Bed-Bugs proving a nightmare?

$379.50 one bedroom needing treatment (in nearly all cases only 1 room needs treatment).

$255.00 per room if 2 or more rooms require treatment.

All treatments come with a 6 month warranty unless specified otherwise.

Bed-bugs are a relatively new, and growing problem, in Auckland. Mainly found in inner city apartments and short-term accommodation, such as hotels, backpackers and even Airbnb’s.

While we’re very experienced in ways to get rid of bed-bugs we do find bed-bug control is not well understood, even among other professionals. There is a lot of misinformation about bed-bugs out there. 

Some of the most commonly asked questions about bed-bugs we hear are:

What are the signs of bed-bugs?

When people suspect they have bed-bugs usually they will only inspect their mattress. Unless it’s an advanced infestation you WON’T find any signs of bed-bugs on mattresses. To really get rid of bed-bugs, you’ve got to know where they like to hide.

If it’s a box base bed, we recommend you flip the bed-base up and look around the edges of the base where the bottom cover is stapled. You will usually see signs of bed-bugs around the staples and wedged under the edge of the covering material.

For wooden slat beds, remove the mattress and look at the ends of the slats where they rest on the bed-base.

Another very common place is behind headboards or where the headboard joins the bed-base.

In all these areas you’ll notice blood spotting, moulted skins, live bed-bugs and very tiny white eggs.

I’m getting bitten in bed. I can’t see anything. Do I have bed-bugs?

Probably not. In 95% of cases when our customers suspect bed-bug bites, it’s not bed-bugs. In most situations you won’t have bed-bugs unless you fall into an at-risk category.

What are the at-risk categories?

Some situations where you might have picked up bed-bugs are:

• Living in inner city apartments.
• An overnight stay in a hotel, motel or back-packers within the last three months.
• Having a guest stay overnight that has been staying in hotels, motels, B&Bs or back-packers.
• Buying 2^nd hand bedroom furniture.

How easy is it to get bed-bugs?

Bed-bugs are very hard to get. You won’t just pick one up, even if you visit somewhere that has a bed-bug infestation. You will need to stay overnight in an infested room to have a good chance of taking a bed-bug home.

If it’s not bed-bugs, what is it?

It’s usually fleas, even if you haven’t noticed any fleas around. When an inspection is completed and no evidence of bed-bugs is found, we will normally complete a flea treatment. In most cases this resolves the biting issues.

Other common biting insects mistaken for bed-bugs are mosquitoes. If you’re sleeping with any windows in the house open this may be the problem. 

Our qualified technicians will ask questions to diagnose the problem and ensure we’re treating for the right pest.

The doctor said they’re bed-bug bites. Surely, they would know.

Unfortunately, not. Everybody will react differently to the proteins a biting insect injects in its saliva. Some people have very bad reactions, some have none at all. It is near impossible to tell what has been biting you from the look of the bite.

I’ve got blood spots in a line on the sheets. I read on the internet that this is a sign of bed-bugs.

It is, but not a very good one. Any bite from an insect can leave blood spotting on the sheets, usually in groups of two or three.

To get rid of bed-bugs, the most important first step is a thorough inspection. Bed-bugs are very good at hiding in the tiniest crack and crevice. We understand how bed-bugs behave and the common, and not so common, places they like to nest. We spend a lot of time identifying where they are and planning the best treatment strategy to get rid of bed-bugs quickly and to ensure there is no chance of them spreading elsewhere.

Home treatments and poor treatment strategies by pest controllers inexperienced in bed-bug control are the major cause of bed-bugs spreading to neighbouring apartments in apartment blocks.

Areas with a high concentration of bed-bugs are vacuumed thoroughly. This is the quickest way to reduce the size of the infestation and allows full control to be gained within a very short timeframe.

After vacuuming we apply a very targeted residual spray treatment to all identified and common nesting areas. This will kill any remaining bed-bugs and provide protection against re-infestation.

If you have questions about how to get rid of bed-bugs, feel free to give the Bug King team a call on 0800 54 64 54.

Preparation;

• Strip the beds in the infested room. Bag and seal the linen in a plastic rubbish bag. Hot wash and dry the linen before replacing on the bed. 
• No other preparation is required. Keeping items in the infested room and not disturbing the bed-bugs will minimize the risk of the infestation spreading.
• You can remain at home but you will need to vacate the infested room for a minimum of 4 hours from the time the treatment is completed.

Aftercare;

• Enter the room and open windows and doors and allow to air for 10mins.

Our internal treatments use synthetic pyrethroids (which are based on natural pyrethrums). The products we use have been proven safe in sensitive situations over several decades. All treatments are professionally applied and are at a level that are very safe for humans and pets. All products are readily metabolized. If you do come into contact with the treatment it will just pass straight through you and not build up in your body over time.