A review of Bed Bugs in Bramhall, Handforth and Stockport in 2010

One of the most reviled and misunderstood pests known to man is the bed bug Cimex lectularius. Many of us dropped off to sleep at night as young ones with the words of our parents in our ears “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”

Bed Bugs may have started to dine on man at around the period we moved into caves, the bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella largely fed on bats and it is likely that bat feeding species of bug evolved to dine on human blood when our ancestors started living in bat infested caves.

Before the production of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common unwelcome guests in most poor quality homes.

The later part of the twentieth century saw pest control operatives called out to very few bed bug call outs indeed, their presence being usually restricted to cheap holiday camps and student accomodation etc.

Most people confuse dust mites, which aren’t visible to the naked eye, with bed bugs which most definitely are.

Adult bedbugs are red-brown, about a a few milemetres in size and very engorged after dining on human blood.

Without a suitable human target to feed on they can stay dormant for periods of up to 18 months.

The first signs of a bed bug infestation are usuallyspots of blood on duvets and on the seems of mattresses and some people can react very badly to their bites.

The early 21st century saw bed bug reports expanding across the entire globe, the cheap availability of international travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the resurgence.

What is certain is that that are now making a real comeback not only in lower quality properties but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.

One night stay in an infested bed is all it requires, they hide in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now seeing cases of transport related bed bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a simple trip home on an infested tube or train can be sufficient to spread the these bugs 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 hide in any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping person, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side telephones etc and clearing them is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been discovered found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the creases of flesh of very over-weight people.

They are not a pest that can be dealt with by an amateur and a pest control professional will almost certainly be needed.

Call Manchester Pest Control now on 0161 930 8814

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