Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite.

Last week we watched an episode of Charlie and Lola (one of Daniel's favorites from Cbeebies) which was all about things people say that aren't actually true. Like 'if you watch too much tv you'll get square eyes' or 'Don't jump on the cracks in the pavement or the bears will get you'. One scene showed Charlie telling Lola at bedtime, 'Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite.' and Lola having nightmares of little bugs biting her. Charlie told her the next day that it was just a saying and that they don't really exist.

Well it isn't just a saying.

Ironically I had been laughing at Mark and repeatingly this saying to him each night as he has been moaning about being bitten night after night. I too had got a few bites, but just assumed they were midges. 'Oh', said Jono, returning from his holiday last night. 'Yes, we did have a problem with bedbugs before - brought in from the Shanty towns. I thought they'd all gone.'

Well they hadn't.

We have the bites to prove it.

I have, however, found out a lot about bedbugs, courtesy of bedbuggers.com (yes that site really does exist!!)

Interesting facts about bedbugs which I didn't know before:

1) they are about a size of a lentil fully grown.

2) they can lay upto 5 eggs a day.

3) they don't just live in beds - they can crawl up to 100 foot to the bed every night, attracted by bodyheat and CO2.

4) they also like sofas, bedding, clothes, in fact pretty much anything you have in your house.

5) they suck your blood and then leave it on the sheets. (nice.)

6) they are very difficult to get rid of. (great.)

Anyway, we bought some powder today which may work and I covered the mattress, floor, skirting boards with it and changed all the bedding and our bed clothes - we'll let you know if it works!!

Just think of us as you sleep in your beds tonight... hope you sleep tight and the bedbugs don't bite.

Hi, my name's Jimmy