Why there is no fixed timescale
Bed bugs exist in several stages at once — eggs, nymphs of different sizes and adults — spread across hiding places that vary from home to home. A single bedroom with a recent, light problem is a very different job from a shared house where several rooms have been affected for months. The honest answer is that timescales depend on the property and the infestation. Anyone promising a set number of days without seeing the rooms cannot know that.
What makes it quicker or slower
- How many rooms are affected, and whether any have been left out
- How long the infestation had been going before it was found
- How much clutter there is in and around the bed
- Whether the room was properly prepared before the visit
- Whether neighbouring rooms or flats also have bed bugs
- Whether infested items have been carried around the home
From first call to visit
When you get in touch, we ask what kind of property it is, how many rooms show signs and what you have seen. You are then told how to get the room ready. The preparation often takes longer than people expect, since a family's worth of bedding and clothes can fill a good part of a weekend with washing, so plan it in. The steps are in preparing a room for bed bug treatment.
The day of the visit
Make sure the affected rooms can be reached and the preparation is finished. How long the visit itself lasts depends on the number of rooms and how much there is to check. You will be told what to do afterwards and when rooms can be used normally; follow that rather than general advice found online.
The period afterwards
Bed bugs do not vanish overnight. Eggs laid before the visit hatch in their own time, and bugs tucked deep inside a frame can take a while to show themselves. An occasional sighting in the period after treatment is not unusual by itself; what counts is whether the signs are fading or building. Why am I still seeing bed bugs after treatment explains how to tell the difference.
Should you stay somewhere else?
Moving in with friends or family can take bed bugs to their home in your bags. Unless you are advised otherwise for your visit, the usual advice is to keep living at home and sleeping in your own bed, so the problem stays in the rooms that are being dealt with. If there is a particular reason you cannot stay, such as a new baby or a health condition, mention it when you book.
Landlords and empty rooms
A room that is empty between tenancies can be easier to prepare, but it still needs the same care, because bed bugs can go a long time between meals. Landlords in Kenton and across Brent planning a re-let should allow for this rather than booking the next tenant in immediately.
Keeping it from dragging on
- Book as soon as you are fairly sure, because a small problem is simpler
- Count every room where someone sleeps, including a sofa bed
- Tell neighbours or the landlord in flats and shared houses
- Leave washed items sealed until you have been told the room is ready
- Report what you see afterwards instead of reaching for a shop-bought spray
Booking
Book bed bug treatment and tell us the number of rooms. Bed bug control in Brent is £220 for the first room and £120 for each additional room, so two affected bedrooms come to £340. In blocks of flats, like those in Wembley, it can also help to speak to the managing agent; see bed bugs spreading between flats.
