Bedbugs

The bedbug is found throughout Britain and worldwide. It is associated with human habitation, hiding in furniture and structural cracks and crevices, emerging at night when hungry to search for blood meals.

Biology

Bugs mate while in hiding, the female attaching up to 200 eggs to the hiding place in small numbers of four or five per day. When the young hatch they look like miniature adults and develop by shedding their outer skin, usually five times, to reach full size. This can take from a few weeks to several months depending on food supply and conditions.

All growing stages feed on mammalian blood, including cats, dogs, rodents and humans known as the host. They emerge at night when hungry, to search for food.

Feeding usually takes about 10 minutes. They do not jump, although they can walk upside down on ceilings. Falling onto a sleeping host is accidental. They can ingest up to seven times their body weight in blood at any one meal, but can go for prolonged periods without feeding. The adults are highly resistant to starvation and low temperatures.

Significance

Bedbugs are not known to be frequent carriers of disease and their importance is related mostly to the unpleasant irritation following their bites. Heavy infestations are characterised by a distinctive odour from their faeces and scent glands.

Bedbugs can be transferred from house to house, in second hand furniture and bedding. They can also be carried on luggage, in turn-ups of trousers and other items of clothing.

Description

Adults: 6mm very flattenend when not recently fed. Oval shape and red-brown changing to dark mahogany colour if recently fed.
Habit: Nocturnal parasite, hide by day in crevices in beds, furniture, wallpaper, skirting boards and emerge when hungry, usually every few days to feed.

Control

Aberdeenshire does not provide a call out service to deal with seagull control/pest control. It is intended to have a preferred contractor agreement in place by the summer and the website will be updated accordingly. In the meantime, please refer to the Yellow Pages/www.yell.com