Detecting Bed Bugs & Effective Treatments

Bed bugs have to be treated differently from other bugs such as cockroaches. For example, sticky traps won't work. There could be thousands of bed bugs in one room without any being caught on a sticky trap. Bed bugs make blood feeds but do so in a way that you do not feel the bite. Therefore they can be difficult to detect. Adults may deposit eggs on a mattress but then move off, making them harder to control. They have no wings so they are dependent on people to carry them from one place to another, often on things they move around. For example, suit cases can take them from one hotel room to another. They can even be found in and carried on antique furniture. Furniture stores and mattress companies will often offer to take away an old mattress when they deliver your new one. Unfortunately this sometimes means placing old mattresses containing bed bugs in the truck alongside the new ones to be delivered - spreading the problem further. They can also be transported to and from schools in and on school bags.

AMES pest controllers will:

  • Look for signs of any bed bugs activity currently at the premises
  • Give advice on the best course of treatment
  • Provide recommendations to help you maintain a bed bug-free environment
  • Point out risk factors contributing to a bed bug problem
  • Give a no-obligation quotation for the removal of the bed bugs infestation
  • For contracts with commercial clients our technician will be able to advise you of the most appropriate integrated pest management program for your organisation, along with the number of scheduled visits appropriate to create and maintain a pest-free environment.

Where can you find bed bugs hiding?

Bed bugs can live for example in a child's slipper or soft toys, or in shoes or trainers kept under a bed, often in the base of the shoe or trainer. Spare sheets, bedding or table cloths kept under a bed can harbour bed bugs. Literally thousands of bed bugs can be contained within a coat hanger itself. Electrical sockets and the space within them can also be a hiding place for bed bugs. These need opening and cleaning with a specialist dust product, to prevent further outbreaks.

Often carpet that has been glued in place and is loose will need to be pulled back and the area treated. Similarly tack bars which hold carpet in place can need treating especially if there is loose carpet along the bar. Cracks and crevices where wallpaper is loose, and cracks running along the ceiling of a room can also need treating.

Getting Rid Of Bed Bugs

Bed bugs can withstand very cold temperatures, 40 degrees below and beyond. They also survive fumigation with CO2. The one thing that will kill bed bugs is heat. AMES bed bug technicians have to be very thorough in their treatment of households, residential care homes and hotels, in order to treat a bed bug problem effectively.

Bed Treatment

Bedding needs to be stripped off, bagged and put through a hot water wash and a hot dry cycle. Head boards need to be removed which can often reveal cracks which bed bugs can hide in. Hotel beds can often have grooves within the design of the bed and wooden or metal grooves which hold part of the headboard or bed in place. All of these areas can require treatments

Mattress Treatment

Vacuum cleaners with special filters are used to trap the bed bugs and skins thoroughly, preventing them escaping to cause allergenic reactions. If mattresses have buttons then vacuuming must be done around every button. Anti-allergy mattress covers can then be used to seal the mattress entirely.

Box springs need opening and vacuuming, with every crack and piece of wood vacuumed. All parts of the bed have to be taken apart, inspected, cleaned and treated. Luggage racks in hotels or households need thorough treatment, including unscrewing this equipment and treating thoroughly. Cracks around air vents should also be treated. Cupboards and wardrobes, tv and tv cabinets, ironing boards, sofas and smoke detectors can all harbour bed bugs. Bathrooms in houses and hotels can also have bed bugs, even contained in toilet roll holders.


A further visit from our technicians is then often required, perhaps two or three weeks later. Spot checks and re-treatments can be carried out in areas where bed bugs were originally found, once any eggs have had a chance to emerge.


Anti Bed Bug Mattress Covers

AllerZip Mattress covers seal a mattress completely creating a layer that is impermeable to bed bugs. You can read more about these anti-bed bug covers and anti-allergy covers on our mattress covers page in the products section of this website.

For more information on bed bug treatments and anti-bed bug mattress covers please call AMES on 0800 197 1650.