Biology
Bed bugs are around 4 to 5mm long. Oval and flattened from back to underside with thick, well-developed legs. Bed bugs do not have wings and their mouths are pointed for piercing and sucking and adult bed bugs are red to brown in colour. Eggs are whitish cream, getting darker as they hatch to larvae. Their shed skins are lighter brown and look like flaky exoskeletons.
Lifecycle
Bed bugs lay 200 – 500 eggs over a 2 month period in batches of 10 to 50. The eggs are attached to items of furniture or fittings in clusters by a transparent substance. There are 5 stages to the lifecycle from egg to fully grown adult which can be from 6 to 10 months. They can survive for weeks to months without feeding.
Habits
Bedbugs feed on human blood and are attracted to body heat and CO2 from sleeping humans. They inject an anaesthetic when they pierce the skin, so the bite can go unnoticed. Bed bugs are often found in cracks and crevices, headboards, behind peeling wallpaper, broken plaster, light switches, under carpets and skirting boards etc. Bed bugs are nocturnal and start feeding soon after sunset and before dawn. When alarmed they move quickly and emit an odour.
Detection
To get a bed bug infestation, you will need to have come into direct contact with them. It’s also worth noting that they don’t distinguish between clean and dirty homes! Bed bugs are usually brought into a home carried on clothing, or in luggage or furniture. This is usually as a result of visiting or staying in infested accommodation. If your home has bed bugs, treat immediately to prevent spreading them to friends and family’s properties. Early detection is vital, as once they’re established; they can spread quickly, requiring more timely and powerful control measures. Check for Small dark blood spots on bedding wall paper and furniture, these are known as 'faecal pellets'. Check for blood stains on bed linen and clothing.
Pre Treatment
- All bedding and clothing is to be removed from the property in black bags to limit spreading infestations. This should be then laundered on a hot wash.
- Please check individual items for suitability and washing data labels.
- The bags used to transport the items are to be disposed of into external bins and not re-used to bring the laundered washing back to the property.
- Be vigilant when using shared laundry facilities. Dry items in a tumble dryer and then place directly into new bags. (A dryer on high heat can kill bed bugs.)
- All mattresses are to be stood up against the walls and all head boards removed from the bed frames.
- Remove all furniture from the perimeters of the room to allow the best possible access to all areas.
- Remove all pets including cats, dogs, birds and aquatic life.
Post Treatment
- Vacate the property during treatment, and do not return until the property is completely dry.
- Do not vacuum for 14 days after treatment, if wets treatment has been used, as this will remove the insecticide residual deposit on carpets and floor coverings
- Only bring pets back to the property once treated (if required) or when surfaces are dry.
- Clean up and dead bed bugs on surfaces and floors and dispose of in external bins.
- Monitor dwelling for re-infestations.
- Alter lifestyle trends that could contribute to re-infestations.
Treatment
The treatment process can be effective for a 6 week period after treatment. Due to the nature of the treatment in occupied furnished dwellings and responsibility of the home owner to undertake the pre and post treatment measures recommended above, we are not able to guarantee treatments against re-infestations. All follow up treatments are chargeable.