About Bed Bug
📖Biology and behaviour
Bed bugs are small, reddish-brown, flat insects that live in the places where people sleep and feed on blood, usually at night. They are not a sign of a dirty home. They travel in luggage, second-hand furniture, bedding and clothes, and they are common in hostels, hotels, PGs, hospitals and dense housing.
They hide during the day in mattress seams, bed frames, headboards, sofa joints, behind picture frames, in electrical sockets and in cracks in walls. An adult can survive for months without a meal, so an empty room does not clear the problem.
⚡Quick facts
- Size
- About 4–5 mm, apple-seed shaped
- Hides
- Mattress seams, bed frames, sockets
- Bites
- At night, often in rows
- Spread
- Luggage, furniture, used bedding
Signs of Bed Bug
What to look for, and how to prevent it🔎How to spot an infestation
- Itchy red welts, often in lines or clusters, appearing after sleeping
- Tiny rusty or dark spots on sheets, mattress edges and walls
- Shed pale skins and small white eggs in seams and crevices
- A sweet, musty odour in heavily infested rooms
- Live bugs along mattress piping, bed slats and headboards
🛡️How to prevent it
- Check hotel and hostel beds, and keep your luggage off the bed and floor when travelling
- Inspect second-hand mattresses, sofas and furniture before bringing them home
- Wash and hot-dry bedding and clothing after travel
- Use zipped, bed-bug proof mattress and pillow encasements
- Reduce clutter around beds and seal cracks and loose wall fittings
- Vacuum seams and crevices regularly and dispose of the bag outside
How Bed Bug is controlled
Integrated approach🧪Control methods
Control requires a thorough inspection to find every harbourage point, washing or heat-treating infested fabric, and a licensed PCO's targeted treatment programme, often over more than one visit — over-the-counter sprays alone rarely resolve an established infestation.
👷When to call a professional
Bed bugs hide deep and develop resistance to some products, so do-it-yourself sprays often fail and may spread them. A PCO will inspect, treat all hiding places with the right approach (often a combination of heat or steam and residual treatment) and schedule a repeat visit. Do not throw away the mattress before the treatment, because moving it can spread the bugs.
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Where you will find it
9 sectorsCommon questions about Bed Bug
Do bed bugs mean my house is dirty?
No. Bed bugs are attracted to people, not dirt. They get into clean homes and five-star hotels alike, mostly through luggage and second-hand furniture.
Do bed bugs spread diseases?
They are not known to spread disease, but their bites itch, disturb sleep and can become infected if scratched. Some people react strongly.
Can I get rid of them by washing the bedding?
Washing in hot water and drying on high heat kills bugs on the fabric, but they are also in the bed frame, walls and furniture. You need to treat all of those, usually with professional help.
Why do bed bugs come back after treatment?
Usually some hiding places were missed or a follow-up visit was not done. Eggs are not always killed by a single treatment, so a second visit after about two weeks is common.
Does bharatpest stock products for Bed Bug?
Yes — see the Products section above for genuine, currently stocked options.
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