Bed bugs expert reveals how to spot signs of infestation

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Bed bugs are considered a common pest in the UK and tend to thrive in Spring, Summer and early Autumn. Experts warn that London homes provide a great living condition for them because of the typical UK weather and temperatures. Smell is one of the best indicators warning you may have an infestation on your hands.

As with most types of bugs, bed bugs release odours which are known as alarm pheromones.

These pheromones may be released when the bugs become disturbed and let off a certain whiff in the area warning of their location.

At higher concentrations, the odour can be unpleasant.

However, at lower concentrations, the smell has been described as pleasant.

Coriander

An odour similar to the smell of coriander is one type of warning sign.

Older literature regarding bed bugs have referred to them as the coriander bug due to the similarity in smell.

The scent gland of bed bugs produces a musty odour that is often described as smelling like coriander, said Arrow Exterminators.

The site added: “The smell is not pleasant. If you have an infestation of bed bugs you may begin to notice your home smells like mouldy shoes or wet mouldy clothes.”

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Raspberries

Many people have described the smell of a bed bug infestation as something similar to spoiled raspberries.

Arrow Extermination added: “You will sometimes hear a person describe the bed beg smell as something similar to the smell of almonds or a somewhat acidic marzipan odour.

“However, not everyone describes a smell when encountering bed bug infestations and it isn’t always the same experience for everyone.”

How to get rid of bedbugs

The safest and most effective approach to getting rid of bed bugs is heat treatment says experts.

This should involve a trained professional who heats the home’s rooms one by one to a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius and sustains the heat for four hours.

Heat does not penetrate well into wall voids, though, so desiccant dusts are often applied to those areas.

No single technique can eliminate bed bugs – combinations of approaches are essential to getting the job done.

Another method to get rid of bedbugs is vacuuming.

You can vacuum up a lot of insects, but eggs are harder to get, and vacuuming won’t in itself kill bed bugs.

Indeed, vacuuming can end up spreading bed bugs to other rooms – when emptying the canister, for example.

Pest control operators who use vacuums take measures to prevent bed bugs from escaping when the vacuum is emptied as vacuuming can often spread the bugs to other rooms.

Encasing mattresses is another solution; however, it doesn’t get rid of the infestation.

Calling in professionals is almost always the safest and best way to get rid of bed bugs.

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