Get Rid of Bed Bugs Sydney
Bed Bug Facts
Bedbugs lurk in cracks and crevices and they’ve been living on human blood for centuries. Though they aren’t known to transmit disease or pose any serious medical risk, the stubborn parasites can leave itchy and unsightly bites. However, bedbugs don’t always leave marks. The best way to tell if you have a bedbug infestation is to see the live, apple-seed-size critters for yourself. Unfortunately, once bedbugs take up residence in homes and businesses, they can be difficult to exterminate without professional help.
Appearance, lifestyle and habits
Bedbugs are flat, round and reddish brown, around a quarter-inch (7 millimetres) in length. The ones that typically plague humans are the common bedbug Cimex lectularius and the tropical bedbug Cimex hemipterus. The creatures don’t have wings and they can’t fly or jump. But their narrow body shape and ability to live for months without food make them ready stowaways and squatters. Bedbugs can easily hide in the seams and folds of luggage, bags and clothes. They also take shelter behind wallpaper and inside bedding, box springs and furniture. The ones that feed on people can crawl more than 100 feet (30 meters) in a night, but typically creep to within 8 feet (2.4 m) of the spot its human hosts sleep. Bedbugs reproduce by a gruesome strategy appropriately named “traumatic insemination,” in which the male stabs the female’s abdomen and injects sperm into the wound. During their life cycle, females can lay more than 200 eggs, which hatch and go through five immature “nymph” stages before reaching their adult form, molting after each phase. Bedbugs feed on the blood of humans (though some species have a taste for other mammals and birds, too) by inserting a sharp proboscis, or beak, into the victim’s skin. The critters become engorged with blood in about 10 minutes, this keeps them feed for up to 3 days!
The insects are most active at night, though they are not exclusively nocturnal. Bedbugs are attracted to warmth, moisture and the carbon dioxide released from warm-blooded animals. On sleeping human hosts, bedbugs often bite exposed areas of the body, such as the face, neck, arms and hands. But looking for bedbug bites might not be the best way to tell if you have an infestation. The bites themselves don’t usually pose any major health risk since bedbugs are not known to spread diseases, but an allergic reaction to the bites may require medical attention. Excessively scratching the itchy, bitten areas also may increase the chance of a secondary skin infection. People whose homes have been infested with bedbugs may have trouble sleeping for fear of being bitten in the night. There are also public health, social and economic consequences; office buildings and schools often have to close if they are dealing with a bedbug infestation. You should look for traces of the insects in the folds of your mattresses, box springs and other places where they are likely to hide. They also leave small, dark-coloured spots from the blood-filled droppings they deposit on mattresses and furniture. If you can touch the spot with a water-soaked towel and it runs a rusty, reddish colour, you’re probably looking at a fresh drop of bedbug faeces. Bedbugs often invade new areas after being carried there by clothing, luggage, furniture or bedding. The creatures don’t discriminate between dirty and clean homes, which means even luxury hotels can be susceptible to bedbugs. The most at-risk places tend to be crowded lodgings with high occupant turnover, such as dormitories, apartment complexes, hotels and homeless shelters. Getting rid of clutter may help to reduce the number of hiding places for bedbugs, the best way to prevent bedbugs is regular inspection for the signs of an infestation.
Get rid of bed bugs from your Sydney home
Pest Blitz are experts at eliminating bed bug problems in a safe and eco-friendly way. As a fully licensed and insured pest management business, we are the right choice in solving your pest issues.
