Manchester Bed Bugs
Manchester Bed Bugs
Manchester Bed Bugs – One of the most reviled and misunderstood pests known to man is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us gone off to sleep at night as children with the words of our parents in our ears ‘sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite’?
Bed bugs probably started to feed on man at about the time we moved into caves, the ‘bat bugs’ Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to feed on human blood when our ancesters started dwelling in bat infested caves.
Until the arrival of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common non-paying guests in much low quality homes.
The later part of the 20th century experienced pest control companies dealing with very few bed bug calls indeed, their presence being largely confined to inexpenisve holiday camps and student accomodation etc.
Many people mistake dust mites, which are not visible to the unaided eye, with bed bugs which very definitely are.
Adult bedbugs are reddy-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and decidely swollen after a meal of our blood.
They grow by an incomplete metamorphosis which means that the nymphs are just smaller copies of the adult, they do not have a pupal stage like fleas or a fly.
Bed bugs regularly feed on human blood every 7 – 10 days, emerging in the hours before dawn and finding their target by detecting the exhaled CO2 from human breath and when close in on their target, infra red body heat.
In the absence of a suitable human host to dine on they can [lay|lie|stay|remain dormant for periods of up to 18 months.
Indications of a bed bug infestation are spots of blood on bedding and on the underside of mattresses and some people can react badly to their bites.
The early 21st century has seen bed bug numbers explode across the globe, the easy availability of global travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the resurgence.
What is positive is that thet are now making a real return not only in poor quality dwellings but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.
One London borough reports a doubling of bed bug infestations each year from 1995 – 2001.
One night away in an infested hotel is all it takes, they hitch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now reporting instances of transport related bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a simple journey to work on an infested tube or train can be sufficient to spread the infestation to your own home.
They are an expensive pest to deal with as contrary to popular opinion they do not just live in beds. They infest any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side telephones etc and treatment is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been found living beneath the toe-nails of infirm people and in the rolls of flesh on heavily over-weight people.
They are not a pest that can be tackled by an amateur and a professional will almost certainly be needed.
That concludes this article entitled Manchester Bed Bugs
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Squirrel Stop
