Spotlight on Bed Bugs

Are bedbugs more of a problem? Are they as impossible to get rid of as people say they are?

All of these are important questions that need to be answered when it comes to bedbugs. These tiny critters were all but once eradicated but it seems that in the last decade, they have made a resurgence. Is a bedbug infestation a sign of poor hygiene or something else?

Why are bedbugs a problem in the UK?

Like most pest infestations, there is no connection between personal hygiene and cleanliness and a bedbug infestation.

Bedbugs are hardy insects, capable of withstanding a range of temperatures and are also adept at travelling long distances. They hitch a lift on our clothes, our bags and so on, making their way into our homes and businesses.

They like warm places – hence the mattress in a centrally heated, warm home is perfect – and enjoy a nightly blood meal, courtesy of our warm, slumbering bodies.

They can be hard to spot and hard to get rid of but here’s the good news: they can be successfully dealt with. But it takes knowledge and perseverance.

How to Deal with a Bedbug Problem

First, you need to understand that any delay in calling a professional pest controller allows the infestation to become established.

Getting rid of your mattress doesn’t solve the problem

Bedbugs live not only in mattresses but in small crevices and joints in the bed frame, behind skirting boards, electrical sockets and so on.

Deep clean is only part of the solution…

… as is using a chemical treatment. Both need to happen together. But as with all pest control treatments, success lies in how you use them, what you use and when.

Bedbugs are very, very hardy

They can survive variations in temperature, especially the eggs that they lay. And so, a single dousing with hot water or a flash freeze will not kill them. The application of heat or cold needs to be extreme and prolonged. Hence, things that cannot be washed at 60° or more should be frozen and left in the freezer for several weeks.

Your property may not be the source of the bedbug problem

Cross contamination is a real issue for many home and business owners. Tiny creatures that scuttle along mainly undetected, they will move from one property to another through cavities in walls. It is not unheard of to treat bedbugs in one property, only to find the problem remains an issue. This could be because the source of the problem is next door – and without treatment, it won’t go away.

A professional pest control company can solve a bedbug problem

We need to make sure that it is bedbugs before we start treating, simply because different treatments are applied depending on the bug or insect we are dealing with. But when it comes to effective treatments and solutions, pest controllers are the professionals who are trained and experienced in dealing with bugs of all kinds.

Think you’ve spotted a bedbug or two? Call us to find out more about our competitively priced bedbug solutions.