Bed Bugs in The North West
One of the most feared and misunderstood pests known to man is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us dozed off to sleep at night as young ones with the words of our parents in our ears "sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite"
Bed Bugs may have started to dine on man at about the time we moved into caves, the bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to feed on human blood when our ancestors started living in bat infested caves.
Before the arrival of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common unwelcome guests in most poor quality homes.
The later part of the 20th century saw pest control companies dealing with very few bed bug problems indeed, their presence being largely restricted to cheap holiday camps and student lodgings etc.
Many people mistake dust mites, which aren't visible to the unaided eye, with bed bugs which very definitely are.
Adult bedbugs are reddy-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and very swollen after dining on human blood.
They grow by an incomplete metamorphosis which means that the babies are just smaller versions of the adult, they do not have a maggot stage like a flea or a fly.
Bed bugs regularly feed on human blood every week or so, coming out in the hours before dawn and finding their target by detecting the exhaled CO2 from human breath and when nearby their target, body heat.
In the absence of a suitable human host to feed on they can remain dormant for periods of up to 18 months.
Signs of a bed bug infestation are spots of blood on bedding and on the base of mattresses and many people can react badly to their bites.
The early 21st century has seen bed bug numbers explode across the planet, the easy availability of world travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the resurgence.
What is positive is that that are now making a real comeback not only in poor quality housing but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.
One London borough reports a doubling of bed bug problems every year from 1995 to 2001.
One night stay in an infested hotel is all it takes, they hitch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now reporting cases of transport related bed bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a simple ride to work on an infested tube or train can be enough to bring the infestation to your own home.
They are an expensive pest to eradicate as contrary to popular belief they do not just live in beds. They live in any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side bed side telephones etc and dealing with them is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been discovered found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the creases of flesh on grossly over-weight people.
They are not a pest that can be eradicated by an amateur and a pest controlprofessional will almost certainly be required.
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Posted: March 11th, 2010 under Contributed.
Tags: Bat Bugs, Bed Bug, Bed Bugs, Bedbugs, Body Heat, Bug Problems, Cheap Holiday, Dust Mites, Economic Migration, Holiday Camps, Human Blood, Human Breath, Human Host, Incomplete Metamorphosis, Pest Control Companies, Student Lodgings, Target Body, Unaided Eye, Unwelcome Guests, Young Ones