If you suspect bed bugs have invaded your home, you should contact pest control immediately. Bed bugs spread very quickly if left untreated and can become a serious problem. Successful bed bug heat treatment relies on quick intervention using heat treatment to eradicate the problem.
What are bed bugs?
Bed bugs are very tiny reddish, brown insects that feed on our blood to survive. They are inconspicuous creatures as they only come out at night and are very hard to spot with the naked eye until they are fully grown.
Although called bed bugs, they do not usually live in your bed. They will sometimes live in your mattress, but they are just as likely to nest in cracks or gaps in skirting boards or door frames near areas where you sleep so they can access your bed at night-time to feed.
Bed bug bites can become itchy but other than that they are not known to cause any health problems or carry disease.
Why do we get infested with bed bugs?
Like any living creature bed bugs need food to survive and reproduce. Bed bugs are attracted to our homes because we are a source of food. They find us using their antennae to sense the carbon dioxide we exhale when breathing. They are good at travelling, often hitching a ride on our clothing or in our suitcases when we travel on holiday or in second hand furniture.
Bed bugs do not only feed on human blood, but they will also feed on our pets and other small animals such as mice and only need to feed every few months to be able to survive.
Each time they feed, they will return to their nest to digest their meal and develop to the next stage of their growth and development.
Will I see bed bugs in my bed?
As bed bugs are only around 5mm long and mostly move around at night, they can be almost impossible to spot. You are more likely to spot a dead bug in your bed or if you use a torch at night you may spot them moving around.
How do I know if I’ve got bed bugs?
There are many signs to look out for if you suspect you have bed bugs. The first thing you may notice is that you have been bitten during the night. If you have been bitten by a bed bug, you may have an itchy lump, much like a normal bite.
Spotting blood spots on your bed sheets can be a sign of bed bugs. This can be a bed bug which you have accidentally squashed when moving in bed or it can be a drop of blood from when the bed bug has fed on you.
Can pest control remove bed bugs easily?
Bed bugs are resilient creatures and have survived for thousands of years which can make them hard to kill. They lay up to 6 eggs per day once they are fully grown so they multiply quickly.
When pest control treats bed bugs, we are not just killing the bugs but also their eggs to stop them re-infesting.
Bed bugs are good at hiding, they will hide in places we cannot reach and where we cannot spray insecticide. We therefore recommend heat treatment for bed bugs as this is proven to be the most successful method of removal.
How does bed bug heat treatment work?
Unlike chemicals, with bed bug heat treatment, the bugs do not need to be sprayed as the heat will reach every part of the room, including the small cracks where the bugs can be hiding.
By heating the room to 141 degrees and maintaining the temperature, we kill the bed bugs and their eggs through dehydration.
During the process we will use our high-tech thermal imaging to look for cold spots where bugs can hide. This is an important part of the treatment process as we must kill every bed bug and every egg.
Heat treatment is said to be 100% effective at killing an infestation with a single treatment.
How quickly should I treat a bed bug infestation?
Bed bugs can spread quickly, so prompt action is required. The longer you leave it, the more difficult eradication will become. If you suspect you require a bed bug heat treatment, please contact us immediately. We can often identify the signs of an infestation from photos so a visit prior to treatment is not always necessary.
How Can I Book a Heat Treatment for bed bugs?
FurBeGone Pest Control offer a free survey before, and heat treatment is undertaken. We cover Stevenage, Letchworth, Hitchin, and surrounding villages.
Contact us through our website or for 24-hour callout please call us on 01438 387005.
