in the bank. 

Third to face the gavel were Lisa and Rosco, who welcomed their second child just days before the auction. 

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With their reserve set at $3.45 million, the Perth couple had a bid from Danny before the auctioneer even finished his announcement. 

Bidding for their property, House 3, took so long that Scott stopped to tuck into a sandwich, complaining the auction was cutting into his lunch break. 

The home sold for $4 million, with the new parents earning $550,000 – and the sale was sweetened by Lisa and Rosco offering the winning bidder a cuddle with their newborn son. 

The tearful couple were touched, revealing that the money will change their lives, and the lives of their young children, forever. 

Chantel and Wyatt were next up, with their House 2 locked in with a $3.45 million reserve. 

The Gold Coast couple admitted they were nervous, with Chantel saying she was ‘going to spew’ as the auction kicked off. 

With serial bidder Danny exiting the auction, the bidding slowed down. 

The pair eventually sold the property for $3.817 million, with a total profit of $367,000. 

Rick and Tayla’s House 5 was the last up for auction, again with a reserve of $3.45 million.

The father and daughter duo originally had a reserve of $3.5 million because they had the largest property on The Block. 

They were delighted to be able to lower it by $50,000, opening them to more bidders. 

Rick and Tayla were told by Scott before the auction kicked off that they were in with a shot to win The Block because of the colossal size of their home. 

Scott called the pair ‘dark horses’ in the race, but they took the prediction in their stride. 

The bidding was heated, flying straight up to $4 million in minutes. 

The final price was $4.355 million, earning the dad and daughter a whopping $905,000.