Bedbugs

If you have suspected or confirmed bed bugs, early action is highly recommended and will be cheaper and easier to treat.

Act immediately by contacting Southampton City Council’s pest control team to arrange an appointment on 02380 833 005 (option 4) or an alternative professional pest control company.

Once an infestation has spread, there is no effective method of bed bug removal other than treatment from a pest control service.

Immediate action also prevents infestation and transporting the insects to other household areas, items, clothing. Female bed bugs will lay approximately 200 eggs in just five days in cracks and crevices around bedrooms and properties.

Before pest control visit, please ensure you do not move items from an affected room to a non-affected room.

To prepare for a visit, please:

1. Clear floor areas of cloths / items to allow furniture / beds to be moved and allow access to skirting.
2. Vacuum all floor areas prior to initial treatment and dispose of content of vacuum cleaner (you should then not vacuum until 10 days after final treatment)
3. Empty content of drawers /wardrobes to enable these to be treated, please put the contents in to the clear bags supplied.
4. Empty content stored under bed and please put contents into clear bags.
5. Strip all affected beds in preparation prior to each treatment and hot wash all bedclothes at 60 degrees C. Once this is done, tumble dry and then store in a sealed plastic bag to prevent re-infestation.

Ensure the rooms are in a tidy condition. Place all clothes, toys, books etc. from the area to be treated into sealed plastic bags to prevent them being in contaminated by insecticide. Clothes/Toys that may be infested can, if suitable to do so, be hot washed at 60 degrees, or tumble dried for 30 minutes, this will kill the insects and eggs. Books need to be inspected for activity and can be placed in a plastic bag and put in the freezer for 48 hours this should kill any insects. Do not move items from an affected room to a non-affected room.

Treatment consists of an insecticide being directly sprayed to all affected surfaces / cracks crevasses within the affect property. 

A fogging treatment will then often be undertaken to agitate any bed bugs, so they come in to contact with insecticide. 

You will be required to leave your property along with all pets for four hours to allow insecticide to dry. 

Once treatment has been carried out you must ensure the following:

• Do not allow the wet insecticide to contact the skin, wash immediately if this occurs and refer to the information sheet left you by the Pest Control Officer. (You will be required to leave the property for four hours to allow insecticide to dry.)
• Follow the instructions given to you by the Pest Control Officer.
• Do not sleep on the beds or mattresses until they are dry.
• You must continue to sleep in affected areas once the beds or mattresses are dry. This helps to draw the bedbugs to the insecticide. Not sleeping in affected areas may reduce the success of the treatment.
• Do not move items from room to room to prevent spreading the infestation.
• Do not vacuum in the treated areas until 10 days after final treatment

• Ensure high standards of hygiene and housekeeping are kept so that the presence of bed bugs is revealed at an early stage. Bed bugs can thrive where hygiene housekeeping standards are poor, but they can also be found in very clean properties and may travel into a premises on furniture or fabric.
• Bedbugs cannot fly and must either crawl or be passively transported in clothing, luggage, furniture, books, or other objects where they hide. Store any suitcases and bags off the ground and away from your bed when staying in any multi occupied establishments abroad or in the UK.
• When buying second hand furniture inspect it thoroughly looking for insects within the seams, cracks and crevices.
• It is advised that you do not take mattresses or soft furnishing from bin areas.