The increase in mass airline travel in the past 10 to 20 years has brought with it some problems for the pest control specialists. London is the most popular international city on the globe, with countless visitors passing through every day. With so many travellers from a wide variety of countries around the world, it’s not strange that some bring parasites with them. Bedbugs can be transferred to hotels, hostels and homes in people’s outfits, bedding or luggage.

Bedbugs (Cimex lectularius) are real life vampires; sucking our blood while we are asleep. Their bites can cause pain, irritation and skin discolouration. There's the additional danger of secondary infection. The bugs' small size makes them difficult to spot; even the biggest are no more than 5mm long. They vary in colour from transparent to mahogany brown. Their fast rate of reproduction means an infestation doesn't take long to set in. Their eggs are yellow/white in colour and a mere 1mm long, making them even harder to spot than the adults.

Diagnosis is an important point here. Mosquitoes and fleas can cause bites very similar to those left by bedbugs. Before undertaking any treatment, pest control serices will inspect your property to confirm there is a bedbug infestation.

Bedbugs are so named because their resting places - where they spend much of their time - are tucked away in the cracks and crevices of everyday buildings, e.g. bed frames, mattresses, skirting boards and behind the wallpaper. Depending on their size and age, they only come out to feed one night every 10 days. The space between feeding times means residents do not notice there is a pest problem until there are so many of them that bites become a nightly occurence. The result is that, as with many pests, the control services are often not called in until the infestation is well and truly established.

Bedbugs are interested in finding people to feed off, not how clean a place is, so having an infestation isn't necessarily a sign of poor hygiene. Bed bugs are carried in by people, not dirt; so it's really your guests who should be considering their own cleanliness! Unfortunately, most people don't realise this. It is therefore especially important for hotel and hostel owners to call in a pest control firm as soon as they notice any sort of an infestation. The presence of bedbugs can damage the reputation of a venue - particularly if a client decides to sue for damages because they have been bitten - and in these days of Tripadvisor and the like, negative feedback can be death for small businesses.

In order to get rid of a bedbug infestation, any likely hideouts must be checked. When it comes to bed frames and other fixtures, this will entail taking them apart. In particularly bad cases, the furniture may have to be removed or replaced in order to reduce the risk of re-infestation. For a similar reason, it's recommended that you do not bring new furniture into the house, hotel or hostel before the whole area has been completely dealt with.

Bedbugs can be difficult to deal with, but London’s pest control services are here to help. 3 full treatments are generally needed to get rid of the problem, but it is the best solution to help keep you bite free and your establishment’s reputation unblemished.