Bedbugs

Bedbugs are a particularly nasty pest to have around, and they are difficult to treat properly. With this in mind an early identification of an infestation is of paramount importance. below you will find a bit about the bedbug and hopefully it will help you to identify them before they over run your property. bedbugs in corners They can hide in every corner of your property, and they do not just live in the bed as you can see from the photo showing them in the corners of a chair, this could easily be your head board or table or picture on the wall, in fact it could be anywhere at all.

Key Features

Adult Bedbugs are 4-5 mm in length, mahogany brown in colour and wingless.piccy of bug They have long well developed walking legs with efficient tarsal claws for clinging onto the host whilst feeding. Prominent antennae project from the head adjacent to the compound eyes.

Biology

Female Bedbugs lay eggs throughout their life, an unusual feature in insects. bugs in mattressThey generally produce around 2 to 3 a day and since they can live for many weeks, even months, each female could produce around 400 - 500 eggs in her lifetime. The eggs are deposited around the environment in which the bedbug is living and are small and white or whitish /yellow.

The nymph which emerges from the eggs after about ten days at 22 degrees centigrade is a small version of the adult, feeding also on the blood of vertebrates.

The length of time spent in the nymphal stages is greatly dependent upon the food resources available, temperature and humidity.

Bedbugs have well defined resting sites in which many individuals from all the different life stages are found. This harbourage is an essential part of the life cycle of the insect since it is in this area that the young Bedbugs pick up the internal gut microorganisms which are essential to their survival.

Significance

The close association of Bedbugs with human beings means that they can cause substantial nuisance through their blood - feeding habit. They feed at night on the human hosts as they are sleeping. If the infestation is high there can be a risk of aneamia being suffered by the human hosts, although this is rare.

The nuisance of itching caused by the bites and the possibility if secondary infection is more common.

Bats, Chickens and other domesticated animals may also be attacked.


If you suspect that you have a BEDBUG problem please do not hesitate to call in a pest controller to investigate, treatment can prove to be costly and the longer the infestation is allowed to carry on the more complicated the treatment, and consequently a higher cost will be involved.