FAQ about bed bugs and treatment

Bed bugs are blood sucking parasites that preferentially feed on humans but will feed on most warm blooded animals if available. Although they are not considered to be a major pest or health hazard they can be highly unpleasant to live with. They have six legs, a broad head and well developed eyes. When not feeding the mouth parts are stored, tucked under the head and thorax. During feeding the mouth parts are swung forward to bring them perpendicular to the insects’ body.

Adult bed bugs are oval-shaped, dorsoventrally flattened and about 2-5 mm long. Their flat shape enables them to readily hide in cracks and crevices.

The simple answer is no. There has been extensive research into the possibility of bed bugs vectoring disease between two hosts. All credible studies show that there is no risk. Some companies have funded their own studies that show very different results. However we tend to favour the peer reviewed research published in academic journals. The only risk we believe bed bugs pose relates to very heavy infestations, a small number of hypovolemic anaemia cases have been confirmed following prolonged exposure to very heavy infestations.

The only reliable way to know is to find visible evidence of them.  We receive a huge number of calls from people who believe they have bed bugs, at least half are not bed bugs but are receiving bites in the night. These are usually mosquitos or other night flying insects. Inspection is relatively simple and just needs a good torch. Look at the photos on our site and check the cracks and crevices around the structure and the seams in the mattress. If you are unsure if you have bed bugs we will happily carry out a bed bug survey for you.  

In the very early days of a bed bug infestation it is possible to treat it yourself. We do not recommend using any of the bed bug insecticide kits, the tolerance profile of current bed bug populations put it beyond the capability of amateur pesticides. Non chemical control methods can resolve minor bed bug infestations. If you see more than 3 bed bugs or find more than 12 faecal spots do not attempt to self treat. Below is a short procedure to resolve these minor infestations.
You will need:

• Your vacuum cleaner with crevice tool

• A sheer stocking

• Diatomaceous earth (not the cheap stuff)

• Fit the stocking into the vacuum cleaners hose and hold in place with the crevice tool so that it acts as an additional filter.

• Vaccuum all cracks and crevices in the effected structure.

• Puff a small amount of the diatomaceous earth into all cracks and crevices. The treatment should look like the first frost not a snow drift.

• Keep a diary of sightings and bites.

• Re-inspect and retreat as above after 14 days.

• Do not carry out more than two treatments. If the infestation persists seek professional help.

At some stage you will have been exposed either by visiting an infested site, contact in transport infrastructure, migration from an adjoining property or a guest to your home. Bed bugs are highly mobile and very skilful hitchhikers.

The first thing to understand is that you have done nothing wrong to get bed bugs. They are a pest of exposure and have no relation to levels of hygiene.

Bed bugs are relatively hard to eradicate particularly if you do not understand the behavioural aspects of this insect.

A lot has been said about bed bugs being resistant to common insecticides. Resistance has very strict meaning and in reality is not an issue encountered in the field. It is true that the tolerance levels in field populations have increased but not to the point that properly applied pesticides will not kill bed bugs. Most of the problems blamed on resistance are actually as a result of poor application technique. 

It is possible bed bugs are not fussy they will bit any warm blooded host but humans are their favoured food source.

If your child is in an infested room then it is possible. The good news is that bed bugs locate their host by sensing concentrations of CO2. Adults give off higher concentrations of CO2 so in principle bugs will migrate towards adults rather than children.  

This is a slightly more complex question. In principle the active ingredient in a mist or smoke will kill bed bugs. However All approval trials are carried out in barren tank trials. In real life settings foggers and smoke generators have been proven to spread bed bugs from there harbourages and into protected alternatives. In basic terms this makes the infestation vanish for a day or so but in the long term makes eradication considerably more involved and protracted.

That very much depends what you want it to do.

Some people want to use mattress encasement products as part of a control strategy. This is a very bad idea. If bed bugs are trapped inside the capsule they can survive for many months and can escape when changing the cover (unless you do not change your sheets for a year).

I you want to use an encapsulation system to protect a bed or mattress, this can work. However in most cases encapsulating mattresses as insurance simply moves the seat of infestation into nearby structures.

There are situations where encapsulation may be appropriate so our advice is to ask before spending your money.

No. Bed bugs are secondarily wingless, this means they have evolved to have the ability to fly and then evolved to lose that ability. Bed bugs have small wing buds that are clearly visible but do not function.

We are pest controllers and not really qualified to offer medical advice. We do get bitten by bed bugs both during work and to keep our study colonies alive. Some of our technicians are non reactive to bites others are hyper reactive. We keep a bottle of distilled witch hazel in the fridge the cooling action helps immensely.  Wasp sting remedies also work very well against bed bug bites as do oral histamine blockers.

No. We have been dealing with bed bug infestations for 14 years. In that time we have never insisted any furniture be destroyed. In some cases clients have wanted to remove bed bug infested articles for their own reasons. We have never come across an article that cannot be treated, sometimes very delicate items may need to be treated in a different way but it is always possible.

If you use us we do not want you to do anything. The last thing we want you to do is start moving bed bug infested items around in the environment. If you have been asked to clean all your clothes and empty all furniture the company concerned clearly do not understand bed bugs.

To quote Paul “Red” Adair “if you think it’s expensive hiring a professional, wait until you hire an amateur”. This is true of bed bug treatment. Using a true professional bed bug specialist always costs less than trying internet treatment kits or have a go pest controllers.

We know how good our systems are and guarantee 100% we will kill all bed bugs in your property. We always return to inspect the site and retreat if necessary, when we give a property the all clear we are totally confident that the bed bug infestation has been eradicated.  There are issues with re-exposure or local migration that can effect guarantee periods. Bed bugs are pests of exposure if you follow our advice you should remain bed bug free, but it relies on clients avoiding contact with bed bugs.

It depends on the configuration of your home. No people or animals will be allowed inside the treatment area. In most homes you can stay in the living room while our bed bug technician treats your property. However if you live in a studio flat or the living area is infested it is likely that you will need to leave the technician in the property. For your protection all of our bed bug control specialists are criminal record checked and our systems are vetted by Surrey Trading Standards.

This is an impossible question to answer as it depends on so many factors. We resolve 98% of bed bug infestations in a single treatment. However some cases need more, in extreme cases you may need as many as three treatments but that is very rare.