Bed Bugs Turn into Crime-Solving DNA Detectives, Malaysian Scientists Find

Researchers in Malaysia have discovered that tropical bed bugs can retain human DNA for up to 45 days after feeding, opening the door for their use as unexpected forensic tools at crime scenes.

These insects, long known only as itchy household pests, may now help investigators identify suspects by revealing details such as gender, eye color, hair color, and skin tone extracted from blood stored inside their bodies.

Because bed bugs cannot fly and barely move after feeding, they often stay close to the scene—making them valuable when traditional evidence has been wiped away.

Scientists emphasize that bed bugs do not spread disease, but their ability to preserve genetic material could make them powerful allies in modern crime-solving.