Bed Bug Bites in Manchester, Trafford, Stretford and Cheshire in 2010
One of the most detested and misunderstood pests known to science is the bed bug C lectularius. How many of us dropped off to sleep at night as kids with the words of our guardians in our ears "sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite"
Bed Bugs may have started to dine on human beings at about the time we started sleeping in, bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella largely fed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to predate on human blood when our ancestors began sleeping in bat infested caves.
Before the production of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common guests in most poor quality homes.
The later half of the 20th century saw pest control operatives called out to very few bed bug infestations indeed, their presence being largely restricted to cheap holiday camps and student halls etc.
Most people confuse dust mites, which aren't visible to the naked eye, with bed bugs which most certainly are.
Adult bedbugs are reddy-brown, about a a few milemetres in size and very engorged after feeding on human blood.
Lacking a suitable human host to feed on they can stay dormant for lengthy periods of up to 18 months.
The first signs of a bed bug problems are oftenspots of blood on sheets and on the seems of mattresses and many people can react very badly to their bites.
The first decade of the 21st century saw bed bug reports explode across the entire globe, the cheap availability of world travel and economic migration have both been cited as reasons for the resurgence.
What is certain is that that are now staging a real comeback not only in low quality homes but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.
One night stay in an infested bed is all it needs, they hide in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now reporting cases of transport related bed bug infestations on trains, tubes and buses so a simple ride home on an infested tube or train can be all it takes to spread the these pests to your own house.
They are an difficult pest to eradicate as contrary to popular notion they do not just hide in beds. They hide in any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human target, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side telephones etc and eradicating them is both tricky and time consuming. They have even been discovered found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the creases of flesh on grossly over-weight people.
They are not a pest that can be tackled by an amateur and a pest control professional will almost certainly be needed.
Call Manchester Pest Control now on 01204 689361