Castlefield Bed Bugs & Pest Control Services

Identification
Adults are reddish-brown, oval, flattened 6 to 9 mm long and 1.5 to 3 mm wide before feeding. Engorged adults are swollen and dull red.
The white, oval egg is about 1 mm long.
Although humans are the preferred host, bed bugs feed on many warm-blooded animals. Animal hosts include poultry, rats, mice, dogs, cats, pigeons, canaries, rabbits, and guinea pigs.

After hatching the bed bug goes through five nymphal stages that resemble the adult, though they are smaller in size. A newly hatched nymph is almost colourless. Engorged nymphs are reddish and swollen. Wild animals, including bats, swallows and house martins may also serve as hosts and may be responsible for causing infestations in or around buildings.

Bed bugs usually hide in cracks or mattresses during the day and emerge at night to feed. They inject saliva as they feed. An allergic reaction to the saliva often causes slightly delayed swelling, itching, and burning which may persist for a week or more.

Female Bed bugs lay eggs throughout their life, generally around 2 to 3 per, each female could produce around 400 – 500 eggs during her lifetime.
The eggs are deposited all around the environment in which the Bed bug is living.
At temperatures above 21°C (70°F), eggs hatch in 6 to 17 days. At lower temperatures, hatching may take as long as 28 days.

Bed Bug Facts
They are not known to be disease carriers.
They feed on human blood by stabbing the victim with their hollow mouthparts, injecting an anticoagulant to prevent the blood clotting, and sucking the liquid blood into their gut.
Infestations are usually detected by the skin irritation caused by bites, usually limited to itching and inflammation.
They prefer to feed when it is dark and the host is still and asleep.
Bedbugs can ingest up to 7x their body weight in blood in a single feed.
Bedbugs can go without feeding for up to 12 months with older bugs surviving longer than young ones They are commonly transported in furniture and luggage.
They are unable to fly or jump.

Control:
The first step to dealing with bed bugs is to locate all of their hiding places:
Furniture, particularly bedroom furniture must be inspected carefully, even to the point of dismantling the bed for easier inspection and possible treatment.
Check under and behind other pieces of furniture, such as chairs, couches, dressers, etc. It may be necessary to remove the dust covers on the undersides of chairs and couches. Pull drawers out of dressers, inspect them carefully and examine the interior of the dresser.
Remove and inspect objects, such as pictures, mirrors, curtains, etc., that are hung or mounted on walls. Check obvious cracks and crevices along baseboards.
Inspect torn or loose wallpaper and decorative borders.
Check clothing and other item stored in areas where bed bugs have been found.DO NOT REMOVE ANY ITEM FROM ANY ROOM UNLESS IN A SEALED BAGS AS EGGS CAN DROP OFF ITEMS AND START INFESTATIONS IN OTHER AREAS FOR THE PROPERTY