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Bed Bugs
Advice to Householders
Characteristics
Adults are 5mm long, reddish brown in colour, becoming purple after feeding,
well developed antennae prominent simple eyes and clawed feet enabling it to
climb rough surfaces, and have a flattened oval shape.
Behaviour
Bed bugs can't fly they must either crawl or be transported in either
clothing, luggage, books, furniture etc. They can survive for many months
without feeding and are widely distributed throughout the world. They will
invade any household however they are more likely to occur in premises with a
low standard of hygiene and overcrowding.
Bedbugs can be transported on clothing, but more often in luggage, books etc
where harbourage is possible. The increase in foreign travel and sleepovers
has helped the bedbug to spread.
The bedbugs tend to hide away in cracks and crevices coming out at night and
they tend to feed on their hosts just before dawn. They like a warm
environment which encourages breeding throughout the year. In
unheated rooms it is unlikely that a second generation will be produced during
autumn/winter.
Pigeon bugs and Martin bugs react in a similar way to the bed bugs feeding on
birds in their nests, however if the nests are in houses, under eaves in lofts
etc, they will feed on humans once the nests have been abandoned.
Bedbugs are not regarded as disease carriers, but their blood feeding can
cause severe irritation in some people resulting in loss of sleep, lack of
energy and listlessness particularly in children.
The bite often gives rise to a hard whitish swelling which distinguishes it
from the flea bite which leaves a red spot.
Bedbug excrement gives a characteristic speckled appearance to their harbourages, whilst their 'stink' glands confer a very distinctive and unpleasant almond like smell on infested rooms. The finding of eggs, bugs, or egg cases as well as the excrement will indicate their presence
Significance.
Bedbugs are becoming an increasing problem due to the following factors:-
modern building techniques which allow easy access between properties; the
increased use of central heating which allows them to breed all year round and
increased sale of second-hand furniture.
Life Cycle
After mating the female will lay 2-3 eggs every day for the rest of her life
which may be up to 6 months. Eggs will hatch at 200C after about
ten days. The Nymph will go through five stages before becoming an Adult.
It takes about six weeks to complete the five nymph stages.
Control
Hygiene/management:- high standards of hygiene are unlikely to be an adequate
control on their own however they will help to monitor the infestation and to
show the location of harbourages. If you suspect a bedbug
infestation, a close inspection of the mattress particularly around the seams
and the back of the headboard should reveal their presence. The use of a
pyrethroid-based aerosol sprayed lightly round the room, may help as the bugs will be displaced from their
hiding places.
Before Treatment
Please ensure the following actions are carried out prior to spraying
If you have a problem with bed bugs, and require our company to carry out treatment, please contact our office An appointment will be made for an initial inspection to assess the size of the infestation. Fight back...book your Free Survey today... 01293 514031 request form...click here
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