Bed Bugs

Identifying bed bugs

Bed bugs are wingless, oval-shaped, flattened insects
usually just over 0.5cm long
when they have not eaten, they are pale brown in colour but become reddish brownwhen fully fed on blood
the head has large antennae and the mouthparts are well adapted for piercing the skin
young bugs (nymphs) are nearly colourless, becoming brownish as they mature.

Bed bugs can crawl up vertical surfaces of wood, paper and plaster, but are unable to crawl up smooth polished surfaces.

Treatments for bedbugs

two visits, three weeks apart
treating bedrooms and other affected rooms
an advice sheet with information about the insecticide we used, where we placed it and any special precautions needed
taking measures to protect children and pets

Please ensure an adult is present at all times during the treatment.

Where are they found?

You can often find bedbugs:

under carpets
behind loose wallpaper
behind wall pictures
behind door frames
around the arm joints of armchairs and settees
in the seams of mattresses

Their droppings look like black dots, which can also be a tell-tale sign. Bites from fleas are usually restricted to below the knees, bites more evenly distributed on the human body are more frequently caused by bedbugs.

How to prepare your home for bedbug treatment

Before the treatment you should:

remove pictures, posters, mirrors etc from walls
move all beds, furniture, and other items away from the walls
remove headboards from beds
empty any bed storage compartments or drawers
remove all items from under the bed
remove bedding from mattress
empty wardrobes, drawers, cupboards and beds of all linen and clothing and launder
place any items which cannot be laundered in thick bin liners and seal tightly
open and shake-out books, papers, CD/DVDs and videos
lift all carpets around the edge of the room and leave them loose
thoroughly clean and vacuum all rooms and empty the vacuum bag into the external bin immediately

Do not move anything out of the rooms to be treated, apart from rubbish and clothing that will need to be washed.

Before the first and second visit, any clothes or bed linen must be treated in one of the following ways:

hot washed at a minimum of 60 degrees C
tumble dried at a minimum of 60 degrees C for at least 30 minutes
placed in a deep freezer for at least three days
dry-cleaned

Other things to do before the treatment starts

unplug all non-essential electrical items
leave rooms to be treated and take all pets with you

After the treatment, you should:

wait three hours before re-entering the rooms
open the windows for an hour
turn on electrical items after the rooms have been aired
do not vacuum, wipe or polish any treated rooms for at least two weeks
sleep in your bed as normal – it helps to eradicate the bedbugs

If you wish to get a new bed, do not do so until the infestation is completely eradicated (which normally takes a minimum of two weeks and sometimes longer).