The species of bed bug found in Hertfordshire and the rest of the UK is ‘Cimex Lectularius’, they are flat, oval shaped bugs that don’t have wings. Adult bed bugs are red to brown in colour, whilst their eggs are a white to cream colour.

Bed bugs have pointy mouths which they use for piercings and sucking, allowing them to feed on human blood. They inject an anaesthetic when they pierce the skin, so the bite might not be noticed initially.

In the day time bed bugs hide very effectively in cracks and crevices, headboards, behind wallpaper, under carpets, behind skirting boards, behind broken plaster, light switches as well as in cracks of bed frames, the seams of mattresses and in other types of bedroom furniture.

Bed bugs are nocturnal and come out at night, you probably won’t see them but will become aware of their presence at the discovery of itchy swollen bites that appear overnight. Bed bugs are parasitic insects that feed exclusively on blood. Signs of bed bugs include faecal spots (small dark droppings), blood smears on bed sheets and in large numbers they can also cause an unpleasant smell.

Bed bugs are nocturnal and will venture out from their hiding places at night to feed on humans whilst we sleep. It doesn’t matter how clean a house is, bed bugs will happily infest a property either way and can be easily transported from one building to another, especially places with a lot of people coming and going like hotels, guest houses & bed and breakfasts.