Signs of Bed Bug

Ants are incredibly capable and intelligent creatures. Though harmless, they can be a nuisance when they get into your home or business premises. Their complex and cooperative societies allow them to survive and thrive in conditions that would be otherwise challenging to us. Here are some interesting facts that you may want to know about this small but amazing pest.

• The total weight of all the ants in the world is the same, if not larger than all humans added together.

• Ants are capable of carrying objects 50 times their own body weight with their mandibles.

• Ants communicate and cooperate by using pheromones that can alert others to danger or lead them to a promising food source.

• Foraging worker ants can travel up to 200 metres from their nest and find their way back to the colony by following scent trails left by others.

• Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the dinosaur period between 110 and 130 million years ago.

• Ants can survive underwater for 24 hours.

• Ants belong to the insect order Hymenoptera. They are close relatives of bees and wasps.

• Each colony can hold up to half a million ants. They can all get up and go very quickly if the colony is threatened.

• Worker ants can live for up to 7 years, while a queen can live for up to 15 years.

Bed bugs hide in tiny cracks and crevices and usually visit their host for a feed briefly in the few hours just before dawn. To an expert pest controller, signs of bed bugs infestation are easy to spot but can be a little harder for the untrained and inexperienced eyes. 

Here are a few of the common signs that there might be bed bugs in one of your rooms.

Bed Bug Infestation Signs

• Dark/black stains - on the mattress and surrounding area from bed bug excreta.
• Sweet scent - An unpleasant, sweet, sickly scent.
• Small dark spots - Small dark blood spots on bedding known as 'faecal pellets'.
• Live insects - despite being small (adult are only 4-5mm long) it’s possible to spot live bed bugs and shed skins.
• Blood spots - on the sheets or mattress.

Where Will I Find Bed Bugs?

• Bed frames and headboard crevices
• Mattress seams
• Carpets and underlay
• Skirting boards
• Between timber floorboards
• In cracked or broken plaster, behind peeling wallpaper
• Inside electrical sockets and fittings
• Drawers and cupboards
• Wardrobes
• Bedside cabinets

Have You Noticed These Signs?

An inspection by Rentokil will help to confirm a problem and enable our Service Technicians to offer the best solution.

As part of our bed bug control services, Rentokil also passes on our expertise in the form of training for your staff on bed bug early warning signs. Contact our team to find out more.