EPISODE · May 22, 2026 · 8 MIN
Why is it so difficult to get rid of bed bugs? - Gale E. Ridge
from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed
Dig into how bed bugs establish a colony in your home, and find out what makes it so hard to prevent these itchy invasions.--Bed bugs have tormented humans for millennia, so detested that their mere mention can make hearts race and arms itch. There are approximately 100 species of bed bugs, but thankfully only three of them feed on humans. So, why are these unwelcome houseguests so difficult to defeat? And is there any way to get rid of them for good? Gale E. Ridge investigates the tremendous staying power of bed bugs.Lesson by Gale E. Ridge, directed by Devin Clark, Augenblick Studios.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-it-so-hard-to-get-rid-of-bed-bugs-gale-e-ridgeDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-it-so-hard-to-get-rid-of-bed-bugs-gale-e-ridge/digdeeper----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Eunsun Kim, Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique Cassús, Karthik Cherala, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Vignan Velivela, Ana Maria, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh, and Abhijit Kiran Valluri. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Dig into how bed bugs establish a colony in your home, and find out what makes it so hard to prevent these itchy invasions.--Bed bugs have tormented humans for millennia, so detested that their mere mention can make hearts race and arms itch. There are approximately 100 species of bed bugs, but thankfully only three of them feed on humans. So, why are these unwelcome houseguests so difficult to defeat? And is there any way to get rid of them for good? Gale E. Ridge investigates the tremendous staying power of bed bugs.Lesson by Gale E. Ridge, directed by Devin Clark, Augenblick Studios.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-it-so-hard-to-get-rid-of-bed-bugs-gale-e-ridgeDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-is-it-so-hard-to-get-rid-of-bed-bugs-gale-e-ridge/digdeeper----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Cyrus Garay, Samuel Barbas, LadyGeek, Marin Kovachev, Penelope Misquitta, Hans Peng, Gaurav Mathur, Erik Biemans, Tony, Michelle, Katie and Josh Pedretti, Hoai Nam Tran, Kack-Kyun Kim, Michael Braun-Boghos, zjweele13, Anna-Pitschna Kunz, Edla Paniguel, Thomas Mungavan, Jaron Blackburn, Venkat Venkatakrishnan, ReuniteKorea, Aaron Henson, Rohan Gupta, Begum Tutuncu, Brian Richards, Jørgen Østerpart, Tyron Jung, Carsten Tobehn, Katie Dean, Ezgi Yersu, Gerald Onyango, alessandra tasso, Doreen Reynolds-Consolati, Manognya Chakrapani, Ayala Ron, Eunsun Kim, Phyllis Dubrow, Ophelia Gibson Best, Paul Schneider, Joichiro Yamada, Henrique Cassús, Karthik Cherala, Clarence E. Harper Jr., Vignan Velivela, Ana Maria, Exal Enrique Cisneros Tuch, Tejas Dc, Khalifa Alhulail, Martin Stephen, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Mandeep Singh, and Abhijit Kiran Valluri. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Why is it so difficult to get rid of bed bugs? - Gale E. Ridge
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