How to Get Rid of Bedbugs - PEST UK

Providing pest control services in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, London, Middlesex, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Midlands, West Sussex, Wiltshire. Est. 1985.

How to Get Rid of Bedbugs

In Bed Bugs, Pests

get rid of bed bugs

Bed bugs

This common pest, was once associated with unhygienic surroundings, but we now understand that due to increased travel over the world, the increased use of second-hand furniture, multi occupancy buildings such as blocks of flats, holiday homes and hotels these insects are prevalent the world over now. To get rid of bed bugs, it is best to understand why you have them and how to prevent them from returning, once you have got rid of them.

Checking for bed bugs

Adult bed bugs are light brown to reddish-brown, flat, oval, and have no wings.  Adults grow up to 4–5 mm  long and 1.5–3 mm wide. The newly hatched nymphs are translucent, lighter in color, and become browner as they reach maturity. They pass through 5 stages of growth, becoming browner in colour as they age. A bed bug nymph of any age that has just consumed a blood meal has a bright red, translucent abdomen, fading to brown over the next several hours, and to opaque black within two days as the insect digests its meal.

get rid of bed bugs

Bed bugs are small, at most 4-5mm long.

Bed bugs are blood sucking insects. They obtain all the additional moisture they need from water vapor in the surrounding air of their environment. Bed bugs are attracted to their hosts by long periods of carbon dioxide production and warmth. Bed bugs prefer exposed skin, the face, neck, and arms of a sleeping person are best.

Bed bugs, when feeding, inject saliva with anticoagulants. Sensitivity to the bites varies from extreme allergic reaction to no reaction at all. Even in the same bed, one person can show no signs of bites, while another is covered in marks. The bites usually produce swelling with no red spot. Signs of their presence are blood spots on linen, small black dots resembling ink dots on bed frames and the bottom of the mattress.

Will they go on their own?

Bed bugs will continue to thrive in a home if they are not treated. While reducing humidity, by either having windows open and heating on or investing in a dehumidifier can help. The bed bugs could well be in their place of harbourage, nesting area safe from your attempts to rid yourself of them. PESTUK recommends a residual insecticide treatment is carried out to combat the bed bugs in your home.

Getting rid of bed bugs

Before a technician arrives to begin the treatment we always recommend that the following preparation is conducted-

  • All clothing, bedding and curtains be removed from the bedrooms to be treated, placed in bin bags in a room not slept in. Such as a dining room or kitchen. These can then be washed or tumble dried after the technicians visit.
  • Items such as books and DVDs, CDs and posters are removed from the bed rooms.
  • Toys and loose items on the floor are picked up and also removed.
  • Cleaning of the floors and furniture in the rooms to be treated.

The technician will spray a combination of residual insecticides in the bed rooms, spraying the floors, walls and ceilings. This can take 2-3 hours to dry, once the spray is dry. Wash or tumble dry clothing and bedding, these can then be returned to the rooms. It is essential that the rooms are slept in from the night of the treatment to ensure the bed bugs crawl over the treated surfaces.

Further information

For further information on getting rid of bed bugs and other pests we recommend visiting the BPCA website. The BPCA are the governing body for pest control specialists and if the company you contact are not members you run the risk of them being a cowboy company.

To book an appointment or to speak further on the matter please contact us-

0330 100 2811

pestuk@cloud.com

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