Throughout the UK we are hearing more often about the increase of this household pest. Local and national newspapers and websites across the country are reporting on what some are describing as an epidemic.
A recently fed Bed Bug photographed along with some grains of rice for scale
The actual numbers of cases are likely to be even larger than reported because of course who wants to admit to having a bed bug problem in their own home. Of course if we were bitten in a hotel we would be shouting about it from the rooftops but in our own homes we are going to keep it quiet and try to deal with it as quickly and as quietly as possible.
Bed Bugs are not neccesarily the sign of a dirty home, in fact they are not bothered if your home is clean or dirty, they are only after one thing and that’s you and I. Bed Bugs are transported in to our homes on our clothing and luggage. You might have stayed the night in a hotel room with a bed bug problem and during your stay they might have hidden inside your bags to be carried home unknowingly, We have even heard of them being picked up on clothing whilst travelling on public transport. However they have reached your home they need dealing with.
Once in your home they will seek out a hiding place, somewhere where they can come out at night to find a handy meal. The most obvious place is in the bedroom. Bed Bugs bite and then suck out blood and their favourite kind of blood is human. They usually feed in the early hours, before it is light and then return to their hiding place before you wake up. The first you will usually know about being bitten is the next morning when you might have itchy lumps, these are caused by the body’s allergic reaction to the bugs saliva, but not everybody is allergic to it and not everyone reacts to the bites immediately. It could be hours, days or never even if you have been bitten. Bed Bugs actively search us out, they are sensitive to our body heat and to the carbon dioxide that we breathe out, for this reason bites are not restricted to just arms and legs but also to faces and necks.
Another sign of bed bug activity is small flecks of blood and faeces on your bedding and near to their hiding places. Bed Bugs can be difficult to get rid of, they can survive for many months in a semi dormant state without feeding but of course they prefer not to. If you just move to another room they will follow. They are persistant and will try anything to get to you (even climbing the walls and ceilings to drop down on to your bed. If you suspect that you have bed bugs then you need to deal with them quickly and efficiently and in reality if you have a severe infestation (and any infestation will become severe if you do nothing about it) you need to call in a professional extermination organisation.
However you do need to establish that it is bed bugs that are causing the problem and not another issue ( dust mite allergy or even flea bites). You need to see them and identify them as bed bugs before spending time and possibly money on professional help. We have heard of people spending £800 on professional pest control services and either the problem not being bed bug related or worse still spending this amount and for the bed bugs to still be there at the end of the process.
Snugnights are pleased to be able to offer the Brandenberg BB Alert Bed Bug Monitor, this is a small device that is placed in the suspect room, in to the device you place an activator sachet, once activated this mimics our own respiration and body heat actively attracting nearby bed bugs who think they are in for a meal. The Bed Bug crawls inside and is trapped on a sticky base. The next morning if you have bed bugs, the evidence is there for you to see. The BB alert Bed Bug Monitor should also be used after professional treatment as this will show how succesful or not it has been and of course provides the evidence to prove it.
The BB Alert Bed Bug Monitor should be your first line of defence in establishing if Bed Bugs are active and how severely you home is affected and also your last stage in the extermination procedure to confirm that they have been dealt with. It is small, discrete but very effective.
See more about the BB Alert Bed Bug monitor here
Tags: Bed Bugs