Silverfish and Bed Bugs

These are the most common household pests in the UK and if they could be gotten rid of with a simple bucket of mop water, there would probably be no need for exterminators. But it usually takes a professional to show insects the door – and to make sure they don't come back.

"You can buy the products yourself, but proper pest management requires knowledge of both pests and the pesticides being used for proper prevention," said Steve Anderson, owner of SDA Pest Control in Cambridgeshire.

If you've got a bug problem, the first thing you need to do is get rid of them, Steve said. An exterminator will do an assessment to determine where the bugs have been seen and what time of day they are most active, using that information to find the nest and get rid of it.

Ants and cockroaches, while not unknown, are not a big problem in the Cambridgeshire area, Steve said. Silverfish are more common. And while they don't carry diseases, bite humans or damage homes, most people don't want them crawling around inside their kitchen or bathroom cabinets.

Silverfish, which can be up to half an inch long, can usually be found where in dark environments where there is moisture – around inside cupboards, under floorboards, around toilets. "Most of the time when silverfish are found inside a structure, they're going to be found in a damp area," Steve said.

Once the pest has been eradicated, prevention is the name of the game. That's where the second line of defence comes in – a liquid or granular insecticide that is used around the exterior of a home to prevent entry.

How often a home should be treated depends on the insect, Steve said. To prevent spider entry, a home only needs to be treated once or twice a year. For ants, especially in a heavily wooded area, a home may have to be treated as often as once per month. Earwigs may not be problem until July and August, when they become more abundant.

Though not a significant problem in the Cambridgeshire area, infestations of the Cimex lectularius – commonly known as the bed bug – have been plaguing larger cities.

They don't discriminate and can be found in five-star hotels, so holidaymakers should beware, Steve said, and carry a torch wherever they go. The No. 1 tool of any exterminator, the torch should be used to do a thorough inspection of hotel rooms before any unpacking is done.

The adult beg bug, which eats blood and usually feeds on human prey at night, is only about one-quarter inch long and is hard to spot because it can hide in clothing, luggage, electronics and furniture. Steve said that bed bugs often hide under the beading that runs around the edge of most mattresses.

"If you carefully pull that back in a hotel room, that's where you'll see them," Steve said. "Another place to look is behind the headboard, where the telltale signs of bed bugs can be seen – dark, blackish spots of blood or deposits of their faecal matter," Steve said.

And if one room in a hotel or motel has bed bugs, there's a good chance that neighbouring rooms are also infested. Once the pests enter a dwelling they can travel from room to room. So rather than ask for a room change, Steve recommends going to a different hotel.

Once you get home, he said, get the torch out again and inspect the suitcase, looking in all the dark crevices for any critters that may have hitched a ride.

Article provided by SDA Pest Control