Bed bugs are small, oval-shaped insects that feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals, including humans.
If you think you have a bed bug infestation in your home, then you’re in the right place. Our expert guide will offer advice on identifying signs of their presence, as well as outlining the steps you can take to help prevent, manage, and remove a bed bug infestation.
While there are DIY alternatives that you can try, the best way to keep you and your loved ones safe from the threat of bed bugs is to use a pest control professional. Integrum Services offers chemical and heat treatment methods for bed bug control in London, guaranteed to remove bugs at all life stages.
Keep reading to find out more about what bed bugs are, signs of bed bugs and strategies to remove bed bugs from your property.
What Are Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs are minute insects, with adults reaching just 4-7mm in size, which is about the same size as an apple seed. They have flat, oval bodies and are reddish brown in colour. The 3 species of bed bugs are Cimex lectularius, Cimex hemipterus and Leptocimex boueti, and in the UK you’re most likely to find Cimex lectularius, or the common bed bug. Bed bug is sometimes spelt ‘bedbug’, but the terms are interchangeable and refer to the same insects.
The life cycle of the common bed bug is in 5 stages, as shown by the diagram below. Unlike many other insects, once bed bug eggs hatch they produce young bed bugs, known as nymphs, rather than larvae. These young bed bugs grow until they become adult bed bugs, and then they will reproduce.
Despite their minute size, bed bugs are incredibly intelligent creatures and can be challenging to eliminate. They use their size to their advantage and squeeze into the tiniest crevices possible in locations they know humans will spend a lot of time. Their usual hiding spots include bed frames, headboards, box springs, bedding and soft furnishings, and mattresses, which is how they earned themselves the name ‘bed bugs’. They can also hide behind loose wallpaper in other tiny crevices throughout your property.
While they’re not considered as much of a danger as other pests, bed bugs can cause health problems when they bite your skin. Bed bug bites can cause painful swelling and itching, and in some cases, a severe allergic reaction or skin infection. Bed bugs can also cause serious psychological issues, including sleep deprivation, stress and, as studies show, even some symptoms similar to PTSD.
One of the major issues with bed bugs is that they can burrow deep into crevices, and once inside, survive for up to a year lying dormant without food. So, you might think you have got rid of the infestation, only to find that you have not removed all the bugs. This can cause serious stress, which is why we often recommend professional bed bug treatments over DIY solutions, such as bed bug bombs or powders, which often can’t reach all the bugs.
Signs That You Have Bed Bugs
As with all pests, the first thing you need to do is identify their presence in your home. This can be a challenging task with bed bugs due to their size; adult bed bugs will grow up to 6mm long. In addition, nymphs, essentially baby bed bugs, are mainly undetectable to the human eye, making it even more difficult to identify bed bugs in their early stages of life.
Instead, you can look out for these common signs of bed bugs:
- Bites: Bed bugs survive by feeding off the blood of warm-blooded animals. So while you’re tucked up in bed at night, you could be a prime target for dinner! Look out for red, itchy bites on exposed areas, including your arms, neck and face. Some people may suffer an allergic reaction from bed bug bites: for medical advice. If you need to treat bed bug bites and skin issues, visit the NHS website.
- Blood: Another common sign of bed bugs are small spots of blood on your bedding. This could either be your blood from where you’ve been bitten or from the bed bugs if you’ve accidentally squashed them in your sleep.
- Faeces: Unfortunately, wherever they go, bed bugs will leave behind a trail of poo. Because of the size of the creatures, it can be hard to see, but look out for small brown spots on your bedding.
- Eggs: Since they’re not mobile, it is sometimes possible to notice bed bug eggs. These oval eggs are between white and dark yellow in colour, and look like grains of rice.
For further information on identifying the presence of bed bugs in your home, check out our detailed article on bed bug signs. Also, be aware that the most common signs of fleas are often confused with those of bed bugs. The main differences between bed bugs and fleas are that bed bugs have flatter bodies, and that bed bugs can’t jump, while fleas can, thanks to their strong back legs.
Where Do Bed Bugs Come From?
If you’ve noticed signs of bed bugs in your home, you may be thinking, ‘how has this happened to me?’. Unfortunately, there is a common misconception that bed bugs only inhabit dirty homes, making people feel ashamed if they notice them in their properties. However, there is no truth behind this!
You can find bed bugs in any environment where humans tend to mingle or gather in groups. Hotel rooms are one of the most common places to come into contact with bed bugs as there are hundreds of people coming and going all the time. All it takes is one person to bring them into a room unknowingly on their luggage or clothing, and the room will soon be infested. If you’re a frequent traveller, you’re at a higher risk of bringing bed bugs home; to avoid this be sure to check the bed you’re staying in; no matter how clean the room is, a quick check could save you a lot of time, stress and money in the long run! We also recommend washing your clothing on a hot wash when you return and hoovering out your suitcases, just in case.
Bed bugs are natural survivors. They can even live up to a year without food, which means they can lay dormant for a very long time, simply waiting for a food source. Another common way they can enter your home is via second-hand upholstered furniture. We all love a bargain, but next time you bag yourself used furniture, such as a sofa or bed, it’s worth giving it a good look over before bringing it indoors. If in doubt, you could give it a once over with the hoover, or if you’re being extremely cautious, ask a pest control expert to check the item.
Overall, it’s important to remember that a bed bug infestation can happen to anyone and that there is no shame in it. For example, you could get on a bus, and the seat you sit in could have a bed bug in it that will transfer onto your clothes and be carried back to your home. It doesn’t matter where they came from; the most important thing is getting rid of them as quickly as possible.
Techniques To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs
Bed bugs are difficult creatures to get rid of completely. They have evolved to resist most over-the-counter pesticides, making it difficult to get rid of them yourself. When dealing with a bed bug infestation, it’s vital to remove the insects at all stages of life, or they will return.
Here are some DIY methods you can use at home for getting rid of bed bugs:
- Washing: It won’t rid your entire home of bed bugs, but washing all of your clothing, bedding, curtains, shoes, everything you can, on a very high heat (60°C or above) will kill them off. You will need to be methodical in your approach and keep clean items far from infected ones – otherwise, your efforts will be futile.
- Hoovering: Again, hoovering isn’t guaranteed to rid your home of bed bugs completely and indefinitely, but it can certainly help in getting rid of them in the short term. Hoover all the areas bed bugs are likely to be, such as carpets, mattresses, bedding, curtains and any other soft furnishings you have around. Be as thorough as you can, and be sure to dispose of what you hoover up immediately.
- Bed Bug Bedding: Some retailers offer ‘anti-bed bug’ mattress protectors and bedding designed to work by trapping them in the mattress until they die. They may help keep you safe from bed bug bites, but the efficacy of these products is debatable. As previously mentioned, bed bugs can survive for almost a year without a meal which means you’d have to leave these covers on for up to a year to kill them off. They may be helpful if you suspect an infestation and are waiting for confirmation, or even in between treatments from a pest controller as a way to prevent further bites. Still, overall we don’t recommend these products, as they aren’t effective and can’t stop bed bugs from finding other hiding places inside furnishings.
- Freeze Clothing: As well as washing your clothes at high temperatures, you can also place the same items in a freezer. This can be useful for killing eggs left behind after washing. Temperatures below -15°C are challenging for most creatures to survive in, especially eggs. This technique can be employed alongside other methods to help ensure bed bugs have been eradicated at all life stages.
Although these methods may help in the short term, they will never completely rid your property of bed bugs. Speaking from our many years of experience, we at Integrum know just how hard it can be to deal with bed bug infestations. The only guaranteed way to keep you and your family safe is to use either heat or chemical treatments, and for this, you need support from a professional exterminator.
How Professionals Treat Bed Bugs
Professional pest control companies, like Integrum, will start by inspecting the property to check if the problem is bed bugs, fleas or another pest infestation. They will look for heavily infested areas, such as beds, sofas, soft furnishings or carpets that have a lot of insects.
They will then carry out the treatment needed, which can be one of 2 types. Often, Integrum will use a combination of both heat treatment and chemical treatments to eliminate bed bugs.
Heat Treatment for Bed Bugs
Heat treatments are the most effective way to get rid of bed bugs in your home if it’s carried out correctly by a professional. But, unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as putting the heating on and hoping for the best! To effectively kill off the bed bugs, specialist equipment is required. Just like us, bed bugs have enzymes that will denature and no longer function at high temperatures. This occurs at temperatures of around 50°C, where all the proteins and DNA in a cell will no longer work, resulting in the organism dying. Using what looks like a giant plastic bag, we will seal off infested areas or pieces of furniture, and then heat it to the required temperature, to ensure all the insects are killed.
Heat treatments are the most effective method for getting rid of bed bugs as it kills all stages of life, including eggs, larvae, and pupa. Ensure that you use the services of an expert; otherwise, it could cost you a lot of money without even getting rid of the infestation. Domestic heaters will not heat a room to the temperatures required to kill bed bugs, so, unfortunately, heat treatment isn’t a DIY option. At Integrum, we have years of experience in heat treating properties, as well as the necessary specialist equipment to rid your home of bed bugs for good.
Chemical Treatment for Bed Bugs
Chemical treatments, sometimes referred to as bed bug fumigation, are also an effective way to get rid of bed bugs, as long as they’re completed by a professional. Bed bugs have become immune to most insecticides available to the public, and so you need the more potent chemicals available to licensed professionals, like Integrum. Compared to heat treatments, chemical treatments can sometimes require more than one visit to rid the property of bed bugs entirely. When using chemical treatments, you may also need to vacate the property to allow the insecticides to work. This eradicates the entire infestation, but it can take longer than a heat treatment.
Often, the most reliable way to clear all traces of bed bugs from your home is to use a combination of the two: both chemical and heat treatments. However, as experienced professionals, we know that each case is different and what works in one home may not be suitable for another. Our friendly team will happily discuss your infestation with you and work out the best plan of action.
How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs: Conclusion
Overall, bed bugs are an irritating insect pest that can be challenging to remove. It’s also hard to prevent bed bugs, although regular cleaning can help.
If you do notice signs of bed bugs, the simplest way to remove them is to immediately contact a local pest control company.
DIY solutions aren’t effective, especially against a large infestation. Once bed bugs find a source of blood, they will start to breed, so a few bed bugs can quickly become a major infestation, and bed bugs trapped inside soft furnishings or clothing can quickly spread to other furniture and create more infested items.
Working with trusted, professional bed bug control providers is crucial. Integrum has a workforce of experienced, licensed and highly qualified pest control experts who carry out professional bed bug control services across London, Surrey and the South East.
If you’re ready to get rid of bed bugs in London for good, contact us for a free, no-obligation quote on 0204 566 5522 or email us at [email protected].
