August Pest of the Month: Bed Bugs

The summer months bring joy to so many people with the sun shining and longer, warmer days. However, finding bed bugs in your holiday home can be distressing. Bed bugs, scientific name Cimex lectularius, are known as a common nuisance pest. While they are particularly common in tourist areas, they have more recently been found in other locations seeking human hosts to feed on, such as seats on public transport, hospitals, hotels, and homes. Urban Pest Control has many years of experience and offers solutions to treat bed bug infestations.

Interesting facts about bed bugs:

• Bed bugs are flat, oval-shaped, and approximately 5-7 mm in size, resembling apple seeds.
• They can easily be transferred from room to room through luggage and clothing. Once in a room, they will hide in wall voids, picture frames, soft furnishings, and even books. They will travel from their hiding place to reach a host.
• Bed bugs typically stay hidden during the daytime and come out at night due to the rise of carbon dioxide in the air as people breathe heavily during deep sleep. They can adjust this schedule if you sleep during the daytime.
• Bed bugs exclusively feed on blood from human hosts and feed for 10-15 minutes at a time.
  Bite marks from bed bugs appear in raised clusters or rows on exposed skin.
• You won’t feel a bed bug biting you as their saliva acts as an anaesthetic that promotes blood flow to the bite site.
• After feeding, bed bugs digest their meal, mate, and lay eggs. A female can lay 200-500 eggs in her lifetime.
• Bed bugs undergo 5 stages of growth, requiring a blood meal between each stage to reach the next level of maturity. Once they reach adulthood, bed bugs need to feed every 2 weeks to be able to mate.

How to recognise you have a bed bug issue:

• Bite marks usually appear on exposed skin while you sleep. These bites can be itchy but generally clear up within a week or so.
• You may notice blood spots on your bedding, which come from the bite site as they feed.
• Small black spots may be seen on bedding or furniture, indicating bed bug faeces.
• You may detect a sweet, musky odour around your bed.

How to treat bed bugs:

Unfortunately, bed bugs are not easily treated using DIY measures. It’s best to call a professional pest controller to address the issue. Urban Pest Control offers various bed bug removal solutions depending on the size of the infestation. Your home or business will require multiple treatments to break the bed bug life cycle. Our qualified technicians, who hold an RSPH level 2 qualification in pest management, will assess your situation and recommend the best course of action. Treatments range from using industry-approved insecticides to temperature-controlled procedures that impact the bed bug environment. Choosing a trading standards-approved pest control company will give you peace of mind through the Buy With Confidence scheme.

Professional Bed Bug Control

We are dedicated to providing a quick, discreet, and reliable service to all our commercial and domestic customers. If you need more information about bed bugs, the treatments we offer, or any other pest control services, please email us at info@urbanpestcontrol.co.uk or call us at 01202 245755.