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Bed Bugs are blood-suckers commonly found in motels,
hostels or boarding houses where itinerant travellers stay overnight.
Bed bugs are often found in buildings used to store second-hand furniture
or clothing.
How do Bed Bugs get into bed? Bed bugs are transported with luggage,
clothing and other articles, but not on the person. It is not possible
to know if someone is a ‘bed bug carrier’.
Bed Bugs do bite ... at night. Next morning you may see dots of blood
in a line on bed linen. The blood has a sickly sweet odour. Also
look for dried blood deposits around cracks in the bed, bed-head,
flooring, bedside furniture and mattress.
Bed bugs life cycle: From the egg, the bed bug has five nymphal stages
before becoming an adult. The adults and nymphs leave their harbourage
area to feed every 2 to 3 days. They feed for 3 to 5 minutes at night,
in the early morning hours, before returning to their harbourage
area, usually located within a few metres from their feeding area.
Bed bugs can survive for long periods without a blood meal.
Adverse skin reactions: Some people have an adverse skin reaction
to the bite of bed bugs. The bed bug injects an anti-coagulant chemical
into the bloodstream of it's host which prevents the blood from clotting.
This allows the bed bug to suck out the blood until it is fully engourged.
NOTE: The resulting irritancy of the anti-coagulent chemical around
the bite site can be severe, particularly to people with soft sensitive
skin. Scratching is difficult to resist but this can cause infection
of the bite area. If this is a likely problem, you should consult
a Doctor or Chemist to obtain appropriate medication. |
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Pest Control for Bed Bugs
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A professional pest controller should be engaged to ensure safe
effective control of a bed bug infestation. Firstly, a thorough inspection
of the area of infestation is carried out before proceeding with
control procedures. All potential daytime potential harbourage areas
must be located and treated with a low hazard insecticide registered
for this purpose.
Do NOT attempt do-it-yourself pest control using a surface spray
on bed-linen or matress. Such a use could be a DANGER to the health
and safety of the occupants.
The pest controller can use specialised equipment with a variety
of insecticidal formulations depending upon the circumstances. We
recommend the safer synthetic pyrethroid insecticidal dust or spray
be used in certain locations. In addition, the entire area may require
treatment using a fogging machine in order to acheive a satisfactory
result.
What You can do: All clothing, bed linen, curtains, fabrics, hangings
and the like must laundered prior to insecticidal treatment. Wrap
mattresses in black plastic bag and place in the sun for several
hours. Seal gaps in furniture, floor boards and cracks in wallpaper
and other such areas where bed bugs can hide during the day light
hours.
High standards of sanitation and hygiene, helps as an on-going preventive
measure. The entire premises should be inspected regularly for signs
of bed bug infestation. Prevention of a severe bed bug infestation
throughout an entire building is more likely if regular attention
is provided. Use a professional pest controller for periodic insecticidal
treatment in any commercial lodgings situation where bed bug infestations
are likely to be a problem. |
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Learn about other common household pests
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termite
control