Infestations have soared by 500 per cent and it seems that the bed bug epidemic sweeping the country is largely fuelled by air travel and wa...
Case Studies
Bed bugs are everywhere; and the UK is experiencing an epidemic that has seen a 500-fold increase in these egregious little parasites, something which has been largely attributed to increased mobility and warmer temperatures.
No longer confined to grotty bedsits and dodgy bed-and-breakfasts, they are creeping into the folds of the finest furnishings in the land, colonising the best hotels, twitching beneath the Egyptian cotton sheets of Middle England and gorging on their occupants' blood.
Along with deep-vein thrombosis, airport taxes and carbon emissions, bed bugs, it seems, are yet another unwelcome by-product of modern travel. As we get more mobile, so do they.
They hide in the seams of our clothing and bury themselves in our luggage, until we arrive home, unpack the suitcases in our bedrooms, and hey presto, come lights-out it's a midnight feast for a horde of hungry Cimex lectularius.
They thrive in the moderate UK climate while global warming is thought to be another factor in their spread. If your neighbour has them, chances are they'll march over to you through cracks in the wall.
Bed bugs are notoriously hard to get rid of, gathering round the seams of mattresses and in curtains. They can hide in crevices in the bed, in cracks in the skirting board and in light fittings, and although they usually feed every five to 10 days, they can lie dormant for up to a year without feeding on a host.
When treating a hotel room, for example, it is imperative that not only is the affected room itself treated, but two each side of it, and the rooms immediately above and below. A female bed bug can lay up to 500 eggs in eight weeks, so if you inadvertently pick up three or four from a seat on the bus or train, you can have an infestation of thousands within two months.
Flat and opaque brown, bed bugs swell and grow darker after a snack – measuring up to 5mm in length, they can consume four times their own body weight in 15 minutes. They are relatively easy to spot as a result – and their effects are immediately felt.
Most calls to pest control companies are because the client has been bitten. A bed bug will crawl on to you, pierce your skin and drink your blood. Fortunately, bed bugs don't transmit diseases but the bites do itch and they can often cause allergic reactions.
Contrary to popular belief, the cleanliness of your house is immaterial as bed bugs feed on people rather than on waste food. Blood spotting on sheets or brown faecal smears from the bugs are a giveaway, but people can sometimes confuse these with flea bites and often dismiss them, or only treat the mattress, not the whole bed and bedroom, which is storing up trouble for later.
The cost of treatment varies according to the level of infestation, but starts at about £150. Some local councils will also carry out bed bug pest control and there are sprays available, which you can buy on the internet, but you must ensure you dismantle your bed and treat every possible crevice. Bed linen can be washed at the highest possible temperature, but the safest option is to just throw it out.
Hotels are still the place where you're most likely to pick up a bed bug, because you simply don't know who has slept there before you. As soon as you check in, you should check the bed. It only takes a couple of minutes and it cuts down the risk of bringing any unwanted visitors home.
SDA Pest Control, "Long Acre",
Bluntisham Road,
Needingworth,
St. Ives,
Cambridgeshire
01480 465684