It has been claimed that X-Factor contestants in the US have been “attacked” by bedbugs while staying at their luxury hotel. The unconfirmed reports suggest that many of the US X-Factor contestants woke in the morning to find they were covered in bites and feeling the after-effects of the outbreak. It is claimed that a number of the singers then did some further investigations with allegations that the hotel had a “massive bedbug infestation”.
While there are bedbugs in literally every bed around the world, to a certain extent, and have been for many years, many experts believe that the problem is getting worse. Large bedbug infestations, such as those alleged at the hotel accommodation for the US X-Factor contestants can eventually lead to victims feeling as though they have been “eaten alive” although they are relatively harmless in small doses. Unfortunately, for those who fall victim to bedbugs, they can sometimes be difficult to get rid of and can often lead to bedding, mattresses and other “infested” items being disposed of.
Many people will be surprised to learn that the issue of bedbugs goes back to Greek times and was first mentioned in Germany in the 11th century. There are some who believe that bedbug infestations, relatively rare until 1670 in the UK, were directly linked to the supply of wood to rebuild the City of London after the Great Fire. It is also interesting to learn that traditional cleansing methods are relatively useless against bedbugs with many in years gone by using plants, fungi and even insects such as cockroaches, ants, spiders and centipedes to control infestations.
It is not clear whether the recent surge in bedbug infestations is because of some kind of resistance to pesticides and general treatments or whether indeed it is complacency on the side of human beings. One thing is for sure, the saying “good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bedbugs bite” is now more commonplace than ever!