Bed Bug Control in Your Home or Business

What Bed Bugs Look Like

• Adult size around 4 to 5 mm long.
• Oval, flattened body shape when unfed.
• Well developed legs, no wings.
• Mouth parts designed for piercing skin and sucking blood.
• Red to brown in colour, darker after feeding.

Young bed bugs (nymphs) are smaller and paler, but have the same flat oval shape.

Bed Bug Lifecycle

Bed bugs breed quickly in warm rooms and can build up to large numbers if not treated.

• Each female lays around 200 to 500 eggs over two months.
• Eggs are laid in small batches of 10 to 50 in hidden cracks.
• Eggs hatch into nymphs that need regular blood meals to grow.
• Several stages from nymph to adult.
• Adults can survive for weeks without feeding in cool conditions.

Where Bed Bugs Hide

Bed bugs hide during the day and come out at night to feed on sleeping people.

• Bed frames and headboards.
• Mattress seams and buttons.
• Cracks in walls and skirting boards.
• Behind peeling wallpaper and broken plaster.
• Inside light switches and plug sockets.
• Under carpets and along carpet edges.
• In bedside tables, drawers and soft furnishings.

Bed bugs are often found within one or two metres of the bed, but heavy infestations can spread throughout a room and into nearby rooms.

Signs You May Have Bed Bugs

• Itchy red bites on arms, legs, neck or torso, often in lines or groups.
• Small dark spots on sheets, mattress edges or walls from bed bug droppings.
• Blood spots on bedding from crushed bugs after feeding.
• Live bugs in mattress seams, bed frames or nearby furniture.
• White eggs or shed skins in cracks and joints.
• A sweet, musty smell in heavy infestations.

How Bed Bugs Spread

• In luggage after staying in hotels or guest houses.
• On second hand furniture, beds or soft furnishings.
• Between flats and rooms through walls, sockets and pipe runs.
• On clothing, bags and other personal items.

Bed bugs do not live on people like head lice, but they travel on items that people move between places.

Why DIY Bed Bug Control Is Difficult

• Bed bugs hide in very small cracks that are easy to miss.
• Shop sprays rarely reach all hiding places.
• Eggs can survive single treatments and hatch later.
• Incorrect use of insecticides can spread bugs to new areas.

Most established bed bug problems need a planned professional treatment with follow up visits.

Professional Bed Bug Control from Forest Of Dean Pest Control

Our discreet service is designed to clear bed bugs safely and as quickly as possible.

• Survey to confirm bed bugs and assess how far they have spread.
• Clear advice on preparation, such as laundering and decluttering.
• Targeted use of professional insecticides and other treatments.
• Treatment of beds, furniture, skirting boards, floor edges and key hiding places.
• Follow up inspections and treatments where needed.
• Guidance on preventing re introduction of bed bugs.

How You Can Help Reduce Bed Bugs

• Wash bedding and clothes at high temperature where possible.
• Tumble dry on a hot cycle for at least 30 minutes.
• Vacuum mattresses, bed frames and floor edges regularly.
• Use bed bug proof mattress and pillow covers if advised.
• Avoid bringing second hand mattresses or sofas into your home without checking them carefully.

These steps support professional treatment, they do not replace it.