Bed Bugs

Latin Name: Cimex lectularius

Months of Activity: January - December

The common bed bug is the best adapted to human environments. It is found in temperate climates throughout the world and has been known since ancient times. Small, nocturnal insects, bed bugs feed on the blood of humans, occasionally causing skin infections and scars when the bites are scratched.

While bed bugs have been known to harbour pathogens in their bodies, including plague and hepatitis B, they have not been linked to the transmission of any disease and are not regarded as a medical threat.

What your bed is made from will make no difference to whether you get bed bugs or not. Whether you have a wooden bed or metal bed (wood or metal beds from time4sleep.co.uk) precautions need to be made.

Appearance

• Adult bed bugs are 4-5mm long and reddish-brown in colour. They appear flattened, oval, and are wingless.
• Newly hatched nymphs are translucent and lighter in colour than the adults.

Lifecycle

Female bed bugs lay between 200-500 eggs over a two month period, and are able to reproduce all year round. The eggs are visible to the naked eye measuring 1 mm in length and are a milky-white tone in colour.

The eggs hatch in one to two weeks, with the hatchlings beginning to feed immediately. They pass through five moulting stages before reaching maturity, requiring a feed during each of these stages.

At room temperature, it takes about 5 weeks for a bed bug to pass from hatching, through to maturity, at which point they become reproductively active.

Pest Control

Having once been almost eradicated in the UK, bed bugs are beginning to make comeback, presenting new challenges for pest control. Without DDT and similar banned agents, there is no fully effective treatment available.

DIY pest control on bed bugs has had limited success, so it is always advisable to get a reputable pest control company in to advise and perform treatment as necessary.

Latest News about Bed Bugs

Bed Bugs Nibbling Their Way In
It's official... populations of the wingless insects are up this summer. This comes on the heels of news that residents across the UK have reported high infestation numbers. A likely reason for the bed bug problem is basic science. Bed bugs follow, ... [more]

Check Your Mattresses
After decades in obscurity, bed bugs have returned to the United Kingdom to take up residence in a place where they can live long-term, rent-free and have all the food they need – in mattresses all over the country. We hadn't even seen a live bed ... [more]

What is Integrated Pest Management?
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a program of prevention, monitoring, and control which offers the opportunity to eliminate or drastically reduce the use of pesticides, and to minimise the toxicity of and exposure to any products which are used. ... [more]

Rocketing Bed Bug Infestations
Sleep tight... don't let the bedbugs bite. But these comforting words are no longer just an old bedtime saying as the little blood sucking mites are invading an ever larger number of city homes leaving their hosts with an itchy situation. Pest cont... [more]

Take A Bite Out Of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs, which can be difficult to spot, are becoming even tougher to eradicate as they spread and their resistance to some pesticides grows. In response, pest control companies are adopting new tactics: Spraying the bugs with icy carbon dioxide ... [more]

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