Feeling itchy?

Just when you thought it was safe to go to bed, the bed-bug is returning to UK cities

Many urban infesting organisms are in decline. Worryingly, the bed-bug is bucking this trend. One London borough has seen infestations increase nearly ten-fold in the last ten years.

Bed-bugs are not known to spread any diseases, but their bites are a severe nuisance. Would you like to share your home with this ancient bedfellow? And the current trend is especially worrying to hoteliers (not to mention their guests), as infestations spread steadily and are very difficult to shift.

But what lies behind the rise of the bed-bug? Writing in the Spring issue of Biologist, Clive Boase (The Pest Management Consultancy, UK) suggests that the cause may be insecticide resistance in the bed-bug itself, rather than increased international travel, car-boot sales, or a recent switch to specific insecticide baits to control cockroaches and ants. ‘Insecticides with alternative modes of action, improved detection techniques and increased vigilance should help to turn this upswing around. However, it does provide us with a salutary lesson about the resilience of urban pests.’