Bedbugs

Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed exclusively on blood. Cimex lectularius, the common bed bug, is the best known, as it prefers to feed on human blood. The name bed bug derives from the preferred habitat of warm houses and especially near or inside beds and bedding or other sleep areas. Bed bugs are mainly active at night, but are not exclusively nocturnal. They usually feed on their hosts without being noticed. Although they are not known to spread disease they can leave you with itchy bites that look and feel like mosquito bites.

Signs of infestation:

• Rusty or reddish stains on bed sheets or mattresses caused by bed bugs being crushed.
• Dark spots slightly bigger than this full stop. These are bed bug excrement and may bleed on the fabric.
• Eggs and egg shells, which are tiny (1mm) and pale yellow skins that nymphs shed as they grow larger.
• Live bed bugs.