Pest Control Fact Sheets

Bed Bugs

Facts about bed bugs

Bed bugs are bloodsucking parasites of man and also feed on chickens, bats and some domestic animals
A bed bug bite is painless. It is their saliva that can cause irritation, swelling and redness
They feed at night or at any time if the room is dark
They live in bedclothes, mattresses, bedsprings and frames, soft furnishing, cracks and crevices and under wallpaper
Females lay between 200-500 eggs in batches of 10-50, on rough surfaces such as wood or paper. Eggs are white, sticky and about 1/3 inch long. They are laid in cracks or crevices, never on people
A bed bugs entire life cycle can take between 5 weeks to 4 months, depending upon the temperature and availability of food

How can you identify a bed bug?

Mature bed bugs are between 1/4 - 3/8 inches long, rusty red/brown to mahogany coloured, oval, wingless insects. Their bodies are flattened, with well developed antennae and small compound eyes
After feeding, they become swollen, longer and dark red to dark brown in colour

Recognising a bed bug problem

Because they are so small, bed bugs are hard to see. They do leave signs that they are present, such as black or brown spots of dried blood, eggs, egg-shells and cast skins on the surfaces where the bugs rest.

Typical resting areas include under wallpaper, behind picture frames, inside cracks and crevices near to beds, bed frames, undersides of windows, door casings and loose moldings. When there are many bed bugs, there is often a bad smell.

What can you do?

If you have a lot of bed bugs you should contact either a pest control company or us straight away
Clean furniture, bedding and mattresses on a regular basis. If you have a bed bug infestation, steam clean or throw away mattresses
Repair cracks in walls, windows and doors
Wash legs of beds in soapy water, then coat legs in double sided sticky tape or petroleum jelly. Alternatively, place the legs of the bed in glass jars or metal cans. Bed bugs cannot climb glass or metal easily and as they cannot fly this will prevent them from being able to feed
Treat all hiding places with an insecticide that is designed for bed bugs. Only apply to mattresses if it says it is safe to do so on the label. Allow mattresses to dry for several hours before lying on them

Treatment we provide

So that we can be sure the infestation is bed bugs, we will need to identify it. To do this you need to catch a bug, seal it securely in a clear plastic container labelled with your name, address and telephone number. You can contact us for a suitable container.

You should then send it us by post at the address shown below or you can take it to one of the following offices:

Barking Office: Barking Learning Centre, 2 Town Square, Barking, IG11 7NB|

Dagenham Office: Housing Enquiries Office, 2 Stour Road, Dagenham, RM10 7JF|

Our pest officers will identify the bug and contact you to let you know whether it is a bed bug or not. If it is a bed bug, they can survey your property to see how bad the problem is and provide treatment.

What you need to do before we carry out treatment

Strip beds and put the bedding in a tightly secured plastic bag. All bedding should be washed on a hot wash before being returned to a treated room
Our Pest Control officers must be able to get access to all areas of an affected room in order for treatment to be effective. Could you please make sure that you move any furniture away from the walls, this includes drawers and cupboards, this is so that we can gain access to the areas behind the furniture. Do not take the items out of the room as you could infest other areas. Do not put items that have not been washed or treated in to a treated room as it could cause re-infestation
If you will experience difficulty in preparing for a treatment please let us know and we will help wherever we can
If you see a bed bug after treatment, it does not mean it has not worked. They may have hatched after the treatment and will be killed off by the pesticide once they come into contact with it

Charges

For information about charges please contact Barking and Dagenham Direct.

Methods of Payment

Cash - the exact amount as no change can be given
Cheque - supported by a Cheque Guarantee Card
Credit Card - by telephone when booking the appointment

Important: If you are paying by cash and do not have the exact amount, please note that treatment will not be carried out.

Please note: We require 24 hours notice to cancel an appointment. If you fail to keep an appointment and do not notify us at least 24 hours before, a £10 fee will be incurred. No further service will be provided until this fee has been paid.