A review of Bed Bugs in Bury, Bolton and Radcliffe in 2010

One of the most detested and least understood pests known to man is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us fell asleep to sleep at night as youngsters with the parting rhyme of our parents in our ears “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”?

Bed Bugs may have started to feed on human beings at around the time when we moved into caves, the bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and C pipistrella mostly fed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bugs evolved to feed on human blood when our forebears started living} in bat infested caves.

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

The later part of the 20th century saw pest controllers called out to very few bed bug problems indeed, their presence being largely restricted to cheap holiday camps and student housing etc.

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

Adult bedbugs are reddish brown, about a few milemetres in size and very swollen after feeding on human blood.

Bed bugs typically feed on our blood every few days, appearing in the hours before dawn and finding their target by sniffing the exhaled CO2 from human breath and when close to their target, the heat from the body of their intended target.

Lacking a suitable human meal to dine on they can stay dormant for periods of up to 18 months.

Bed Bug Bites

The first signs of a bed bug infestation are spots of blood on bedding and on the edges of mattresses and a lot of people can react badly to bed bug bites.

The early part of the 21st century has seen bed bug reports expoding across the planet, the easy availability of overseas and economic migration have both been put forward for the resurgence.

What is sure 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 reported a doubling of bed bug problems every year from 1995 to 2001.

|One night stay in an infested bed 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 transport of all kinds so a simple trip home on an infested tube or train can be enough to spread the infestation to your own home.

They are an expensive pest to deal with as contrary to popular belief they do not just live in beds. They live in any nook and cranny anywhere close to a sleeping person, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed side telephones etc and dealing with them is both tricky and time consuming. They have even been revealed found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the folds of flesh on flabby people.

They are not a pest that can be tackled by an amateur and a pest control professional will almost certainly be needed.

Phone Harrier Pest Control on 01772 837727