It’s concerning, but there’s been a noted rise in bed bug infestations in Australia and globally. Over the past decade, infestations have spread across various countries, primarily due to these pests developing resistance to commonly available insecticides.
The surge in global travel also plays a role, with bed bugs hitching rides on shoes, luggage, and clothing. These insects can travel from hotels to your bedroom, starting a new infestation. A frightening prospect, right?
With infestations on the rise, hotels around the world have started prohibiting guests from using their own bed linen as a precaution against these blood-feeding pests. It’s far more effective to engage professional pest control services.
Tiny Blood-Suckers Lurking in Your Bed While the name ‘bed bug’ comes from their typical habitat, these insects have been found in other areas of homes, bedrooms, and hostels. They’ve even been spotted in places with little activity, like theatres or cinemas. Although they can’t fly, they make up for it with their remarkable speed, quickly hiding when exposed to light.
Bed bugs are nocturnal, resting during the day and feeding mostly at night. They’re drawn to their food source (humans!) by the warmth and carbon dioxide we emit. They feed on our blood every five to ten days but can survive for months without it. When they’re ready to feed, they use two hollow tubes to pierce the skin; one draws blood from the sleeping victim (you), and the other injects anticoagulants and anaesthetic.
The anaesthetic ensures their bite is generally painless, while the anticoagulant prevents the blood from clotting. This means you’re unaware that pests are literally drinking your blood while you sleep, leaving only spots of blood on the bed sheets by morning. Those allergic to the injected anticoagulants may experience large welts and swelling on the bitten limbs.
Indicators of a Bed Bug Infestation:
Bed bugs are elusive, making it difficult to determine if your bed is infested. To gradually gain an advantage over them, you need to watch for these signs:
Dark spots of excrement or blood on mattresses, bed sheets, skirting boards, or nearby cracks and crevices.
Live bed bugs (or cast skins)
Eggs (visible against dark-coloured fabric)
Distinct ‘bug’ smell (in severe infestations)
Bite marks on the skin
Bed bugs usually feed on exposed parts (e.g., shoulders and arms) in distinctive lines. While the bites aren’t generally a health risk, some people find them painful and may have a localised allergic reaction to the bed bug’s saliva. In extreme cases, the victim can suffer anaphylactic shock—a life-threatening allergic reaction—to the bites.
Identifying a Bed Bug Infestation In the early stages of an infestation, bed bugs hide around the beading and folds of mattresses, sleeping bags, and bed sheets. As the infestation worsens, the bugs move to any crevices, whether in the skirting boards, cracks in nearby bedroom furniture or plaster, or even in bed heads.
On white sheets and bedding, adult bed bugs can be easily seen with the naked eye. It may be much harder to spot them on dark surfaces and wooden floors. Their young nymphs are much harder to see on any surface.
A reliable method to detect bed bugs is to check common hiding places for black or brown spots of dried blood excrement. In severe infestations, that area may also emit an offensive, sticky odour similar to the smell a stink bug gives off when squashed. If your eyesight is sharp, you can see white eggs, egg cases, and moulted skin shells, along with the live bugs.
It’s important to note that bed bugs often live close to a suitable host. Once they find their victim, they’ll quickly settle in and multiply rapidly.
Bed Bug Control Is No Easy Task:
Bed bugs have developed resistance to most common insecticides on the market today. This makes it nearly impossible to completely eradicate them on your own. Even if you find an insecticide that seems to harm them significantly, the chemical may not affect the eggs. So while you might enjoy a few days of good sleep, you’ll soon wake up to an unpleasant surprise: the infestation cycle has merely been paused. Needless to say, professional inspection and commercial treatment are essential.
As long as a single egg survives the initial treatment, the bed bugs can repopulate the affected area all over again. With an incubation period of two weeks and the fact that they’re hidden in hard-to-reach areas, an infestation can persist and continue to bother you until you decide to bring in the experts. Once an infestation has been detected, you should have all adjoining rooms inspected and treated before the bed bug population gets out of control.
The Best Approach to Bed Bug Infestations:
Given the complexity of bed bug control, it’s best to leave the task to a licensed pest control company. Ideally, they should apply pesticides registered and permitted by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for the control of bed bug populations. The choice of pesticide largely depends on the usage requirement.
Dust may be excellent at penetrating cracks where bed bugs live but may not be as effective in areas where it can be dispersed by constant vacuuming and foot traffic.
Fortunately, you don’t have to look far to find a licensed pest exterminator. Contact our bed bug removal team, and we’ll eliminate these blood-sucking threats before they leave you exhausted from all those sleepless nights battling them.
Contact Us TODAY for an expert opinion!
