Carpet Bugs – The Varied Carpet Beetle

Carpet Bugs – The Varied Carpet Beetle – The Varied Carpet Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci) is a recent newcomer to the north of England . having been largely found mainly in more southern counties but now pest controllers in Cheshire, Manchester and Lancashire are increasingly having to deal with this pest.

It is a very distinctive, easily recognised beetle that can be a serious problem in the household. It feeds on natural fibres and can damage anything of natural origin, woolen carpets, furniture and clothing.
The larval form is known as a woolly bear, a name it shares with the larvae of Pyrrharctia isabella or the Isabella Tiger moth.

A verbasci was the very first insect to be demonstrated to have a circadian and an annual cycle and to date remains a classic example of circannual cycles in insects.
The larval form of A. verbasci are roughly 4-5 mm in length. The body is covered in a pattern of alternating light- and dark-brown stripes. The body is usually wider at the back than at the front and also bears 3 pairs of hair tufts along its rear abdomen that can be used for self-defence

These can also cause problems for human beings as when they become embedded in human skin they can cause a reaction similar to a flea or bed bug bite so when checking for the possible presence of biting insects pest controllers also need to be on the lookout for larval casts of the carpet beetle.

Adult A. verbasci range from 1.7 to 3.5 mm in length. Their dorsal surface has scales of two colours, whitish and yellowish-brown. White scales are condensed along the lateral margins of the pronotum. In addition, their antennae are 11-segmented with a club of 3 segments
The varied carpet beetle has a very unusual life cycle for an insect, developing from larvae to adult in 1-3 years, depending on the environment in which it finds itself.

Larvae hatch from eggs in the spring, often they are associated with birds’  nests or around stored natural fabrics Larvae feed on natural fibres throughout their development, eventually experiencing a dormancy or diapause before completing pupation and emerging as an adult. Adults emerge between late March and early August, and feeding on pollen.

These pests cause both physical damage by their larvae eating fabrics and psychological trauma from the vast numbers of these pests which can emerge into living quarters.
When dealing with these pests it is important to check for the presence of birds’ nesting material and remove any nests and feathers etc from the affected area before treating the affected area.

It is important to note that in the U.K legislation affects the removal of birds’ nest, including sparrows and starlings which are the two common birds which have an association with A.verbasci so professional help should be sought to avoid falling foul of the law.

That concludes this article entitled – Carpet Bugs – The Varied Carpet Beetle

Carpet Bugs – The Varied Carpet Beetle is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

You arrive at your holiday hotel at 3.0am, tired and frayed after a long and arduous journey, flight delays, airport security, fractious children and surly passport control and now all you want to do is fall into bed and look forward to the morning and the first day of your vacation.

That could be most costly mistake you’ll make this holiday!

The bed bug (Cimex lectularious) is back with a vengeance and its food is you!

Bed bugs are small haematophagic insects about the size of an apple-pip.

They feed on the blood of warm blooded creatures and their favourite meal is human blood.

Having been virtually eradicated in the 20^th century they are back and spreading like wildfire, all over the world reports of massive increases in bed bug infestations are being made.

Some cite increased economic migration, availability of cheap travel and resistance to insecticides but whatever the reason, they are thriving and they love holiday makers!

They feed on human blood every 5 -10 days, emerging from their hiding places in the small hours when the tourist is likely to be in a deep sleep, perhaps aided by copious quantities of the local sangria.

They sense the presence of a host initially by tasting the carbon dioxide in exhaled breath but switch to infra-red sensing of body heat when closing in on the target.

They pierce the body of their target with a needle containing two tubes, with one they insert saliva which contains both an anaesthetic and an anti-coagulant and with the other they draw blood.

In a heavily infested room it is possible to receive up to 500 bites per night.

So how do you check if your room is infested?

Start by stripping the bed down to the mattress, turn the mattress over if possible and concentrate on the end nearest the headboard.

Look for dark coloured smears, live or dead insects and spots of congealed blood.

Look in the stitching around the edges of the mattress, under the edges of the carpet near the bed and pull out and invert any bed-side drawers.

Bed bugs are quite easy to see and move very rapidly when exposed. You can see photos of the bugs and their smear marks at

If you find or suspect bed bugs on no account stay in that room, or even that hotel, not even for one night or you will regret it, and certainly don’t unpack your cases in that room.

Get hold of your tour company representative immediately and insist on being moved to another hotel.

If you stay in a bug infested room you are very likely to transport them back to your own home as contrary to urban myth they can survive the flight home in your suitcase very easily indeed.

If you have problems with bedbugs call 0800 019 8382 or visit Manchester Environmental Services

That concludes this aticle entitled How Do You Check If Your Holiday Hotel Has Bed Bugs?

How Do You Check If Your Holiday Hotel Has Bed Bugs? is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control

Bed Bugs Are Biting

Bed Bugs Are Biting – One of the most hated and misunderstood pests known to man is the bed bug (Cimex lectularius). How many of us gone off to sleep at night as children with the words of our parents in our ears ‘sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite’?

Don't Let The Bed Bug Bite

Bed bugs probably started to feed on man at about the time we moved into caves, the ‘bat bugs’ Cimex pilosellus and Cimex pipistrella primarily feed on bats and it is probable that bat feeding species of bug evolved to dine on human blood when our ancesters started dwelling in bat infested caves.

Until the arrival of DDT in the early 20th century bed bugs were common unwelcome guests in most poor quality homes.

The later part of the 20th century saw pest control companies dealing with very few bed bug infestations indeed, their presence being largely restricted to inexpenisve holiday camps and student lodgings etc.

Many people mistake dust mites, which aren’t visible to the unaided eye, with bed bugs which very definitely are.

Adult bedbugs are reddy-brown, about a quarter of an inch in size and greatly swollen after a meal of human blood.

They have an incomplete metamorphosis which means that the young are just smaller versions of the adult, they don’t have a maggot stage like fleas or flies.

Bed bugs typically feed on human blood every 7 – 10 days, coming out in the hours before dawn and sensing their target by detecting the exhaled CO2 from breath and when nearing in on their target, infra red body heat.

In the absence of a regular human host to dine on they can lie dormant for periods of up to 18 months.

Indications of a bed bug infestation are spots of blood on bedding and on the base of mattresses and some people can react badly to their bites.

The early 21st century has seen bed bug numbers increase across the world, the easy availability of international travel and economic migration have both been blamed for the increase.

What is sure is that thet are now making a real return not only in low quality housing but high class hotels, schools and even hospitals.

One London borough reports a doubling of bed bug infestations every single year from 1995 – 2001.

A single night away in an infested hotel is all it takes, they hitch a ride in your suitcases or bags. Pest control companies are also now reporting cases of transport related bug infestations on tubes, trains and buses so a single ride to town on an infested tube or train can be sufficient to spread the infestation to your home.

They are an expensive pest to eradictate as contrary to popular mythology they don’t just live in beds. They infest any nook and cranny conveniently close to a sleeping human, beds, electrical sockets, televisions, bed-side bed side telephones etc and eradication is both difficult and time consuming. They have even been found living beneath the toe-nails of infirm people and in the rolls of flesh on grossly over-weight people.

They are not a pest that can be eradicated by an amateur and a professional will almost certainly be needed.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Don’t let the bed bugs bite… (guardian.co.uk)
• Bedbugs return to British hotels (telegraph.co.uk)

Bed Bugs Are Biting is a post from: Manchester & Trafford Pest Control