- Risk level
- High
- Peak season
- All year
- Where you’ll find them
- Mattress seams, bed frames, bedheads, skirting boards
- DIY?
- Not recommended
Overview
Bed bugs hitch a ride home in luggage, second-hand furniture and clothing. They hide in tiny cracks near where people sleep and feed at night. They’re hard to eliminate without professional treatment because eggs survive most over-the-counter products.
How to identify bed bugs
Common bed bug (Cimex lectularius)
Flat, oval, reddish-brown and about the size of an apple seed (4–5 mm). Swell and redden after feeding. Eggs are white and about 1 mm long.
Tropical bed bug (Cimex hemipterus)
Very similar in appearance; increasingly found in Australian cities.
Signs you have a problem
- Itchy bites in lines or clusters, often on arms, neck and shoulders
- Small rust-coloured blood spots on sheets and pillowcases
- Black ink-like dots (droppings) along mattress seams and bed frames
- Shed skins and live bugs in mattress piping, bedhead screws and behind skirting
- A sweet, musty odour in heavy infestations
Why it matters
- Itchy bites, skin irritation and possible secondary infections from scratching
- Significant disruption to sleep and anxiety
- Spread quickly between rooms and units in shared buildings
How we treat bed bugs
- 1
Detailed inspection
Beds, furniture, skirting boards, power points and luggage are checked to map the infestation.
- 2
Multi-method treatment
A combination of residual spray, dusts in voids and targeted treatment of mattresses and frames.
- 3
Preparation checklist
We give you a simple checklist: hot-wash and dry bedding and clothing, reduce clutter and vacuum before we arrive.
- 4
Follow-up visits
Bed bug eggs hatch over roughly two weeks, so a follow-up treatment is scheduled to break the life cycle.
Prevention tips you can do today
- Check hotel beds and keep luggage on a rack, not the bed or floor
- Unpack and hot-wash clothes as soon as you return from travel
- Inspect second-hand beds, couches and furniture before bringing them inside
- Use mattress encasements if you’ve had bed bugs before