Bed bugs

Life-Cycle

Bed bugs are round flat insects of a rich reddish brown colour that cannot fly.  They must either crawl or be passively transported in clothing, luggage and furniture etc.

The female bed bug lays her eggs in cracks and crevices in the vicinity of the host, the eggs are covered with glue that cements them firmly in position. Bed bugs go through five nymphal stages where at each stage they require a full meal of blood before it proceeds to the next stage. In temperate climates bed bugs reach their peak numbers towards early autumn. They do not carry disease but their blood feeding can cause severe irritation in some people, resulting in loss of sleep, lack of energy and listlessness, particularly in children.

Treatment

The treatment involves the property being sprayed or dusted with a broad-spectrum residual insecticide.

Infestation can be due to poor housing conditions or brought in on luggage/old furniture

If we are to carry out a treatment please clear the floor as much as possible, vacuum up before we visit, empty the vacuum cleaner outside and place the contents in a bin-bag, seal and put outside (preferably in a bin). Linen will need to be washed in hot water, beds stripped and any accumulated rubbish removed. You must not vacuum for 2 weeks afterwards. Tenants can remain in the house but cannot touch treated areas until dry, so pets and children must be kept out of contact with wet treated areas.

Advise that all fish tanks must be switched off and covered during treatment, which should take approx 2-3 hours. Occupiers and pets should not be present during fogging and will need to leave the property for 3-4 hours.