Footstep 24

One of the most detested and least known pests known to science is the bed bug Cimex lectularius. Many of us dropped off to sleep at night as infants with the words of our guardians in our ears “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”

Bed Bugs could have started to predate on man at around the period we started sleeping in, the bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily fed on bats and it is likely that bat feeding species of bug evolved to feed on our blood when our ancestors commenced sleeping in bat infested caves.

Before the arrival of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common pests in most poor quality homes.

The later part of the twentieth century saw pest control operatives reporting very few bed bug infestations indeed, their presence being mainly restricted to cheap holiday camps and student lodgings etc.

Most people confuse dust mites, which aren’t visible to the unaided eye, with bed bugs which most certainly are.

Adult bedbugs are red-brown, about a a few milemetres in size and very engorged after dining on human blood.

In the absence of a suitable human target to feed on they can remain dormant for long periods of up to 18 months.

Signs of a bed bug infestation are oftenspots of blood on bed-sheets and on the seems of mattresses and many people can react very badly to bed bug bites.

The early part of the 21st century saw bed bug numbers expanding across the whole world, the cheap availability of international travel and economic migration have both been cited as reasons for the comeback.

What is positive is that that are now making a real comeback not only in lower quality properties but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.

A single away in an infested bed is all it takes, they hitch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now finding cases of transport related bed bug infestations on trains, tubes and buses so a simple trip home on an infested tube or train can be all it takes to spread the these pests to your own house.

They are an tricky pest to eradicate as contrary to popular opinion they do not just stay in beds. They infest any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side telephones etc and clearing them is both tricky and time consuming. They have even been discovered found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the creases of flesh of very over-weight people.

Bed bugs are not a pest that can be tackled by an amateur and a pest control professional will almost certainly be required.

Call Manchester Pest Control now on 01772 837727

 

Related posts:

1. Pest control in Walkden, Worsley and Eccles 2010 Pest Control in the North West has seen a brisk...
2. Bed Bugs Rochdale, Oldham and Bury. One of the most hated and misunderstood pest species known...
3. Protect-a-bed bed bug proof protector mattress encasements a good way to prevent bed bug infestation One of the most feared and misunderstood pests known to...
4. Pest control in Trafford, Altrincham, Manchester and Cheshire 2010 Pest and vermin control in Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire has...
5. Pest Control Review in Bolton, Farnworth, Bury and Radcliffe Spring & Summer 2011 Pest Control in Lancashire, Manchester and Cheshire has seen a...

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 25th, 2010 at 9:52 am and is filed under Step. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.