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

Bed Bugs probably started to predate on mankind at about the period we started living in, bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella mostly feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to feed on the blood of human beings when our ancestors commenced dwelling in bat infested caves.

Until the invention of DDT in the early part of the 20th century bed bugs were common guests in most poor quality homes.

The later half of the 20th century saw pest control professionals called out to very few bed bug infestations indeed, their presence being usually restricted to cheap holiday lodgings and student halls etc.

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

Adult bedbugs are red-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and very swollen after dining on human blood.

In the absence of a suitable human meal to feed on they can lie dormant for periods of up to 18 months.

Signs of a bed bug infestation are usuallyspots of blood on bedding and on the base of mattresses and some people can react very badly to their bites.

The early 21st century saw bed bug infestations expand across the whole globe, the easy availability of world travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the comeback.

What is positive 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 hotel is all it requires, they stowaway in your clothing or bags. Pest control companies are also now seeing cases of transport related bed bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a simple ride to work on an infested tube or train can be sufficient to spread the these bugs into your own house.

They are an expensive pest to eradicate as contrary to popular belief they do not just stay in beds. They live in any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping target, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side telephones etc and dealing with them is both expensive 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 eradicated 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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