Why Are Bed Bugs So Difficult to Prevent?

Bed bugs are a notoriously difficult pest to get rid of. Unfortunately, here in the capital, London bed bugs are a huge problem. These pests can infest homes, hotels and commercial buildings, ruining quality of life and businesses.

Bed bugs feed on blood. So as long as they have a great food source, they will happily live alongside you for years. They normally enter your home with a carrier, such as a pet, so it’s a lot more difficult to prevent them like other pests. A little known fact is that they can even infest public places, such as cinemas. Meaning you can easily take a little pest home with you after a nice night out!

Here’s why bed bugs are so difficult to kill:

• Bed bugs can flatten and squeeze themselves through the tiniest of gaps. It’s also incredibly hard to find them all. Eliminating them entirely becomes impossible because of this. They will even hide behind wallpaper that’s come loose, or under wooden flooring.
• Bed bugs are very skilled at reproducing, and will do it rapidly! A female bed bug can lay more than 500 eggs during her life time. Her offspring will then go on to reproduce within a few months, creating a huge infestation. If you think, a bed bug can produce up to four generations in one year. That’s a lot of bed bugs! Although this does depend on the living conditions, such as temperature and humidity.
• If bed bugs go without food for a long time, it’s not a problem. It has been confirmed that a bed bug can live for more than 500 days without food!
• Chemicals may not be an effective guard against bed bugs. These pests have evolved and adapted to human environments, so have built up a resistance to certain chemicals. What a clever pest!
• Bed bugs eat, A LOT! And you may not even notice you’ve been bitten, as their bites contain anaesthetic and anticoagulants.

So what do you do to get rid of them?

Chemicals can still be used in the treatment of bed bugs, although it’s not the recommended solution. To get rid of bed bugs properly, you should call in your local pest controller. If you live in London, get in touch with us. We can offer you some great heat treatments that are proven to eliminate bed bugs in your London home in just one go!