SINGAPORE — A recent wave of bedbug infestations has gripped South Korea, after reports of outbreaks across Europe such as in the capital city of France and across the United Kingdom that have previously raised alarm.
Bedbug infestations have been reported across countries such as France, South Korea and the United Kingdom
Experts told TODAY that even though bedbugs have always been around, the rise in travel frequency since the Covid-19 pandemic has brought a global resurgence of infestations and it would be naive to expect that this will not happen in Singapore.Bedbugs are small parasitic insects with a flat, oval body that can grow up to 7mm, or about the size of an apple seed.
In the dark halls of cinemas, bedbugs have also been known to thrive, as shown by a few cases here in the past. Apart from spotting a live bug, a tell-tale sign of infestation are reddish-brown blood streaks on mattresses when a bedbug is squashed, black spots that are its droppings, and the brown exoskeleton shells that the bugs shed.
Bedbug infestations are not a new phenomenon, but the easing of travel restrictions after the Covid-19 pandemic have made it easier for bedbugs to spread worldwide as they hitch rides with unsuspecting travellers. In response to TODAY’s queries on whether Singapore could be susceptible to similar infestations such as those in other countries of late, the Singapore Pest Management Association said: “As a global transit, the risk of Singapore travellers returning with bedbugs is a reality that we have to be prepared for, with the possibility of bedbugs being spread to home premises or public transportation.”
“You don’t need to travel overseas. You can take home a bedbug even while you are on a bus, taxi or train here. You won’t know it until they bite you.” Mr Hadi from Multiverse Pest Control said that he commonly gets calls to tackle bedbug infestations in houses that are rented or left vacant in between a change of tenants. Some of the calls are from repeat clients after new tenants have moved in to the space.
Mr Hadi from Multiverse Pest Control said: “Some don’t necessarily have any side effect to a bedbug's bite so they may tend to ignore and forgo a treatment. He added that he would not recommend getting second-hand furniture because this carries the risk of infestation, especially if the prices of the items are “too good to be true”.
Mr Hadi from Multiverse Pest Control typically offers two main treatments, one of which involves flushing out hiding bedbugs with heat. Hot temperature will kill bedbugs instantly.
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