Bed bugs
How Bed Bugs Reach Mill Hill Homes
Most of what Pest Control Mill Hill says about the woodland edge does not apply here. Bed bugs are carried in, and the routes are the ones found anywhere: travel, visitors, second-hand furniture and moving home. How bed bugs get into homes covers each one.
Travel and commuting
Hotel stays, holidays and trips away are the usual source. Bed bugs hide in the seams of suitcases and bags, and come out once unpacked in the bedroom.
Moving into a newer flat
Millbrook Park at Mill Hill East is a newer development, and moving in often means buying or being given furniture. A second-hand bed frame, mattress or sofa is the classic way bed bugs arrive in an otherwise new flat. Check anything second-hand carefully before it comes through the door.
Flats near the Broadway
In a block or a flat above shops, bed bugs can move between neighbouring flats through gaps around pipes and wiring. If you live in a flat, it is worth telling the managing agent or landlord. Whether bed bugs spread between flats explains how.
Older houses
Bed bugs are less often a problem in the older family houses on the hill, simply because fewer people and less furniture move through them. They are not immune: guests, a returning student or a second-hand chair can bring them in. A spare room used only for visitors can harbour them unnoticed for weeks, because nobody sleeps there to be bitten.
Checking second-hand furniture
- Look along every seam and button of a mattress or sofa with a torch
- Check the joints, screw holes and slats of a bed frame
- Look under the fabric lining on the base of a divan or chair
- Leave anything doubtful outside the flat until you are sure
Signs in the Bedroom
- Small dark spots on mattress seams, bed frames and headboards
- Tiny pale eggs or shed skins in seams and joints
- Live bugs, flat and brown, in the crevices of the bed
- Bites in lines or clusters, often on arms, shoulders and neck
The first signs of bed bugs shows what to look for. Bites alone are not proof, and if a pet has fleas, flea control may be the right page. Itchy bites can be eased with advice from a pharmacist; call 999 for signs of a severe allergic reaction.
What Not to Do
- Do not move to sleep in another room, as bed bugs follow and spread
- Do not throw out furniture before it has been checked; carrying it out can spread them
- Do not use shop sprays, which can scatter them
- Do not take bedding or clothes to other homes
Getting Ready for the Visit
When you book bed bug control, say how many rooms are affected and whether it is a flat or a house. Halls, landings and stairs are not counted as rooms. How to prepare a room explains what to do before the visit. You will be told what was found and what to expect; timing depends on the property and how established they are, as how long bed bug treatment takes explains.
After Treatment
Keep sleeping in your own bed, as moving away can make things worse. Wash and tumble dry bedding on a hot setting, keep clutter off the bedroom floor so any new signs are easy to spot, and check luggage after every trip away. If you keep seeing live bugs after a few weeks, get back in touch. For the borough as a whole, see Bed Bug Control Barnet, and for new blocks with similar concerns, Colindale.
