Don't let the bed bugs bite
"Night night, sleep tight, don't let the bed-bugs bite…" It's long been a favourite rhyme to send children off to sleep. But with experts warning of a worldwide bedbug pandemic, will any of us be able to sleep once we've turned out the light, asks Tom de Castella.
Vampire fiction may be all the rage. But the true bloodsuckers after twilight are not charismatic updates of Dracula but tiny insects living in our mattresses, headboards and pillows. Yes, bed-bugs are back and pest controllers are warning of a global pandemic.
A recent survey of a thousand pest control firms around the world by the University of Kentucky and the United States' National Pest Management Association, appears to show that the bed-bug problem is increasing everywhere.
"The results of the global study suggest that we are on the threshold of a bed-bug pandemic, not just in the United States, but around the world," said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NPMA.
A study led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine last year found the number of complaints about bed-bugs in the capital grew annually by an average of 28.5% between 2000-2006. And there's no sign of the problem abating with Rentokil reporting the number of bed-bug call outs has gone up by 24% in the first half of the year.
Sniffer dog solution
"It sounds like a gimmick," says Mark Astley, founder of the consultancy Trust K9.
Lola, a one year-old Jack Russell who was trained in the US, does not kill the bed-bugs but is able to find them far quicker than a human, Mr Astley says.
"Lola can do 200 rooms in a day. It only takes her three minutes to search a room whereas it might take me half an hour."
When she finds them she will paw at the area, allowing her handler to know the problem is bed-bugs and not some other infestation.
Some British hotels have even taken to employing the services of a sniffer dog in a bid to root out infestations of the tiny insects (see box, right).
The problem is already big news in America. The nation's Environmental Protection Agency last month warned of an "alarming resurgence" of bed-bugs, a creature the EPA says causes painful itching, allergic reactions, not to mention mental health problems and negative economic consequences. New York is the worst affected city with office buildings, cinemas and shops - including a branch of expensive lingerie chain Victoria's Secret - having to close.
Pop singer Lauren Hildebrandt detailed her trauma in a press release this week after being bitten by the insects while staying at an "upscale" New York retreat. "I couldn't sleep at night, because I kept thinking they were in my bed. I was unable to wear a bathing suit or even a tank top during this hot summer!"
Politicians have been forced to act. In the past week New York's state government has passed laws requiring landlords to tell prospective tenants of any bed-bug infestation within the past year, and ordering schools to inform parents of any outbreak.
Experts have known about the resurgence in bed-bug populations for the last decade but it's only now wider society has woken up to the problem, says Mike Potter, professor of entomology at the University of Kentucky.
Part of that is because bed-bugs are not disease carriers like mosquitoes or rats. And then there's the fact that they are seen as a bit of joke.
"For years people have belittled the problem of bed-bugs but now they're beginning to understand this is serious," he says. "Sleepless nights, constant anxiety, the expense of extermination and then not knowing if you've got rid of them, all creates a huge amount of emotional stress that shouldn't be pooh-poohed."
Even the term bed-bug is misleading now with the creatures popping up in laundries, shops, children's nurseries, schools and hospitals. Bed-bugs may not be able to fly or jump but they have a natural ability to stow away in luggage, beds or sofas and come out to feed when they find themselves close to someone sleeping.
Prof Potter fears for the future unless urgent action is taken.
"There's absolutely no reason to think that this bed-bug problem is going to subside on its own. When you look at where we'll be in two years' time and the rate of increase it's going to be very serious. This is the most challenging pest problem for the developed world in a generation."
But why are their numbers on the march again? Clive Boase, a British entomologist who runs a pest management consultancy, says we grew complacent after tackling the last great outbreak before World War II.
In the 1930s there were large swaths of London where every house was infested. It took an investigation by the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Act of 1936 to force councils to take action.
"Then from the late 30s their numbers declined. The introduction of DDT in 1946 is the reason normally given for wiping out bed-bugs but by then the problem had been more or less treated. DDT was just the final nail in the coffin for bed-bugs."
The 60s, 70s and 80s were the "golden years" in Britain with bed-bugs beaten back.
Battling bed bugs
- Don't take in second-hand beds or mattresses
- Don't allow clutter to build up where you sleep - it's a perfect nesting place for bed-bugs
- When looking around rented accommodation watch out for tell tale blood spots/smears on sheets, and in the seams of furniture and upholstery
- Don't wait to report a problem - nip an infestation in the bud before it grows
- Bed-bugs are not thought to be able to bite through clothing. So as a last resort you can zip yourself up in a sleeping bag or an all over body suit
- Call pest control to deal with an infestation
Climate change and growing international travel, have been cited as reasons for the bed-bug's comeback. But Mr Boase rejects both explanations.
It is far more likely that bed-bugs have become resistant to commonly used insecticides in the West, he argues. Interestingly the global survey showed pest control firms in Latin America and Asia where stronger, organophosphate chemicals are permitted, found it easier to control bed-bugs, he says.
Mr Boase says there is an urgent need to develop new, more effective bed-bug-killing insecticides which are also environmentally acceptable.
"We can still get rid of bed-bugs from premises here even with the problems we've got with resistance to insecticides. But we just need to work harder."
In the meantime householders need to be more vigilant in reporting the problem early.
Richard Mosely, technical manager at the British Pest Control Association, says the apparent harmlessness of the insect is another reason for their return. Because bed-bugs are not lethal like the hospital infections policymakers feel there's no need to act.
"You may not get the emphasis you would with MRSA. That is a killer. This bug draws blood but doesn't spread disease."
Yuck, horrible things! I got attacked twice whilst travelling in Australia. BBC your helpful hint of a sleeping bag isn't actually that helpful, seeing as my second attack was by bedbugs waiting for me in the bag!! My advice personally, if you're worried, just chuck it all out! Let the binmen dump them somewhere and be done with it.
I had an infestation four years ago at an address in central London. They are masters at hiding out and then appearing in droves at night time to feed off you. It took months of pest control and relocation to get rid of them during which time we were covered in bites. If you spot even one, it's worth investing a few quid to have the place sprayed. You should also boil wash all your clothes and blankets as well. They don't die easy.
I'm sorry, I'm struggling to type for laughing... "Sleepless nights, constant anxiety, the expense of extermination and then not knowing if you've got rid of them, all creates a huge amount of emotional stress"... "you can zip yourself up in a sleeping bag or an all over body suit." I'm going to tell my husband later that I am constantly anxious and suffering from a huge amount of emotional stress and then put on an all-over body suit when I go to bed. I will explain this is due to bed bugs. If I don't wake up divorced I will consider my husband a moron. Only in this century could we talk such a load of rubbish. Bed bugs have been around for millennia. I accept a few poor people can be allergic and that an infestation is horrible but that's life, a situation we are becoming increasingly incompetent at dealing with.
It's good to inform the public of this pest hazard, but unless a resolution to the problem is made readily available and at little or no cost, many people will literally live with them until the situation becomes unbearable - councils need to take responsibility and make funds available if this problem is to be tacked effectively and sooner, rather than later.
Has anyone thought about the fact that Bed Bug eggs survive a 40 degree wash unharmed? With the drive to wash bedding at 30-40 degrees wash its no wonder they are on the increase, there is nothing killing them. Personally I do a hot wash every time I come back from holiday and will continue to do so. Thus, most unwelcome travelllers in clothing etc will be removed.
I think it is stupid how we complain about the most stupid thing like bed bugs, where ever you go there is bacteria and we need things like this to build up our immune systems. We are far to clean which is why we have so much disease because our bodies natural defences are weakining.
What a pitiful, dire, dreadful article this is. How about you stop trying to panic people, like you did with Bird Flu, Swine Flu, and the Millenium Bug, and try and cover "REAL" news instead of possible hearsay such as this drivel.
Just read this story whilst lying in bed. I'm up now. I hope you're happy.
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