I’m a pest expert and here are the 10 things you must to do to protect yourself from a bed bug infestation
IT’S never been harder to stop bed bugs from biting.
The blood-sucking pests were branded a “scourge” by Paris deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire after an outbreak in the French capital — and the UK recorded a 65 per cent year-on-year rise in August.
Now a top expert has warned that they could invade British homes through foreign travel.
Senior surveyor Phil Greenstock, 42, from Shield Pest Control, said: “There’s an increased risk the Parisian bugs will come to the UK if they haven’t already.”
Here he gives his ten top tips for avoiding bed bugs at home and abroad.
ABROAD
1) Use a hard-shelled suitcase as the slippery surface makes it harder for bed bugs to latch on.
2) Never put your suitcase under the bed as that can be a hotspot for the pests.
3) When I travel I put my suitcase in the empty bath until I have checked the room as it’s slippery so they are unlikely to be there.
If you find them in the room, don’t stay the night. Report it to the staff — and your luggage will still be usable.
4) Always make a quick room inspection. It’s easy to do.
First, look at the headboard as the seams will be the area where you can spot them.
The adult bed bugs look like small apple seeds and there will be spots from their waste like little ink splats.
Then have a look at the seams of the mattress, and if you are suspicious, check the slats. If there’s nothing you are good to go.
5) Even if you know the room is OK, always use the hotel suitcase rack or cupboard.
Don’t keep your suitcase or clothes on the floor. There’s always a risk a bed bug could get into your clothes and you could take it home with you.
AT HOME
1) When you bring luggage home, wash all clothing — including clean stuff — at 60 degrees, which is the kill zone temperature for pests.
Then tumble dry as that will nuke them. Dry clean items that aren’t suitable for washing.
2) Regularly hoover your mattress and inspect any seams. I recommend doing this once a month.
3) The worst culprit for hiding infestations is divan bed bases.
They have so many nooks and crannies where bed bugs can have a party while you are sleeping.
Consider a wooden or metal bed which is slippery and has fewer places for them to hide.
4) I recommend regular deep cleaning every few months. Clean mirrors, pictures and bedside tables, including inside drawers and behind them as bugs can rest there, ready to crawl on you at night.
5) If you live in a flat, they can march into your home from neighbours.
When there is an infestation, you treat it like a box — so you treat one flat up, one down, one left, one right and one across the corridor to get on top of the problem.
So while you don’t legally need to tell your neighbours, I recommend you do to stop re-infestation as they can march back. Most importantly, get the experts in.