One of the most hated and lesser known pests known to science is the bed bug C lectularius. How many of us dropped off to sleep at night as infants with the words of our parents in our ears “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”
Bed Bugs possibly started to feed on man at about the time we started sleeping in, the bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella largely feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to predate on the blood of human beings when our ancestors began dwelling in bat infested caves.
Until the popularity of DDT in the early part of the 20th century bed bugs were common pests in most poor quality homes.
The later decades of the twentieth century saw pest control companies dealing with very few bed bug problems indeed, their presence being mainly restricted to cheap holiday lodgings and student halls etc.
Most people mistake dust mites, which can’t be seen by to the naked eye, with bed bugs which most definitely are.
Adult bedbugs are reddy-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and very engorged after dining on human blood.
In the absence of a suitable human being to feed on they can stay dormant for long periods of up to 18 months.
Signs of a bed bug problems are usuallyspots of blood on bed-sheets and on the corners of mattresses and many people can react extremely badly to their bites.
The early part of the 21st century saw bed bug reports exploding across the entire planet, the easy availability of international travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the comeback.
What is certain is that that are now staging a real comeback not only in low quality housing but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.
A single stay in an infested bed is all it takes, they hide in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now seeing cases of transport related bed bug infestations on trains, tubes and buses so a simple ride to work on an infested tube or train can be sufficient to bring the these insects to your own home.
They are an expensive pest to eradicate as contrary to popular opinion they do not just hide in beds. They live in any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side telephones etc and clearing them is both expensive and time consuming. They have even been revealed 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 control professional will almost certainly be required.
Call Manchester Pest Control now on 0161 930 8814