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One of the most feared and misunderstood pests known to man is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us dropped off to sleep at night as young ones with the words of our parents in our ears “sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite”

Bed Bugs may have started to predate on man at about the time we moved into caves, the bat bugs Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to feed on human blood when our ancestors started dwelling in bat infested caves.

Up to the arrival of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common unwelcome guests in most poor quality homes.

The later part of the 20th century saw pest control companies dealing with very few bed bug infestations indeed, their presence being largely restricted to cheap holiday camps and student lodgings etc.

A lot of people mistake dust mites, which aren’t visible to the unaided eye, with bed bugs which very definitely are.

Adult bedbugs are reddy-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and very swollen after a feed of human blood.

They grow by an incomplete metamorphosis which means that the babies are just smaller versions of the adult, they do not have a pupal stage like a flea or a fly.

Bed bugs regularly feed on human blood every week or so, emerging in the hours before dawn and locating their target by detecting the exhaled CO2 from human breath and when close in on their target, body heat.

In the absence of a suitable human host to feed on they can lay dormant for periods of up to 18 months.

Signs of a bed bug infestation are spots of blood on bedding and on the base of mattresses and many people can react badly to their bites.

The early 21st century has seen bed bug numbers explode across the planet, the easy availability of world travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the resurgence.

What is positive is that that are now making a real comeback not only in low quality housing but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.

One London borough reports a doubling of bed bug problems every year from 1995 to 2001.

One night stay in an infested hotel is all it takes, they hitch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now reporting cases of transport related bed bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a simple ride to work on an infested tube or train can be enough to spread the infestation to your own home.

They are an expensive pest to deal with as contrary to popular opinion they do not just live in beds. They hide in any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side bed side telephones etc and dealing with them is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been revealed found living under the toe-nails of infirm people and in the creases of flesh on grossly over-weight people.

They are not a pest that can be dealt with by an amateur and a pest control professional will almost certainly be required.

Ken Chadwick B.A.(Hons) is a Pest Control professional as Manchester Pest Control. He frequently appears on radio and TV talking about bed bugs and other pests.

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Bed bugs cause unnecessary annoyance to family members in numerous homes. These pests are notorious bloodsuckers and have a liking for warm blooded animals like cats, dogs and humans, with humans being their first preference. To deal with this issue, one must go for professional pest control procedures.

Travellers are most of the times accountable for transmission of bed bugs, and once these bugs find a new habitat they multiply on their own rapidly. They usually flourish in the nooks and corners of beds, carpets and home furniture.

At daytime, bed bugs stay in dark sites. They prefer fabric, wood, and paper surfaces. They ordinarily reside near the host. Bed bugs initially can be seen about tufts, seams, and creases of mattresses, later spreading to crevices in the bedframe.

A common myth about bed bugs is that they multiply because of lack of cleanliness, but that’s quite incorrect. Since these creatures survive on blood and not trash, cleanliness doesn’t help in eradicating them. However, if the surroundings are kept clean, then the pests can be easily spotted.

Another popular myth associated with bed bugs is that they are invisible without an aid as they are very small. The fact is that bed bugs are actually big enough to be seen with naked eyes but they have a flat body which helps them vanish into little crevices and clothing layers easily, making it difficult to see them.

They will usually bite once a week or so, and they can really live for a long time without feeding – usually six months, but sometimes over a year.

When it comes to sanitizing a home of bed bugs, not many people can do the job better than an expert pest controller, so it is better to hire such a person instead of trying to rid these pests all by yourself. However, if you want to fight bed bugs on your own, the next best thing to do is to properly clean bed sheets, carpets etc. in hot water and then allow them to be dried in the sun. It is necessary to plug all gaps in the walls and do away with furniture that has cracks in it, so that these pests don’t get any place to reproduce.

Find out the most effective methods of eradicating Ants and Mosquitoes from your homes or offices.

Rats are one of the most problematic and hated domestic pests. They are such a menace that we cannot wait to eradicate them from our houses. The below mentioned tips can be of great help in case you want to do away with these household pests.

Rat elimination needs you to put baited traps at suitable locations in the residence, particularly at points which are regularly used by rats, such as exits and entrances. Remember that the rat’s flexible spine makes sure that it can comfortably squeeze through very small spaces. Therefore, you should put your traps at these tiny crevices and holes in your house as well.

Rat poison is another highly effective rat elimination technique, which is widely used in homes nowadays, but it is not recommended if you have small children or animals at your residence. One of the newest techniques to deal with the menace is through sonic devices, which are utilized extensively by pest control firms. However, care should be taken to plan for getting rid of the dead rats before you go ahead and use any of these methods.

It is essential to realise that the process of elimination does not stop at just killing the existing rats, and that it is equally crucial to ensure that the problem does not reappear. To ensure this, you must take steps to protect your home against further invasions from rats. Though rat proofing can be quite difficult, it is an effective and permanent remedy to the problem of rat attacks. To avoid rats, you should ensure that all entry points to the residence and all exits from it are blocked when you are not using them, and the garden is continuously looked after and maintained to stop rats from inhabiting it.

In residential areas, poor sanitation and waste management help rats to exist. Good sanitation will effectively limit the number of rats that can live in and around the household. This requires good housekeeping, correct warehousing and handling of food materials, and reject and elimination of rodent shelter. Dog pens must be properly kept to reduce potential rat problems. Get rid of clutter around your home. Good sanitary exercises will not eradicate rats under all conditions, but will make the surroundings less suitable for them to flourish.

Hiring the services of a good pest control firm can be quite helpful for proper execution of the elimination plan and their suggestions will go a long way in ensuring that you are saved from having to face this problem again.

Find out the most effective methods of eradicating Ants and Mosquitoes from your homes or offices.

Bed bugs are a source of vexation that most homes can do without. These small horrible pests feed on the blood from warm blooded animals and if they can’t find a human host they could settle for even a cat or dog. In addition, eliminating them is not simple at all and it warrants a serious bug control drive to remove them.

Bed bugs infestation is mostly spread through travellers, but once these annoying bugs reach a new place they make it their own quickly. They invade beds, furniture, carpets and any such objects where they can find holes and gaps.

An overwhelming majority of people harbour the wrong idea that bed bugs prefer places that are unhygienic. Bed bugs are creatures that are thirsty for blood and not waste, and hence trash removal is not a very helpful way to remove them. However, if the surroundings are kept clean, then the pests can be easily detected.

Another popular myth related to bed bugs is that they can’t be seen without an aid as they are very small. The fact is that bed bugs are actually large enough to be spotted without any magnifying device but they have a flat body which helps them disappear into little cracks and clothing layers easily, making it difficult to see them.

Bed bugs bite. They can live long without feeding – up to 6 months or a year.

One of the easiest ways to exterminate bed bugs is to hire an knowledgeable pest controller who can sanitize the home of these pests. Of course some home solutions do fight bed bugs, like washing bed sheets, carpets and other affected items of clothing in hot water and afterwards putting them out to dry in the sun. Gaps in the walls must also be sealed, and furniture having lots of holes and other possible locations for bed bugs must ideally be disposed off.

Learn more about the most effective methods of eradicating other pests such as Rats and Termites from your homes or offices.