Is That Bedbug Dead or Alive in Haringey?

Whether a bug is alive or dead changes what you do next. A live one means something is still feeding. A dead one may be from a problem that has already ended, or proof that a treatment is doing its job. Old marks on a second-hand bed or a mattress you have had for years tell a different story from fresh ones.

Looking at the Bug Itself

Put the bug on a sheet of white paper in good light and nudge it gently with the edge of a card.

• A live bedbug moves when touched, usually walking away or looking for somewhere to hide.
• One that has just fed looks swollen and reddish; one that has not is flat and brown.
• A dead one often lies on its back or side, with legs curled or tucked in.
• Dead bugs dry out, so they look shrivelled, papery and sometimes lighter in colour.
• A dead bug crumbles or flattens easily; a live one holds its shape.

Bedbugs can stay very still, especially when cold, so give it a minute before deciding. Either way, seal it in a jar or on clear tape for identification. If you are not sure it is a bedbug at all, bedbugs or something else covers the common lookalikes.

Shed Skins Are Not Dead Bugs

Pale, hollow, bug-shaped shells in a seam are the skins young bedbugs leave behind as they grow. They look like dead bugs at a glance but are empty and see-through. They do not tell you whether anything is alive now, but they do tell you bedbugs have been growing in that spot.

Old Evidence and New Evidence

Spotting, the small dark marks bedbugs leave on seams and fabric, lasts long after the bugs are gone. So finding it on an old mattress or a bed frame does not by itself mean you have a live problem.

1. Dampen a cotton bud or a corner of kitchen roll with water.
2. Rub one of the spots gently.
3. Fresh marks tend to smear a reddish brown; old ones stay as a hard, dry dot.
4. Look nearby for new signs: live bugs, fresh skins, pearly white eggs.
5. Photograph what you find, with the date, before cleaning anything.

Eggs are the other clue. An unhatched egg is plump and pearly white. A hatched one is flattened and open at one end. Plenty of hatched shells and no live bugs can mean an old problem, but eggs are easy to miss, so do not rely on them alone.

Dead Bugs After Treatment

Finding dead bedbugs in the days after treatment is what you would hope for. After heat, the bugs die in place, and some turn up in seams, on the floor or along skirtings as you put the room back together. Vacuum them up and note the date.

After a chemical visit, bugs that were hidden come out, cross the treated surfaces and die over the following days, so seeing some, alive and then dead, is part of how it works. Eggs are not reliably killed, which is why there is a follow-up visit about 10 to 14 days later. What happens after bedbug treatment covers the weeks after in more detail.

When to Ring Us

Call if you find a live, moving bug after the course is finished, or fresh smearing spots in a treated bed. Write down where and when, keep the bug, and tell us. Your notes are part of the record that keeping a record for your landlord describes, and they help us see what has happened. If you are not sure whether anything is alive before treatment, an inspection in Haringey starts from £120.

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