Bedbugs are making a comeback in Finland
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"Night-night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite." Well, this old bedtime saying for children may just be a shade closer to reality.
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are coming back after having disappeared from Finland during the post-war years. In recent years, these nocturnal insects have been detected in homes in the Greater Helsinki area, but also in Tampere and elsewhere in the Pirkanmaa region, as well as in Oulu.
The City of Helsinki Environment Centre receives several inquiries about bedbugs every week. The Centre can also confirm the presence of bedbugs through identification of the insects collected and brought there.
Adult bedbugs are from 3.5 to 8 mm long, widish, and flat. Their colour varies from light to reddish brown, depending on feeding.
An itchy reddish rash can be a symptom of a bedbug bite, which is confirmed when the parasite itself is found.
Such bites can occur anywhere on the body, but they are often close to blood vessels near the skin. Patterns of bites in a row or a cluster are typical as the insects may be disturbed while feeding.
"The number of cases has increased clearly in the course of a few years", reports Jouni Siltala from Rentokil, the leading provider of pest control in Finland.
"At present, we are dealing with several pest problems in the Greater Helsinki area", notes Siltala.
And it is not restricted to this country. Bedbugs are rapidly becoming a significant nuisance around the world.
"Eight years ago, the number of bedbugs in Britain was zero, but suddenly the curves started climbing upward", Siltala said, citing statistics he saw during his recent trip to a conference.
"In Central Europe and the USA they are already up the creek with this creature", Siltala remarked.
Tourism has often been blamed for the growing number of bedbug outbreaks.
"The problem normally blows up after big tournaments and sports events", Siltala reports.
"Some actions are being planned in order to prevent the spreading of bedbugs in hotels", Siltala explains.
It is worth trying, as these parasites are difficult to eradicate once they have made an appearance.
"One has to perform the treatment of all shelters for bedbugs four or five times. Typically, infestations can be detected behind baseboards, in cracks near the bed, and crevices in the bed frame, behind paintings, and in the seams of upholstered furniture", Siltala notes.
An infestation is associated with dark staining of the mattress from bed bug excreta.
Bedbugs are not a sign of untidiness, as they are attracted by exhaled carbon dioxide and body heat, not by dirt, and they feed on blood, not waste. However, good hygiene will help to keep bedbug numbers under control.
While hiding in cracks and crevices during the day, the parasites come out at night and feed on the blood of humans.
The consequences of a bug bite are not always recognised. Health care personnel should be retrained in how to identify a bedbug and the itchy rash resulting from its bites, suggested a recent edition of Duodecim, the most important Finnish general medical journal, published by the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim.
The journal described three cases in Finland, in which a bedbug bite had caused the victims red spots on the chest and a red blistery rash. In some cases, the bites have also caused a nettle rash.
Originally the bedbug was a parasite that infested bats. According to one reported case in Finland, some bedbugs dropped through the ceiling into the bed from the bat community resident in the attic of a summer cottage.
A bedbug can survive without blood for as many as eight months. It can remain alive even in cold weather conditions, up to -15°C, for example at summer cottages that are not heated in the winter.
Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are coming back after having disappeared from Finland during the post-war years. In recent years, these nocturnal insects have been detected in homes in the Greater Helsinki area, but also in Tampere and elsewhere in the Pirkanmaa region, as well as in Oulu.
The City of Helsinki Environment Centre receives several inquiries about bedbugs every week. The Centre can also confirm the presence of bedbugs through identification of the insects collected and brought there.
Adult bedbugs are from 3.5 to 8 mm long, widish, and flat. Their colour varies from light to reddish brown, depending on feeding.
An itchy reddish rash can be a symptom of a bedbug bite, which is confirmed when the parasite itself is found.
Such bites can occur anywhere on the body, but they are often close to blood vessels near the skin. Patterns of bites in a row or a cluster are typical as the insects may be disturbed while feeding.
"The number of cases has increased clearly in the course of a few years", reports Jouni Siltala from Rentokil, the leading provider of pest control in Finland.
"At present, we are dealing with several pest problems in the Greater Helsinki area", notes Siltala.
And it is not restricted to this country. Bedbugs are rapidly becoming a significant nuisance around the world.
"Eight years ago, the number of bedbugs in Britain was zero, but suddenly the curves started climbing upward", Siltala said, citing statistics he saw during his recent trip to a conference.
"In Central Europe and the USA they are already up the creek with this creature", Siltala remarked.
Tourism has often been blamed for the growing number of bedbug outbreaks.
"The problem normally blows up after big tournaments and sports events", Siltala reports.
"Some actions are being planned in order to prevent the spreading of bedbugs in hotels", Siltala explains.
It is worth trying, as these parasites are difficult to eradicate once they have made an appearance.
"One has to perform the treatment of all shelters for bedbugs four or five times. Typically, infestations can be detected behind baseboards, in cracks near the bed, and crevices in the bed frame, behind paintings, and in the seams of upholstered furniture", Siltala notes.
An infestation is associated with dark staining of the mattress from bed bug excreta.
Bedbugs are not a sign of untidiness, as they are attracted by exhaled carbon dioxide and body heat, not by dirt, and they feed on blood, not waste. However, good hygiene will help to keep bedbug numbers under control.
While hiding in cracks and crevices during the day, the parasites come out at night and feed on the blood of humans.
The consequences of a bug bite are not always recognised. Health care personnel should be retrained in how to identify a bedbug and the itchy rash resulting from its bites, suggested a recent edition of Duodecim, the most important Finnish general medical journal, published by the Finnish Medical Society Duodecim.
The journal described three cases in Finland, in which a bedbug bite had caused the victims red spots on the chest and a red blistery rash. In some cases, the bites have also caused a nettle rash.
Originally the bedbug was a parasite that infested bats. According to one reported case in Finland, some bedbugs dropped through the ceiling into the bed from the bat community resident in the attic of a summer cottage.
A bedbug can survive without blood for as many as eight months. It can remain alive even in cold weather conditions, up to -15°C, for example at summer cottages that are not heated in the winter.
Helsingin Sanomat