Bed Bug Exterminator, Bed Bug London, Pest Control London, Bug Bites
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius)
Features/Biology
Bedbugs can grow to 5mm as adults, and their colour can vary from almost clear to mahogany brown in colour. It is soon after feeding, when they are engorged, that they appear at their darkest colour – mahogany brown . The female bedbug is constantly laying eggs, usually 2 to 3 per day. These eggs are white / yellow in colour and about 1mm long.
Bedbugs are parasites that feed primarily on the blood of humans, approximately every one to two weeks, depending on their size. The younger ones may feed slightly more frequently. After feeding, bedbugs return to their resting site, usually cracks and crevices in beds/furniture, to digest their food.
History
Over the past 10-20 years, as global travel has continued to grow, the bedbug population has also grown in numbers. London, as a major global city has been seriously affected, with many hostels and hotels affected as travellers inadvertently bring in bedbugs with their luggage. The fallout of this global increase in bedbugs is that domestic households are also seeing themselves hit, either by picking up bedbugs in their luggage from locations that they have travelled to abroad or in the UK, or from visitors to their home, who have inadvertently carried these insects into the home.
Problems/Risks
Bedbugs feed on humans while they are sleeping. Other mammals, such as bats, chickens, cats and dogs can also be attacked. Humans, as the favoured hosts of bedbugs, can suffer nasty bites which can be very painful, itchy and unsightly. Secondary infections from the bites can be more serious.
Hostels and Hotels can be badly affected, especially if a customer claims damages and sues the hotel for damages due to the affects of being bitten.
Bedbugs can also seriously damage the reputation of hotels and hostels, as they have a bad public image of soridness and uncleanliness.
A bedbug infestation will not always be immediately obvious, as due to their long feeding gaps (avg 10 days), it will not be until the population has grown and the biting frequency becomes nightly, that a problem is detected. Unfortunately, by this stage, dozens of bed bugs are likely to be present, and usually they will have spread to other rooms in the house, particularly if bags, bedding, or clothing items are moved between rooms.
Bedbugs usually hide in cracks and crevices during the day (e.g. bedframes, mattresses, skirting boards, behind wallpaper), and come out at night to feed.
Remember that other insects, like fleas and mosquitoes, can cause similar bite marks, and so it is necessary to consider all possible sources of bites.
Recommended Treatment
In order to successfully treat for bedbugs, all potential harbourages need to be inspected carefully, and dismantled if possible. In some cases infested furniture may need to be removed/replaced. Note: to avoid re-infesting a property, do not replace furniture until the property has been fully treated and confirmed as clear.
Due to the difficulty in eradicating bedbugs, a minimum course of 3 treatments is recommended, and to ensure success, the whole property needs to be treated.
