Are we heading for a UK bed bug outbreak?

The lowly bedbug, decimated decades ago by pesticides, is back, and traveling far and wide.

In the US, the National Pest Management Association said 95 per cent of pest management companies had reported encountering a bed bug infestation in the past year, compared to 25 per cent 10 years ago. It warned that "we are on the threshold of a bedbug pandemic, not just in the United States, but around the world.”

In London, bedbug complaints grew almost 30 per cent annually from the year 2000 to the 2006, according to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Pest control firm Rentokil said that the number of UK call outs to treat bed bugs rose 24 per cent in the first half of the year.

Unlike other household pests, bed bugs can live for months without feeding, hiding deep in your mattress and emerging to snack on your blood.

And although bedbugs do not transmit disease, their bites are itchy and can lead to infection - and in some cases to anaphylactic shock.

They are a formidable problem, and as they breed quickly, they are hard to eradicate.

Here are the steps you should take in your own home to keep the pests away.

• Clean your bedroom often and thoroughly and inspect the mattress and frame closely - make sure to look along the mattress seams for infestations

• Buy protective cases for your mattress to keep the bugs out

• Inspect and wash your bed sheets and pillowcases weekly in hot water - tumble dry at medium or high heat to kill any surviving bugs

• Using white or light coloured sheets will make the bugs and their droppings easier to spot - also look for their pearly white eggs, their dark droppings and shed skins

• Keep the bed slightly removed from the wall and other furniture, and ensure that the bedding does not touch the ground - this will make it harder for the bugs to climb onto the bed

• Set traps at the base of the bed to catch the bed bugs

• Keep the under-bed area free of clutter and clean it often

• If you buy used furniture, check it thoroughly before bringing it home

If you do find bedbugs in your home:

• Wash all the linens at the hottest possible wash and treat the mattress and other affected areas with a suitable bug spray - you will have to repeat this process often to ensure that no eggs survive

• If you can't remove the bedbugs, dispose of all the items affected

• Call a pest control firm to have your house fumigated

This article was published on Mon 6 September 2010