BedBugsLondon.Org

The official name of the bed bug is, 'Cimex lectularius'. Adult bed bugs are approximately 5 mm long, they are red with a brown tint. Bed bugs can become purple after they have fed on a host. Bed bugs have antennae and simple eyes. Bed bugs have claws on their feet to help them climb surfaces which are rough but are not very good at climbing smooth surfaces.

Bed bugs have a ratio of 1 to 1.7 head width (including the eyes), to its length of the third antennal segment (widest part of the torso). Bed bug are flat, with an oval cross section making them recognisable.

Bed bugs have an incomplete metamorphosis because the bed bug's metamorphosis process goes from an egg then straight to a nymphal stage. Bed bugs do have short forewings which they do not use at all. Bed Bugs not have any hind wings. Bed bugs can not fly which is a pity as this would make them much easier to detect. Bed bugs are fast at crawling and can travel a meter in a few seconds.

Bed bugs use their mouth to pierce the skin of a prefrablly smooth skined host and then suck thier blood. The mouth forms a beak which is called a rostrum. The bed bug's rostrum is positioned under the body in the ventral groove.

Bed bugs use their rostrum to feed on human blood which is the only food it consumes. Bed bugs feed on their primary host, human beings but bed bugs can also feed on other warm blooded animals as well. Bed bugs are found throughout the world in just about any human habitation.

Bed bugs are extremely good at hiding and this is the main problem in trying to deal witha bed bug infestation. Bed bugs are very hardy they can withstand extremely low tempratures and can survive being exposed to pesticides due to their protective waxy cuticle. Bed bugs are usually nocturnal and are very elusive.

Bed bugs sense when a host is asleep and detects when there is a certain amount of carbon dioxide in the air and can detect body heat. The host will most probably be asleep by then. Bed bugs have an anesthetic in its silva so the host will not feel the bite. Even if you feel a bed bug on you they move very fast when they want to. Bed bugs have a trend in hiding in mattresses, especially the seams of the mattresses but can hide anywhere.

Bed bugs like to hide the head board and be close to the host perfeabbly near the head of the host as oppossed to the feet area. Bed bugs also like the bed mattress base. Bed bugs can hide just about anywhere, in furniture, wall cavities, skirting boards, under lamp stands, telephones, curtains, pelmets, door frames, televisions, under carpets, even in coat hangers.

Bed bugs lay transparent, minute eggs, up to 500, per female. Bed bug eggs can be laid anywhere, on books, wall cravities, especially wood and textile items. When hatched the bed bug mites are almost impossible to see, due to their tiny size, transparent colour and excellent hiding skills. It therefore takes time and skill to locate hiding bed bugs which can lay dormant for up to 18 months without feeding. The problem is compounded by the fact that bed bugs can withstand temperature ranges between -20 C and 45 C. In temperate climates bed bugs reach their peak numbers towards early autumn.

At this time all stages in the lifecycle will be present. During colder weather, bed bug activity decreases, egg-laying ceases and the development of the juvenile slows down. The adult bed bug is resilient to low temperature. Adult bed bugs hibernate during the winter. But bed bug eggs and nymphs are susceptible to low temperatures and many bed bug eggs die out during the onset of winter, unless in the eggs are laid in adequately heated premises.

Pesticide will increase the probablilty of killing the adult bed bugs but is not 100% gaurantee. Some professional pesticides also act as a growth inhibitor to stunt the development of the bed bug nymphs.

A second visit is recommended and a repeat application of pesticide after a two weeks period, to kill any unhatched eggs. There are a host of other measures and techniques used to deal with bed bugs which do not involve pesticide.

Finding that you have a bed bug infestation is a very traumatic experience because the bed bugs are known to be present and active but are hidden. But where? In your bed, furniture, skirting boards, television, carpets, curtains, wall unit, table legs, lamp stand, electric sockets, etc?

Bed bugs are synonymous with a dirty house but the irony is that most bed bug infestations these days happen in afluent, clean homes and hotels. It only takes one bed bug to get on your clothes or in you luggage, whilst on a bus or in a hotel and then next thing you have an infestation problem in your home. Causing you, your family and customers, concern.

Copyright: Richard Naylor, University of Sheffield

Over the counter domestic, non professional pesticides bought in the the local hardware shop will mostly likely prove ineffective. Non professional pesticides are not in strong enough concentration. They contain 'pyrethrins' which is a naturally occuring compound which irritated bed bugs and chases them away but does not kill bed bugs. Bed bugs are chased to a different room but will return to their food source, you. Without a profesional pesticide applications may not penetrate into the hidden areas.

Bed bugs have a waxy layer around their body so chemical penetration is reduced. Bed bugs cannot fly, so they must crawl everywhere but can be passively transported on clothing, or in luggage, furniture, books and other objects can be used as transportation system and harborages.

They can withstand many months without feeding increasing their chances of surviving such transportation. This is evident in the insects' very wide distribution throughout the world and demonstrates their success at traveling and surviving the ordeal. Any household, hotel or business can be invaded by bed bugs even in the cleanest environment but it increase the possibility of infestations in premises with low standards of hygiene. Bed bugs are often associated with poor, crowed and unhygienic conditions but nowadays it is even elite five star hotels that are falling victim to infestations.

Copyright: Richard Naylor, University of Sheffield

Most bed bug infestations are found in domestic premises, usually in the bedrooms. Juveniles and adults bed bugs live similar lives, hiding way in the cracks and crevices for most of the time and coming out at night, usually just before dawn, to feed on the blood of their sleeping hosts. Bed bugs hide mainly in bed frames, mattress, in furniture, behind skirting boards, behind the wallpaper or anywhere that allows a dark place to hide and harborage during the daylight hours. Bed bugs are normally nocturnal creatures.

The insect infestations occurs particularly in areas of high population density including hotels, hostels and holiday camps. The bird-feeding bugs, such as the Martin bug, will be found in the nests of their hosts and follow a similar lifestyle to the common bed bug. The occasional problems of these species attacking humans are likely to stem from abandoned nests built near to or inside houses. Nests in lofts or under eaves would be a likely source if such an infestation were suspected.