Pest control advice

Bedbugs are small insects that often live on furniture or bedding. Their bites can be itchy, but do not usually cause other health problems.

Bedbugs can be dark yellow, red or brown. Adults are around 5mm long.

Bedbugs can hide in many places, including on bed frames, mattresses, clothing, furniture, behind pictures and under loose wallpaper.

Signs of bedbugs include:

• bites – often on skin exposed while sleeping, like the face, neck and arms
• spots of blood on your bedding – from the bites or from squashing a bedbug
• small brown spots on bedding or furniture

Reports of bedbugs have increased over recent years. Some of the reasons for this increase are:

• the introduction of infested second-hand furniture, particularly beds, mattresses and sofas
• movement of infested furniture and tenants between infested rental properties
• a guest bringing infested luggage into the property
• increased global travel
• central heating, providing suitable, year-round, breeding conditions

Bedbugs can infest domestic houses, commercial properties such as hotels, hospitals and prisons and motor vehicles including public transport. The methods by which they are introduced into an environment are many, including:

• the occupant’s luggage or clothing becoming infested during a journey
• migration of bedbugs from an infested, adjoining property 
• resistance to pesticides

How to get rid of bedbugs

It's very difficult to get rid of bedbugs yourself because they can be hard to find and may be resistant to some insecticides.
There are some things you can try yourself, but these are unlikely to get rid of bedbugs completely.

Do

• wash affected bedding and clothing on a hot wash (60C) and tumble dry on a hot setting for at least 30 minutes
• put affected clothing and bedding in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer for 3 or 4 days
• clean and vacuum regularly – bedbugs are found in both clean and dirty places, but regular cleaning will help you spot them early

Don’t

• keep clutter around your bed
• bring second-hand furniture indoors without carefully checking it first
• take luggage or clothing indoors without checking it carefully if you have come from somewhere where you know there were bedbugs

We offer a service to inspect beds for early indications of bedbugs and can place monitoring detectors to help pick up any infestations before they get out of control.

Book a professional treatment

Our affordable treatment promises a stress-free solution to your problem. We also offer a discount for those in receipt of a means-tested benefit or the free prescriptions element of universal credit.

Expert officers – Our pest control team have over 20 years of experience providing high-quality pest control services in Colchester.

Convenient appointment times – Book a convenient day and morning or afternoon slot for us to carry out an initial investigation.

Targeted treatment – Our pest control officers use non-toxic products to target specific areas.