Map reveals UK’s bedbug outbreak – are the nasty critters near you?
PEST control experts have revealed where in the UK has the biggest infestations of bedbugs.
Fears of a British “super-bedbug” invasion are growing as Paris is currently plagued with the six-legged blood-sucking critters.
Now researchers from Merlin Environmental have worked out which UK city is currently the “Bed Bug Capital” of Britain.
Using Google search data they have worked out which cities have the worst problem per population size.
London had the most searches for terms like ‘bed bug treatment’ per capita with 266,400 searches – – the equivalent to 2.97 per cent of the population Googling bed bugs.
In second place is Leicester with 2.95 per cent of the population and in third is Manchester with 2.8 per cent.
Meanwhile, Wakefield had the lowest rate of bed bug problems with just 0.46 per cent searching for bed bugs
It comes as the blood-sucking creatures have been spotted on trains and buses in different parts of the UK this week after an outbreak in France in September.
The pests are believed to have arrived from France where they have infested public transport, cafes, hotels, cinemas and homes.
Experts blame international holidays and a resistance to pest control products for the rapid spread.
Bed bugs feed on blood by biting people, they create wounds that can be itchy but do not usually cause other health problems.
Do I have bedbugs?
Signs of bedbugs include:
- bites – often on skin exposed while sleeping, like the face, neck and arms
- spots of blood on your bedding – from the bites or from squashing a bedbug
- small brown spots on bedding or furniture (bedbug poo)
Source: NHS
They often live on furniture or bedding and can spread by being on clothes or luggage.
Pest control firms in London have reported being “inundated” with calls about bedbugs and warned that the spread of the blood-sucking insects is “out of control”.
Tony King, owner of Pied Piper Pest Control, said they have been found in peoples cars, offices and homes.
He said: “We’ve been inundated with calls about bedbugs – we’ve been flat out for at least the last eight or nine months with them,”
The expert suggested the increase was down to international travel opening up following the Covid pandemic.