Are Bed Bugs Biting You?
One of the most reviled and misunderstood pest insect species identified by civilisation could be the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). What number of us dropped off to rest in the evening as children with the parting words of our dads and moms inside our ears “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”?
Bed Bugs may have started to feed on man at about the time when we moved into caves, the bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and C pipistrella largely fed on bats and it’s also probable that bat feeding species of bed bugs evolved to feast upon human beings when our ancestors started dwelling in bat infested caves.
Up to the production of DDT during the early 20th century bed bugs were commonplace stowaways in most slum quality homes.
The later part of the 20th century saw pest controllers having very few bed bug infestations indeed, their presence being generally restricted to low quality holiday homes and student lodgings etc.
Many people confuse dust mites, which aren’t visible to the naked, with bed bugs which very definitely are.
Adult bedbugs are reddish brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and very swollen after dining on the blood of humans.
Bed bugs usually nourish themselves on our blood every seven to ten days, appearing in the hours before dawn and homing in on their target by sniffing the exhaled carbon dioxide from human breath and when nearby their target, body heat.
Without a suitable human meal to feed on they are able to stay in a period of dormancy for periods of up to 18 months.
Often the first sign of a bed bug problem are spots of blood on sheets and on the corners of mattresses and many people can react badly to bed bug bites.
The early the 21st century has seen bed bug reports multiplying everywhere on our world, the easy availability of overseas and economic migration have both been blamed for the resurgence.
What is known is that they are now making a real fightback not only in lower quality accomodation but first class hotels, schools and not to mention hospitals.
One London borough cited a doubling of bed bug problems on a yearly basis from 1995 to 2001.
One night away in an infested hotel is all it needs, they hitch a ride in your suitcases or bags.
Pest control businesses are also now reporting cases of transport related bed bug infestations on all kinds of transport so a straightforward trip to work on an infested tube or train might be all it takes to spread these bugs to your own residence.
They are an tricky pest to deal with as contrary to popular belief they do not just live in beds. They infest any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping target, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed side telephones etc and dealing with them is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been revealed found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the folds of flesh on very overweight people.
They are not a pest that can be eradicated by a beginner and a pest control professional will almost certainly be needed.