About bed bugs.

The common bed bug's official name is "Cimex lectularius".

The adult bed bug is approximately 5 mm long, reddish-brown in colour

but becomes purple after feeding. They have a well developed antennae

as well as prominent but simple eyes.

Their feet have claws for climbing through rough surfaces but not smooth surfaces.

The ratio of the head width, including the eyes, to length of the third antennal

segment is usually greater than 1.7.

The bed bugs belong to the family of "cimicidae".

The most noticeable feature of this insect is that it is flat in height and oval from

a cross section.

The metamorphosis in the bed bug growth is classified as incomplete, where

there is an egg and then nymphal stage.

The bed bug has very short but functionless forewings but does not have

any hind wings.

They have a mouth section which is used to pierce and then suck blood, this

mouth section forms a beak, called a rostrum. This rostrum is usually positioned under the body in a ventral groove.

The bed bug uses this beak to feed on human blood which is the only food it consumes. The bed bug must suck the blood from its host's body.

The main host are human beings but they also feed on other warm blooded

animals as well.

Bed bugs are found in human habitations throughout the world.

The main problem with finding bed bugs is that they are extremely good at

hiding, extremely hardy and very elusive.

Bed bugs can hide in mattresses, especially the seams of the mattresses. The mattress bases is another favorite as well a head boards of beds.

They also can hide in furniture, walls, cavities, skirting boards, telephones, curtains, pelmets, door frames, lamps, lamp shades, under carpets, in coat hangers and just about anywhere.

They can lay transparent, minute eggs up to 500, per female bed bug on

books, magazines, walls, cracks, paper and just about anywhere. Especially

wood and textile items.

When hatched the bed bug mites are almost impossible to see due to their

minute size, transparent colour and excellent hiding skills.

It therefore takes time and skill to locate the hiding bed bugs which

theoretically can lay dormant for up to 18 months without feeding.

The problem is compounded by the fact that bed bugs can withstand up

to -20 Centigrade and up to 45 Centigrade in temperatures.

In temperate climates bed bugs reach their peak numbers towards early

autumn. At this time all stages in the lifecycle will be present. With the

onset of colder weather their activity decreases, egg-laying ceases and development of the juvenile forms slows down.

The adult bed bug is very resilient to low temperatures and can survive

up to - 20C. The adults mainly hibernate over winter. The eggs and nymphs

are more susceptible to low temperatures and mainly die out with the onset

of winter, unless in adequately heated premises.

Therefore finding and eliminating bed bugs is hard to do, a professional

is needed who will do a thorough search after which a professional pesticide

will be applied.

The pesticide will be a preventative system to kill the adult bed bugs and

act as a growth inhibitor to stunt the development of the bed bug nymphs.

A second visit and a reapplication of pesticide will be needed in two weeks

to kill any unhatched eggs.

There are a host of other measures and techniques used to eliminating bed bugs

which do not involve pesticide.

Finding 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 nice clean modern homes and hotels.

There is nothing to be ashamed of, all it takes is one bed bug to get on your

clothes or in you luggage, while on a bus or in a hotel and then next thing they

are in your house breeding and feeding on you, causing you, you family or

customers, concern.

You need professional help that will that will efficiently and thoroughly

eliminate the the bed bug problem, creating a bed bug free safety zone for

you, your family and customers.

One of the best methods of dealing with the bed bug problem is to

physically locate the infected area and remove the bed bugs, then an

application of professional pesticides should be applied.

Regular, non professional pesticides purchased in the local shop or even

online will mostly not kill the hardy bed bugs. These non professional

pesticides are not in strong enough concentration. They can not penetrate

into the hidden areas and only cause the bed bugs an irritation.

We call this pesticide you buy in the shop, contains pyrethrins which is called

a flusher by professionals because it only irritates the bed bugs. All that happens

is that they run away for a few days then come back, hungry for your blood and your families.

Where bed bugs are found.

Bed bugs cannot fly, so they must crawl everywhere but can be passively

transported on clothing, or in luggage, even furniture, books and other

objects can be used as transportation system and harborages.

They can withstand many months without feeding which increases 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 bus are often associated with poor, crowed and unhygienic conditions

but nowadays it is even elite five star hotels that are falling victim to

infestations. 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