How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs

One of the things I remember as a kid was my mum tucking me in at night and singing "Goodnight, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite". It worked, because to the best of my knowledge, I never got bitten by a bed bug. 

In reality, there weren't many bed bugs around when I was a kid; in fact bed bugs were very scarce for a long time. with the introduction of DDT in the fifties and other pesticides, bed bugs all but disappeared off the face of the earth. The funny thing is, these pesticides were introduced as a solution to cockroach infestation and ant and spider problems. Their impact on bed bugs was a welcome, but unplanned side effect.

Rumour has it that when these pesticides where introduced, some of the more clever bed bugs got wind of the fact that the party was over, and decided to work on plan B. Plan B, it turns out, was to move to large poultry farms and wait it out. Finally, in the 90s, pest control companies stopped spraying insecticides and started using gel baits to control cockroach and ant problems.

Of course, bed bugs don’t care for these baits, so they figured it was safe to start moving back into residential areas. So they started hitching rides on the workers of the poultry farmers, right back to your home. The rest is history, there has been a serious increase of bed bug infestation in built up areas in the last 10 years, and it continues to grow.

Bed bugs live on blood. That's all they care about. Once they find a host (meaning you and me), they'll happily hang out at their house and feast on your internal liquids while you sleep. A lot of people never even know that they are a walking talking cafeteria for these creatures. Others are not so lucky.

If you are going to react to a bed bug bite, it will generally be in the form of red welts on the infected area and an itchy sensation. They have been compared to a mosquito bite. Unlike a mosquito bite, however, reaction to a bed bug will not happen until around 12 hours after the fact. For this reason, many people don’t realise they have an infestation at home, as the itching occurs outside of their place of sleep.

Bed Bug Characteristics

A bed bug is about 4mm long and brownish in colour. Although they don't travel far, they can actually move quite quickly. However, they can't fly or jump. Bed bugs mate in quite an unappealing fashion. The male genitalia are like needles, which he inserts directly through the females body, ejaculating into her body cavity. The female can produce around five eggs every day and will produce around 500 in her lifetime.

Bed bugs are largely nocturnal animals. They have been known to be active during the day, but only when they have been disturbed, or their host is inactive. As I said before, a bed bug is interested in only one thing; your blood. They tend to set up camp close to where you sleep, hence their name. One of their favourite places is in the seams of your mattress. They love dark places, and will be happy in a cupboard full of clothes or a suitcase.

They are capable of travelling up to 30 meters for a feed, once you are settled into your slumber, the little fellas will come down and stick two needles into your body. That’s right, I said two. The first needle contains an anticoagulant that will thin your blood. It also contains an anaesthetic. He doesn’t want you waking up while he's feeding. The second needle is actually a straw, you know, for sucking.

Firstly, if at all possible, get rid of the items that are infested. This includes shirts, blankets, swimming shorts, jumpers, anything that is lying around your bedroom floor. If you're infestation is in your mattress, be sure to cover the mattress completely in plastic before trying to remove it. Lots of people will drag their mattress out of their house, and in the process, the little bugs will jump ship and run and hide.  If you can't afford a new mattress, make sure you vacuum the area thoroughly and get yourself a cover for you mattress. This will at least stop them from hiding in the seams. You will also want to wash all your clothes in hot water to kill any rogue bugs that might be hanging out in there.

Do not purchase insecticides to get rid of them. Spraying insecticides around the area that you sleep is not a good idea, and can lead to some serious health problems. If you are still having problems, call a qualified pest control and they will be able to determine a safe remedy to your situation

Generally, bed bugs will feed every five days or so, however, they can live in a dormant state for up to a year without any food. Keep that in mind while you're trying to get rid of them.