Bed bugs back 'with a vengeance' - 03/10/2008

People living in shared accommodation may benefit from washing their mattresses to prevent bed bugs, according to industry experts.

Tenants and students who are renting should take care to prevent the occurrence of bugs in mattresses and bed linen.

Bed bugs and the parasites that cause scabies can make their homes in mattresses with some spreading to human skin.

Doctor Michael Potter, a parasite expert, reports that tenants should be more vigilant than ever as the numbers of bugs are rocketing.

"Those items that cannot be treated by professionals with insecticides, such as bedding and clothes garments, need to be laundered at temperatures of 120 degrees fahrenheit to ensure bed bugs at every life stage are eradicated," he said.

Figures from Bed Bugs, a pest control company, reveal that cases of the bugs have risen 500 per cent in the London area.

Up to 68 per cent of all bed bug cases need three or more pest control treatment.

For mattress cleaning please consult London cleaning agencies.