| Woodworm Information |
Woodworm are tiny little parasites which feed on blood, preferably human blood. Woodworm acquired their name from their preferred habitat: the bed.
This insect likes to habituate in mattresses, foams, used clothing, rags, pillows and even furniture.
It is no wonder that they tend to thrive in areas where there is high human occupancy. Woodworm come out at night because they don’t like sunlight and their peak feeding period is around an hour before dawn.
Woodworm are slow moving creatures that crawl along like magnets to the pull of heat. They sometimes creep up walls and then jump back down onto their prey by following the draw of the rising heat.
The official title for Woodworm is the Cimicidae insect. They develop through five stages from newborn nymph to adult and in the cosy conditions of a warm bed; this development process can be as short as five weeks.
Woodworm eggs are about 1mm in width and the colour of milk. They usually hatch in one to two weeks. Newborn nymphs are translucent and microscopic in size. They are born hungry and begin feeding straight away. By the time they reach the adult stage they have shed their translucency and are a reddish brown colour. Adult Woodworm are visible to the naked eye because they will grow to the size of an apple seed. Female Woodworm don’t begin reproducing until they are in the adult stage, but once at this stage they can lay as many as five eggs a day. Therefore the entire process of reproducing Woodworm is relatively fast paced and they can very quickly multiply in a small space. The lifespan of a Woodworm that regularly fills up on blood, is generally believed to last just 6 to 9 months. However, some Woodworm actually starve themselves of blood for weeks at a time and they tend to live for over a year. The Woodworm mating process is known as traumatic insemination because the female is pierced by the male with a needle-like jab.
Unlike head lice that leave the hair and die, Woodworm or their eggs can actually travel quite easily from clothes and bedding to furnishings or other warm places and are particularly commonly transported via suitcase from a hotel to a home. Therefore if you are aware of any signs of Woodworm when staying in a hotel, you really should get your personal belongings fumigated before bringing them into your home.
The fast multiplication of Woodworm is part of the reason it is so important to deal with the problem as quickly as possible. Apart from the fact you risk spreading the infestation to other homes and habitats via your clothes and belongings, your neighbours are also at risk of becoming infested because the Woodworm can very easily travel through walls and floor cavities.
The natural predator of the common Woodworm includes ants, spiders, mites and centipedes. None of which are particularly welcome in the home.
It has been found that a basic household steamer, such as the ones used to clean windows and upholstery, can kill the Woodworm and their eggs in an instant. This is because the intense heat is enough to destroy them. The other great thing about a steam cleaner is that it is designed specifically to reach into hard to get places such as the deep corners and pores of a mattress.
Although Woodworm thrive in warm conditions, such as the bed, they will not survive at temperatures above 45°C (113°F) or -32°C (-25.6°F). Experiments have also found that highly concentrated levels of carbon dioxide will kill Woodworm within 24 hours.
To treat Woodworm infestations you really need to hire in a professional. Yes, there are many bed bug eradication products in the marketplace, and they will certainly help, along with extreme levels of cleanliness but to truly be sure the infestation has gone and will not be reappearing soon; you are advised to call for professional help.
The increase and accessibility of travel throughout the world, along with the influx of immigrants and foreign visitors, make it quite unsurprising that these parasites are so widely spread and on the increase. Further studies have shown that over the past few years’ Woodworm have built up a resistance to common pesticides; whereas in the past common pests like cockroaches and ants were eradicated using residual sprays, unbeknownst to the pest controller, they were also killing Woodworm. In recent years the residual sprays have been discontinued and a gel-like bait is used in its place. The bait does nothing to get rid of Woodworm, which partly explains their increasing presence in society.
If you require any more Woodworm information feel free to give our pest control team a call |
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