What Are Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs are a small brown wingless parasite. They are part of the scientific family Climicidae.  The bed bug that feeds on human blood is known as cimex lectularius.

Bed bugs don’t just live in beds although most people think that is their natural home.  They will live in virtually any part of your home but are usually found where you sleep.  They tend to feed at night when it is dark.  In fact one home remedy for removing bed bugs is to keep a light on under the bed but nobody is certain whether this works.  It is probably more certain that it could be a fire hazard.

Bed Bugs Have Been a Pest for Centuries

bed bugsBed bugs are not a modern problem but have been a plague for mankind through the ages.  There was a time in the 1940s when they were all but eradicated but it was discovered that spraying lots of DDT around was not safe for human health.

The cimex lectularius may not be able to fly but it can certainly travel.  The surge in foreign travel has been blamed for the increasing problem with bed bugs in the USA.    These pests often get into suitcases or get embedded in your clothes and so travel with you wherever you go.   Some believe that the sheer volume of people occupying towns and cities is to blame for the increasing numbers of infestations.

More believe the bed bug has become resistant to pesticides but this may not be the case.  What is more likely is that people are trying to save money and treat an infestation at home.  Generally this doesn’t work as few people have the skills or knowledge to treat the problem properly. You cannot just spray everything and hope for the best. You have to strip off all soft furnishings and then treat every available surface in your entire home.  The furnishings have to be washed or dry cleaned and that includes all soft toys.  Some experts recommend that you bin everything and start again but this is not always practical advice.  You should avoid buying second hand bedding or mattresses as you cannot be sure they are not already infected.

Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs

The best advice for getting rid of bed bugs is to call in the exterminators.  They are the experts at dealing with these pests.  Not only do they have the proper equipment but they also know the habits of these unwelcome lodgers. Once the professionals have finished, you should then use your cash to make sure your home remains bug fee.  This means investing in bed bug protector mattress and other products as well as keeping bedrooms, sofas and soft furnishings scrupulously clean. Keep an eye out for any new activity bearing in mind that bed bugs can go for up to a year without feeding so could be hiding somewhere.  While having bed bugs doesn’t mean that your home is dirty, regular vacuuming can go a long way to keeping your home bed bug free.

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