Bed bug treatment in Tilburg: what to look for
Bed bugs are flat, reddish-brown insects about the size of an apple pip. By day they stay hidden; at night they are drawn to the warmth and breath of a sleeping person. So you rarely see them moving about, but you do see what they leave behind:
- bites in a line or cluster, often on the arms, neck and shoulders
- small blood spots on sheets or pillowcases
- black dots of droppings in the seams of the mattress and the bed base
- empty, pale brown skins in cracks in the bed frame or behind the headboard
Not everyone reacts to the bites. One person in a bed may notice nothing while the other is covered in bumps.
How bed bugs get in
Bed bugs have nothing to do with cleanliness. They travel in suitcases, bags and clothing from hotels, hostels and holiday lets. Second-hand mattresses, beds, sofas and bedside tables are another well-known source, as are guests who have an infestation at home.
Once inside, they gradually spread from the bed to the sofa, the skirting boards and the sockets. In flats and shared rental houses they can also creep through gaps along walls and pipes to the neighbours. That is why we always look beyond that one bed.
Our approach: heat and precision
During the inspection we check the bed, mattress seams, bed frame, skirting boards and furniture in the bedroom, and the adjoining rooms if needed. That tells us how big the infestation is.
We then treat mainly with heat. Bed bugs and their eggs cannot survive high temperatures, and heat penetrates places a product struggles to reach. Where the bugs are deep in cracks or seams, we add a targeted product. An infestation is rarely cleared in one go, so on a second visit we check for live bugs or new eggs. Before treatment we give you clear instructions on preparing the room – the same care we take across all our pest control in Tilburg.
What you can do yourself
You can give the treatment a real boost with a few simple steps:
- wash bedding and clothes at 60 degrees or higher, then tumble-dry them
- seal items that cannot be washed in tightly closed plastic bags
- vacuum the mattress seams and the floor along the bed, and empty the vacuum outside straight away
- clear clutter from under the bed so the bugs have fewer places to hide
An infested mattress usually does not need to go; it can be treated along with everything else. If you do want to get rid of it, wrap it tightly in plastic before it leaves the room, and never leave it unwrapped in a corridor or stairwell.
Prevention after travelling or moving
After a holiday or a stay in a hostel, a little care saves a lot of trouble. In a hotel room, put your suitcase on the luggage rack rather than the bed and take a quick look at the mattress seams. At home, unpack in the bathroom or on a hard floor and put clothes straight into the wash.
Buying a second-hand bed or sofa? Check the seams, screw holes and underside before it comes indoors. If you have bites but find no traces in the bed, and the bumps are mainly around your ankles, fleas may be to blame. You can read more about that under flea treatment.
