We offer a range of services to help eradicate bed bugs from commercial and residential premises.
Using a combination of steam and insecticide, our robust programme is designed to give you peace of mind and work together to resolve the infestation you’re suffering with.
Having a bed bug infestation can be a stressful time. Please see below some advice we give to our customers.
Pinpointing the Problem
Wherever bed bug infestations are suspected a thorough inspection of the main problem areas is vital to verify their presence and identify all sites of activity and harbourage for treatment. This is crucial because bed bugs are seldom active during the day and can shelter deep inside very narrow cracks and crevices. Being small, the bugs, their eggs and faecal deposits are easy to overlook without the aid of a good torch and magnifying tool.
Key areas for inspection include:
- Tufts, seams, buttons & folds of mattresses
- Box springs, bed frames and covers
- Couches, chairs, cushions and curtains
- Window and door moldings
- Behind loose wallpaper and pictures
- Cracks in walls or hardwood flooring
- Under carpets along walls (tack strip)
- Wall voids (outlets & switch plates); and
- Luggage, boxes and other portable items Inspectors should be alert for the typical bedbug odour.
Customers must also be prepared to move and take apart items of furniture, look inside electrical fittings and lift carpets along their edges so that no potential harbourage sites are ignored. Wherever evidence of bed bugs is found, neighbouring rooms and other areas of the premises should also be inspected to establish the full extent of the infestation.
Preparing the Ground
With bed bugs, more than any other insect pests, good preparation of both the client and the premises ahead of treatment is central to success.
Clients need to be prepared for the fact that an initial bed bug treatment may involve considerable disruption, as well as the likelihood that repeat treatment will be required to achieve complete control. They also need to be aware that the amount of time and number of treatments needed – and hence the cost – will increase markedly with the degree of clutter in the environment; active client and occupant engagement and co-operation in the process being essential to its cost-effectiveness.
Laundry
Beds must be completely stripped down before insecticide treatment, with all sheets, duvets, blankets, valances and other bedding placed in a bin liner and either laundered or professionally cleaned. Curtains, soft furnishings and any clothing that may provide potential harbourages should also be removed for thorough washing or dry cleaning.
To kill all bed bug stages, materials need to be washed in hot water (>49ºC for >10 min.)with soap or detergent before drying in a hot dryer (>60ºC for >20 min).
Vacuuming
Although their eggs tend to be stuck too tightly to harbourage surfaces to be easily removed, vacuuming exposed surfaces or resting sites is valuable in removing a significant number of nymphs and adult bed bugs. Using a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtered vacuum will ensure the many allergens associated with bed bugs and their debris are also removed. Vacuum bags should be removed immediately, sealed tightly inside a plastic bag and either incinerated or placed in the normal rubbish collection
Additional Considerations
Because bed bugs will move from treated to untreated areas it is important to ensure that any neighbouring rooms are also treated. Although not a statutory requirement, access to treated areas should be restricted until the deposit is dry. The time this takes will depend on conditions, with good ventilation speeding drying. As a rule, a 4 hour exclusion period should generally be sufficient.
Follow-Up
Within approximately 10 days a return visit should be undertaken and the premises again inspected thoroughly. Any areas where bed bugs persist should be re-treated along with any new areas to which they may have moved to avoid the initial treatment. This follow-up is essential as bed bug eggs will hatch after the initial treatment. It is also valuable in identifying any areas of infestation that may have been overlooked initially. Where infestations are heavy a third visit– after a further 10 days – is recommended. If possible, hotels should be requested to leave treated rooms unoccupied until the infestation is eliminated.
Key Bed Bug Treatment Guidelines
- Thorough inspection and preparation is more important than with any other pest.
- Good client and occupant engagement and co-operation is essential for success.
- A significant proportion of bed bug harbourages are beyond the bed itself.
- Treatment may need to extend to locations well beyond bedrooms.
- Effective control demands high performance insecticides in most situations.
- Treatment generally requires considerable time, good teamwork and several visits.
- Treatment time depends heavily on the extent of clutter and resident co-operation.
- Specific, non-standard contracts are highly advisable for bed bug treatment.
Q&A
Your questions answered
Are bedbug bites harmful?
Bedbug bites are painless but they can leave an itchy red mark. They usually bite people on areas of skin exposed while sleeping, such as the face, neck and arms. The bites usually clear up on their own after a week. If the bites are particularly itchy, you can get antihistamines or a steroid cream from a pharmacist.
Are bedbugs on the rise in the UK?
Yes, there have been year-on-year increases in callouts of pest control companies to bedbug infestations in the UK. Luton council has warned of an “alarming number” of calls to tackle bedbugs, and has dealt with 86 incidents in the past year.
Do I need to leave the house during the treatment?
Yes, a 4 hour window of exclusion is required after each treatment.
Shall I hoover the rooms after each treatment?
No, avoid the use of a hoover in the treated areas for at least 3 days. Once hoovered it is advisable to throw away the hoover bag straight away.
How did I get this infestation?
Bed Bugs are tremendous hitch hikers. They will cling onto clothing or hide away within luggage cases so you are just unfortunate.
Can I treat them myself?
We would say no, seek professional help as this could make the issue a lot worse in the long run.
