Clearly bedbugs are much more than just a nuisance pest. Typically heavy infestations are accompanied by reports of sleeplessness, blood stains on bedding, allergic reactions, fouling of areas by droppings, and the spreading of the infestation to other rooms and adjoining areas.

The dispersion of bedbug infestations by humans is the biggest issue when it comes to the distribution of bedbugs around the world. Within buildings they may only crawl to nearby rooms, however they easily travel to other buildings, towns, and countries by being literally carried by travellers in their luggage, on their clothes or even in books and other personal belongings.

The incidences of bedbug infestations in Australia has been growing steadily in recent years as a result of increased travel by people staying at shared sleeping quarters such as hotels, taverns, inns and other dormitory-type accommodation.

In Australia we mostly see bedbug infestations located in premises that cater for travellers, such as hostels, hotels, student dormitories and other “stay-over” type accommodation. So far in Australia bedbugs only occasionally infest homes, perhaps largely due to levels of hygiene and housekeeping on average being quite high on world standards.

Improvements in levels of hygiene and housekeeping will be a necessary and an integral part of any bedbug control effort. Chemical applications (pesticides) are the most effective control measure when heavy infestations are encountered.

A “Code of Practice” has been developed for the control of bedbug infestations in Australia. This publication is available to download free and for the public, the professional pest controller and anyone managing accommodation facilities it is a valuable tool for the development of an effective bedbug management strategy.