Bedbugs
Bedbugs are true
bugs belonging to the insect order, Heteroptera. The common bedbug, Cimex
lectularius is principally a parasite of man although they can be found on bats,
birds and small mammals. Side effects of bedbug bites include itchy body
swellings, and in rare cases - usually involving people living in poverty -
severe infestations may lead to severe blood loss, due to the volume of feeding
by hundreds or even thousands of bedbugs. While studies have shown that HIV can
survive on bedbugs' mouthparts for up to an hour, the insects are not known to
be vectors for disease.
Adult bedbugs are approximately 6mm long, brown in colour and with an oval,
flattened abdomen. They do not have wings. After a blood meal they are dark red
in colour approximately 10mm in length and with round, distended abdomens.
Life-Cycle
At mating the male punctures the female body wall and injects sperm into her
abdominal space. After mating each female lays up to 200 white, asymmetrical
eggs which are deposited in the harborage. The nymphs that hatch are miniature
versions of the adults and there is no larval stage. The nymphs moult several
times over a period of 6-18 months before becoming adults. The optimal
temperature for the development of C. lectularius appears to be between 15 -
20°C. At lower temperatures usually only adults will be present. Temperature and
the availability of blood meals determine the length of life cycle but under
normal conditions at least three generations are possible each year.
Behaviour
Both nymph and adult bedbugs generally feed at night and hide in crevices during
the day. Common hiding places include seams in mattresses and box springs,
cracks in bed frames and between floorboards, under loose wallpaper, behind
picture frames and inside furniture and upholstery. Excrement or blood spots are
often found on bed sheets or where the bedbugs hide. Cast skins are also often
found especially where infestations are heavy. Heavy infestations can produce a
characteristic odour. Bedbugs react negatively to light and they avoid wet
surfaces.
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 (asleep)
Bedbugs can ingest up to 7x their body weight in blood in a single feed
Bedbugs can go without feeding for up to 4 months with older bugs surviving
longer than young ones
They are commonly transported in furniture and luggage
They are unable to fly or jump
Advanced Rodent Control.