About bed bugs

The official name of the bed bug is, "Cimex lectularius". Bed bugs belongs to the family of "cimicidae". Adult bed bugs are approximately 5 mm long, reddish-brown in colour but become purple after feeding. They have a well developed antennae, prominent but simple eyes. Their feet have claws for climbing rough surfaces but ineffective for climbing smooth surfaces. The ratio of the head width, including the eyes, to length of the third antennal segment is usually greater than 1:1.7. Bed bug are very noticeable because of their flat, oval cross section. The metamorphosis in a bed bug's growth is classified as 'incomplete'. This because the process goes from an egg then straight to a nymphal stage. Bed bugs have short but functionless forewings but do not have any hind wings. Bed bugs use their mouth section which they use to pierce and then suck blood. The mouth section forms a beak, called the rostrum, usually positioned under the body in the ventral groove. Bed bug use the rostrum to feed on human blood which is the only food it consumes. It's main host are human beings but bed bugs also feed on other warm blooded animals as well. Bed bugs are found throughout the world in just ablut any human habitation. The main problem with finding bed bugs are that they are extremely good at hiding, very hardy and elusive. Bed bugs have a trend in hiding in mattresses, especially the seams of the mattresses. The mattress bases is another favorite as well as head boards. bed bugs can hide anywhere, in furniture, wall cavities, skirting boards, lamp shades, telephones, curtains, pelmets, door frames, under carpets, even in coat hangers. Bed bugs lay transparent, minute eggs, up to 500, per female. These 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. The adult bed bug hibernate during the winter. But he eggs and nymphs are susceptible to low temperatures and many eggs die out during the onset of winter, unless in the bed bug eggs are laid in adequately heated premises. Finding and killing bed bugs is hard to do, using a professional is needed. Doing a thorough search followed by an application of professional pesticide is recomended. The pesticide will increase the probablilty of killing the adult bed bugs but is not 100 percent gauranted. Professional pesticides also should 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. 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.

Where bed bugs are found.

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. 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.