A housing association called Cleankill Pest Control to a small block of seven flats in North London that was suffering a major infestation of bed bugs. The property has a long history of bed bug problems, and the majority of the flats are infested. Part of the problem is some residents are not bothered at all by living with bed bugs. This creates a problem for those residents who complain as soon as they see a bed bug.
Bed bugs are particularly pernicious pest. Although they are not harmful in terms of spreading disease, they can have a major impact on mental health. One resident in this block now refuses to sleep in his bed and collects the bugs in jars for his own, “experiments.”
They are most active at night and feed on human blood. One of the first signs you’ll notice, if you have a bed bug problem, is either small red marks on your bedding or red marks all over your body.
If you find evidence of a bed bug problem, you must get professional help. A small infestation will quickly escalate as a single female can lay up to 500 eggs in a couple of months. They are also notoriously difficult to get rid of because of their ability to hide and can stay alive for up to a year without feeding if they go into a dormant state. Due to their size, they can also easily move between properties through wall cavities, meaning it is very difficult to deal long term with a problem in one flat if an infestation is being left untreated in an adjacent flat.
When David Korosztos, one of our London area pest control technicians, visited the site in Spring 2022 it was to treat the worst infested flats at the site. He found the sofa was literally crawling with bugs and he even found one hidden in a brush.
David conducted a combination of insecticide spray treatments and heat treatments to control the levels of infestation in those flats but, without the same approach to the other flats, there is always the very real possibility that the problem will return.
The videos he shot during his visit are particularly horrible and a good demonstration of why you should make dealing with a bed bug problem a priority.
Watch the videos here.
Learn more about bed bugs.
Another bed bug case study.