Punaise de lit

Given Name : Bed Bugs

Latin name : Cimex Lectularius

Physical characteristics : The adult bed bug is a brown-red colour, with a round flat body. They do not have wings however they have microscopic hair that give the illusion that they have stripes. Adults measure 5 to 8 millimetres long and are not fast enough to escape the watchful eye of an observer. The nymphs are translucent in colour. It is during their development that they will eventually become an opaque colour. Once full adult size they can be compared to lentils or apple seeds.

Habits and Biology : The adult females lay between two to five eggs per day, therefore somewhere between 300 to 500 during their lifetime. There are three stages to a bed bug's life; Eggs, nymphs and adult. The eggs are white and about a millimetre in size, they hatch after 10 to 14 days. They are layed in clusters they are fastened just about anywhere ( inside walls, cracks, crevasses etc ). The nymphs resemble the adult bed bug but in a smaller size. The nymphs feed on blood much like the adults, but they are more vulnerable to fasting. It will develop into adult form in about a months time. The adults lifespan is on average about 5 months, they feed regularly. Without food the adult can survive in a dormant state for up to a year.

Diet : The bed bugs feed on human blood solely and they do so during the night. It feeds every 3 to 7 days. They are attracted to vibrations, heat, odours and Co2 that is released by individuals. Often at the beginning of an infestation the bed bug will only target one person in the home.

Reproduction : The reproduction ritual of the bed bugs is often considered traumatic. The male does not use the natural means of reproduction with the female. The male has a reproductive organ that resembles a needle, he uses it to puncture the abdomen of the female to complete the traumatic insemination.

Other : The number of infestations of homes and hotels are on the rise in the last few years. After the second world, a better domestic hygiene and the massive use of pesticides enabled an almost complete eradication of the bed bugs. However, during the 1970's, many products were discovered to be very toxic to humans ( DDT ), so their use was very limited. The bed bugs also benefitted from a rising number of travellers who's luggage brought the bugs to europe and the americas. The lack of communications between the infested parties did nothing to help contain the problem. Many owners do not advise tenants of infestation history and many tenants don't advise owners of infestations for fear of consequences. It is almost impossible to tackle this problem without professional help.