Bed Bugs Still Around

Native people are very accustomed to all types of northern insects. We put up with mosquitoes, black flies and all types of beetles. Recently, I have noticed a lot of news in media surrounding bed bugs. These little critters seem to be causing havoc as increasing numbers seem to be causing problems in big cities these days.

Normally, we don't think twice about the bed we lie on when we go to sleep at night when visiting city hotels and apartments. But, many reports are showing that there is a resurgence of these tiny bugs. It was thought that these creatures had been eradicated from the mainstream population in the middle of the last century.

After the Second World War when pesticide chemicals such as DDT were used on all types of insects, bed bugs were virtually wiped out in most of the world. Chemicals such as DDT were originally used to control crawling insects such as cockroaches, ants and spiders. Since applying DDT leaves a residue chemical trail that lasts a long time, bed bugs were inadvertently killed as well.

Now that there is a ban on these powerful chemicals and there is a new approach to killing most crawling insects, bed bugs are no longer affected by modern pesticides.

Many news reports have confirmed that there is a population explosion that is occurring with bed bugs in many parts of the world regardless of how developed a city or town may be. Bed bugs are found in cheap rooming houses in poorer nations but they are as happy crawling around high class hotels in England and Wales.

Apparently, one of the ways these tiny bugs travel from low class to high class places is by tagging along with wandering tourists. Almost anyone these days can buy a ticket and fly to a developing nation that is not able to deal with pest control. Many tourists visit cities with bed bug infestations. Tourists flow from hotel to hotel and hostel to hostel and sometimes with little friends that are hitching a ride in their luggage.

You may be suprised to hear that, as a pest control technician myself, I have been on the receiving end of a case of bed bugs while I travelled in Spain. I rented a great apartment in a small coastal seaside town on the southern coast one winter. I had a perfect view of the ocean, a fully furnished apartment, lots of sun and a clean place to have a holiday. What my rental agent neglected to tell me was that it had previously been rented to a group of transient construction workers that used it as a temporary sleep house for several weeks. The group brought with them bed bugs and it infested the apartment. I woke up after my first night with bite marks across my torso and arms.

Recognising the bites immediately, I realised that I had to get out of the place and disinfect all of my clothes in a very detailed way. After confronting my real estate agent he apologised and moved me to a very luxurious apartment.

It is a shame we have to think about bed bugs these days when we are travelling to southern cities but that is a reality according to many news reports.

For those who travel often and stay in populated cities in the UK and Ireland, don't be ignorant of the problem and don't be shy to ask when booking a hotel if there is a current problem with bed bugs. Most of the time they will be honest with you and fill you in on their pest control program.

It really is a customer beware situation where you have to educate yourself and protect yourself to make sure you don't end up with a bed bug problem. There have been several court cases against major hotel chains concerning this problem and it has caused many hotel owners to be more open about these issues with their customers.

Also, it is always a good idea to clean out your luggage and disinfect everything on returning from trips south or abroad.

A little bit of education, openness and awareness goes a long way to making sure you don't have to worry when somebody says good night with the old nursery rhyme: Goodnight, sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite.

SDA Pest Control, "Long Acre", Bluntisham Road, Needingworth, St. Ives, Cambridgeshire