Waking up with a line of itchy bites after a weekend away is worrying. Bed bugs are not a sign of dirt, and the first steps you take can stop them spreading.
Bed bugs are small, flat, reddish-brown insects that hide in cracks near where people sleep and come out at night to feed. They cannot fly or jump. Instead they hitch a lift on luggage, clothes, bags and second-hand furniture. Hotels, hostels, trains and holiday lets are common sources, but so is a visiting relative's suitcase or a bed frame bought online. Cleanliness has nothing to do with it.
Southwell is a small minster town in Newark and Sherwood district, with older property and surrounding farmland. Visitors come to the town for the minster and local events, and holiday lets, guest rooms and B&Bs host people through the year. Older houses with timber bed frames, wooden floors and cracks around skirting offer plenty of hiding places, and bed bugs can hide in any of them.
Bites alone do not prove bed bugs, since other things cause similar marks. Look for physical evidence.
Do not move to a different room or throw out the bed. Bed bugs spread easily and a hurried move can take them with you. Instead, strip the bed and wash bedding and clothing at the highest temperature the fabric allows, then tumble dry on a hot setting. Vacuum the mattress seams, frame, skirting and the floor around the bed, and empty the cleaner straight into an outside bin. Seal infested items in bags until they are washed.
Avoid DIY insecticide sprays, which are unreliable and tend to scatter the bugs into new rooms. Luggage should be stored in a bath or on a hard floor, away from beds, until it has been checked.
A professional treatment targets the bed, furniture and cracks where bugs hide, and usually needs a follow-up visit because eggs hatch later. How many visits are needed depends on how widespread the infestation is, and your help in preparing the room makes a difference.
If you run a guest room or holiday let, make a habit of checking the bed between visitors. Look at the mattress seams, the headboard and behind any wall fixings, and use mattress and pillow encasements that make the bugs easier to see. Ask guests to keep luggage off beds. These measures do not prevent every case, but they let you spot a problem quickly, before it spreads to the next guest or room.
Call 0115 937 5117 to arrange a visit. Appointments to suit you, including same day visits, are available.
No. They are attracted to warmth and carbon dioxide from people, not dirt. They can turn up in spotless homes after one night in a hotel or a bag from a visitor.
Washing at high temperature kills bugs on bedding and clothes but not those in the bed frame, furniture or cracks. A professional treatment is usually needed to clear the room.
Tell us what you have seen and where, and we will come back to you. Prices are fixed and there is no call-out charge.
