Bed Bugs in England
In Bed Bugs, Pests in August, Pests in July, Pests in September, Pests in Spring, Pests in Summer
Bed Bugs in England:
Bed Bugs are a pest that 10 years ago were rare in our service area (Berkshire, North Hampshire, South Oxfordshire, South Buckinghamshire & Surrey), so rare that we would only carry out 1 or 2 jobs a year, recent years have produced between 200 to 300 bed bug jobs per year. In the UK Bed Bug infestations were declining and in fact were mainly restricted to crowded boarding houses and bed and breakfast in Seaside resort towns such as Skegness or Blackpool. The main reason for the dramatic increase over the past few years is probably the influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe. The difference between these and other immigrants is that as they were closer a lot come in cars and buses, bringing furniture and other belongings with them some of which carried bed bugs.
Most bed bug infestations that get into peoples homes come from hotels or second hand furniture. Occasionally infestations may spread from flat or flat or through houses that are terraced or semi detached.
Bed Bugs usually feed at night on human blood. They need the stimulus of carbon dioxide and heat to bring them out of their hiding places to feed. The fertile females live in cracks & crevices away from the bed. The reason for this is that the males damage the females when they mate with them. The females have no sexual organs and the male penetrates the body of the female to fertilizes her, damaging the female in the process. The males and the juveniles live close to the food source (in and around the bed).
As mentioned in previous blogs the preparation prior to treatment is vital if the treatment is to succeed.
At PEST UK we use a residual insecticide treatment along with a Diatomaceous Earth dust for voids and electrical equipment. This earth dust is completely non toxic and kills by scratching the cuticle 9the shell) of the insect which caused the insect to dehydrate. Some companies use heat of freeze treatment for bed bugs along with the Diatomecous Earth dust. This sounds good as the whole treatment is insecticide free but although bed bugs are killed I don’t think either treatments penetrate deep enough into furniture, behind skirting boards etc to kill insects deep in the structure or in furniture. Unfortunately there is no revolutionary bait (as with cockroaches) on the horizon that will change treatment away for insecticide sprays.
Bed Bugs are an increasing problem and the increase in flats and bedsits in towns due large immigrant populations are making the problem worse.
For advice or a pest control treatment please phone PEST UK on 0330 100 2811. Alec Minter
BPCA Bed Bugs
