One of the most hated and misunderstood pest insect species known to science is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us fell asleep 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 most probably started to predate on man at around the time when we moved into caves, the bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily fed on bats and it is likely that bat feeding species of bugs evolved to feed on human beings when our forebears started staying} in bat infested caves.

Until the arrival of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were commonplace guests in most slum quality homes.

The later part of the 20th century saw pest controllers dealing with very few bed bug call outs indeed, their presence being largely restricted to cheap holiday camps and student housing etc.

A lot of people mistake dust mites, which cannot be seen by the unaided eye, with bed bugs which most certainly can be seen.

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

Bed bugs typically feed on a target’s blood every seven to ten days, emerging in the hours before dawn and locating their target by detecting the exhaled CO2 from human breath and when closing in on their target, the heat from the body of their intended target.

Without a suitable human host to dine on they can lay dormant for periods of up to a year or more.

Bed Bugs

Signs of a bed bug problem are spots of blood on bedding and on the corners of mattresses and a lot of people can react badly to their bites.

The early part of the 21st century has seen bed bug numbers multiplying across the planet, the easy availability of international and economic migration have both been blamed for the resurgence.

What is known is that that are now making a real fightback not only in low quality housing but first class hotels, schools and even hospitals.

One London borough reported a doubling of bed bug problems every year from 1995 to 2001.

One night away in an infested bed is all it requires, they catch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now reporting cases of transport related bed bug infestations on tubes and buses so a simple trip home on an infested tube or train can be all it takes to bring these bugs to your own home.

They are an expensive pest to eradicate as contrary to popular belief they do not just live in beds. They infest any nook and cranny anywhere close to a sleeping human, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed side telephones etc and dealing with them is both laborious and time consuming. They have even been discovered found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the creases of flesh on very overweight people.

One way of dealing with bed bug infestation is to fit your bed with Protect-a-bed bed bug proof protector mattress encasements.

Protect-a-bed bed bug proof protector mattress encasements stop bed bugs from entering your mattress.

Pop along to the Protect-a-bed bed bug proof protector mattress encasements site for more details.

They are not a pest that can be tackled by an amateur and a pest control professional will almost certainly be required.

Contact us on 0800 019 8382