ADVICE & OPINION COMMENT The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) recently recorded a resurgence of bed bugs in the UK: between 2013-2014, local authorities reported a 21 per cent increase in treatments since 2011. More international travel, the growing trend for second hand furniture bought through online classifieds and community websites, and a lack of public awareness about bed bug prevention have all added to the problem. A new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology has also revealed that bed bugs are developing a resistance to widely used insecticides. This presents serious implications for pest control as the bed bugs and fleas, which are commonly found in homes and hotels, travel with their hosts into the workplace. Guy Other, CEO Orbis explains further 6 MAY 2016 CLEANING HYGIENE TODAY suspects they have stayed in an infested room, they should immediately check through and clean their luggage and clothing. If bed bugs are found, either wash and dry everything at a high temperature (60 degrees Celsius); dry clean the articles; or place them in a deep freezer for at least three days. If it is suspected that a building has been infested, property managers should act immediately and contact a professional pest control company, preferably a member of the BPCA. Self-treatment is very unlikely to be successful and failure will occur without accurate knowledge of bed bugs. A trained professional will have the technical knowledge and access to a range of professional products and equipment which are not available to the public, and which they will have the expertise and experience to use in a safe and controlled way. One solution to a bed bug infestation is a heat treatment. Sometimes, the infested area can be sealed, with all the fixtures and fittings being heated to a high temperature and filled with steam to kill the bugs. However, this is not a feasible solution in most properties. Another method is to treat the entire infested area with pesticide and, ideally, dispose of all soft furnishings. There is usually an understandable reluctance to do this due to the cost of replacement and, as a result, multiple treatments will be required. Fleas differ from bed bugs, both in the way they infest a building and how they need to be treated. We generally only encounter one species of bed bug in the UK (cimex lectularius), but there are several species of flea, including: cat fleas, dog fleas, bird fleas and human fleas. They are typically a red-brown colour, two millimetres in length, have backwards facing spines and legs designed for jumping. Unlike bed bugs, fleas bite in a sporadic pattern, leaving a random spread of red marks, rather than lines. Fleas are capable of jumping over 150 times their body size and the females lay up to 1,000 eggs in their lifetime, so that infestation can again occur very quickly. They tend to choose a single host to feed from and lay their eggs immediately after feeding. The eggs can fall off of the host, landing on beds and chairs, until they sense the vibrations of a new host and hatch. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, property managers have a legal responsibility to ensure that their premises are free from infestation. And an infestation can have wider implications, such as damaging facilities, causing staff sickness and negatively impacting on reputation. Bed bugs are small insects that are attracted by human body heat and feed on blood to release carbon dioxide. They are flat and oval shaped with a red-brown body and are about five millimetres in length. The nocturnal bug will bite exposed skin, causing people to develop red, itchy bumps, before returning to a secluded place. They tend to hide in furniture, bedding, cracks and crevices. They are also able to hide in suitcases, boxes and shoes, allowing them to travel from place to place and spread further. Because of this, they are found in almost all multi-occupancy buildings, including schools, hotels, offices and care homes. Female bed bugs can also lay up to five eggs a day and easily lay over 500 eggs in their lifetime and, as a result, bed bug infestations can occur quickly and remain persistent if not treated properly. Signs of infestation include: red irritating bites, typically in rows on the neck, shoulders, back, legs or arms clusters of dark spots (about 1mm wide), which look like an ink dot, are usually found on furniture frames or on the bottom of mattresses small blood smears on upholstery, bed linen or headboards finding small brown insects in and around bed frames and sleeping areas It is impossible to completely prevent a bed bug infestation. However, there are several practices that can help to reduce the chance of it happening, such as inspecting a property for signs of bed bugs before occupancy, and avoid accepting second hand furniture without checking it first. If someone Signs of a flea infestation include: pets constantly scratching (usually an early sign) seeing fleas or flea droppings on furniture bites on staff members’ or residents’ ankles and legs small red spots about 5mm in diameter seeing fleas jumping in carpets and on furniture It is difficult to prevent staff pets from getting fleas, but there are a number of things that can be done to reduce the chance of them infesting a building. Staff may need educating on good pet maintenance and encouraged to use veterinary approved flea products on their pets on a regular basis. Indoor spaces needed to be frequently vacuumed and outdoor spaces should be maintained and managed to a good standard. Anything that can be washed in offices, such as cushions and kitchen towels should be washed in the hottest water possible, as should bedding in care homes and residential buildings. As with bed bugs, if infestation does occur, a professional BPCA pest control company should be contacted. Prior to any treatment, as much floor space should be cleared as possible and the area should be vacuumed. The vibrations from the vacuum will stimulate cocoons to hatch and debris, eggs and fleas will be cleared up. It is important that the waste collection compartment from the vacuum cleaner is disposed of in an outside bin, as it may have collected eggs, larvae and adult fleas. The standard treatment for a flea infestation is the application of a residual insecticide, such as Ficam W or Cytrol Forte, either as a liquid spray or a powder, to all floor surfaces. Once applied, to eliminate the danger of removing the residual insecticide, the floor cannot be vacuumed or washed for at least two months, or the treatment may fail. There are many other causes of irritation. Allergies, cosmetics, static and environmental contaminants can all provide similar reactions. A professional pest control technician can rule out the potential sources of irritation and avoid unnecessary insecticide treatments. Regardless of the type of infestation, the advice is the same. Contacting a professional pest control service is the quickest and best guaranteed method of dealing with an infestation and will ensure that operations are returned to normal with minimal disruption.
Cleaning Hygiene Today May 2016
To see the actual publication please follow the link above