Lancashire, Cheshire, Trafford & Manchester Pest Control

Bed Bugs in Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire

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Bed Bugs in Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire – One of the most hated and misunderstood pests known to man is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us dozed off to sleep at night as children with the words of our parents in our ears ‘sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite’?

Manchester Bed Bugs

Bed bugs may have started to feed on man at about the time we moved into caves, the ‘bat bugs’ Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to feed on human blood when our ancesters started dwelling in bat infested caves.

Until the arrival of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common non-paying guests in much low quality dwellings.

The later part of the 20th century has seen pest control companies dealing with very few bed bug calls indeed, their presence being largely restricted to cheap vacation camps and student lodgings etc.

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

Adult bedbugs are reddy-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and greatly swollen after a meal of our blood.

They have an incomplete metamorphosis which means that the young are just smaller copies of the adult, they don’t have a pupal stage like fleas or a fly.

Bed bugs typically feed on human blood every 7 – 10 days, coming out in the hours before dawn and sensing their prey by detecting the exhaled carbon dioxide from breath and when close in on their target, infra red body heat.

In the absence of a convenient human to feed on they can stay dormant for periods of up to 18 months.

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

The early 21st century has seen bed bug numbers increase across the planet, the cheap availability of world travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the increase.

What is certain is that thet are now making a major return not only in poor quality homes but high class hotels, schools and often hospitals.

One London borough reported a doubling of bed bug call-outs every year from 1995 – 2001.

One night away in an infested hotel is all it takes, they catch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control firms are also now reporting cases of transport related bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a single journey to work on an infested tube or train can be enough to spread the infestation to your home.

Bed Bug Bites

They are an expensive pest to deal with as contrary to popular opinion they don’t just live in beds. They infest any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human being, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side telephones etc and dealing with them is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been found living beneath 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 eradicated by an amateur and a professional will almost certainly be needed.

Bed Bugs in Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire