The resurgence of bed bugs in towns and cities across the UK is a real cause for concern. Good housekeeping is essential in preventing infes...
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... don't let the bed bugs bite. While parents have long left their children with these seemingly benign words as they drift off to sleep, few consider the reality of bed bugs when reciting the rhyme. Yet the bugs have made a comeback across the country.
A significant increase in the number of calls regarding bed bug infestations has been reported by numerous pest control companies across the UK and Ireland. Although there is no way to determine the actual cause of the resurgence, experts are attributing the increase to several things, including global travel and the resilience of this mobile pest.
Adult bed bugs are approximately ¼ inch in length and have a reddish-brown, flat, oval body. They feed solely on blood and can survive for more than 10 months without a meal. Moreover, female bed bugs can produce up to five eggs per day and 500 during a lifetime.
Despite their name, bed bugs can be found in any area of your home including carpets, peeling wallpaper and small cracks where insects can hide. When bed bugs bite, they inject a liquid that numbs the skin and allows the pest to feed undisturbed, leaving humans to find mysterious red, itchy welts in the morning. The good news, though, is that bed bugs do not transmit diseases.
Infestations can be difficult to detect, but the first sign, other than itchy welts, is the appearance of small, brownish-red fecal spots on bed linens. Unlike other insects that feed on filth, good housekeeping has little to do with bed bug infestations. Infestations should never be thought of as a sign of dirtiness; some of the most pristine places have reported bed bug infestations.
Bed bugs are active only at night, usually just before dawn. During the day they hide in cracks and crevices in walls, floors, beds and furniture.
In order to keep your home bed bug free, we recommend:
Washing linens and other do-it-yourself measures are not effective in the treatment of bed bug infestations. Once people determine they have a bed bug infestation, control can be achieved by following an integrated pest management approach that involves tactics that are safe and environmentally compatible, including preventive measures, sanitation and chemicals applied to targeted sites.
SDA Pest Control, "Long Acre",
Bluntisham Road,
Needingworth,
St. Ives,
Cambridgeshire
01480 465684