Bedbugs or Dust Mites in Lambeth?

Two Entirely Different Problems

Dust mites are microscopic relatives of spiders that live in almost every home, in mattresses, pillows, carpets and soft furnishings. They eat flakes of human skin. They do not bite and they do not feed on blood. For most people they cause no trouble at all; for people who are allergic to them, their droppings can bring on sneezing, a blocked nose, itchy eyes, eczema flare-ups or asthma symptoms.

Bedbugs are insects you can see without a magnifier, roughly the size of an apple pip, that feed on human blood at night and hide in seams and joints by day. They do bite, though people react very differently and some show no marks at all.

What Each One Leaves Behind

This is the most useful test. Dust mites leave nothing you can see with the naked eye. You will never find a dust mite on a sheet or spot one on a mattress seam.

Bedbugs leave evidence. Look along the mattress seams, the zip, the corners of the bed frame and the back of the headboard with a torch. You are looking for:

• small dark spots, like dots from a felt-tip pen, that smear if you wipe them damp;
• pale, empty shed skins in the shape of the insect;
• tiny cream eggs stuck in folds and crevices;
• the bugs themselves, flat and brown, rounder and redder after feeding;
• occasionally small blood marks on the sheet in the morning.

If you find any of those, it is not dust mites. The London guide to bedbugs or something else covers other insects that get confused with them.

Bites or Allergy?

Bedbug bites tend to be raised, itchy spots on skin that was uncovered in bed, such as arms, shoulders, neck and face, often in a line or a small cluster. They are not a reliable sign on their own, because many things cause similar marks.

Dust mite allergy does not produce bites. It shows up as a stuffy or runny nose in the morning, sneezing, watery eyes, wheezing, or dry, itchy skin that is worse in bed. If that sounds more like you, a pharmacist or GP is the right first call, not a pest controller. The same goes for any rash or reaction you are worried about, and 999 for signs of a severe allergic reaction.

What to Do About Dust Mites

Dust mites are not an infestation in the pest control sense, and we do not treat for them. Everyday measures help people who are allergic: washing bedding hot, airing the bedroom, keeping humidity down, allergy-proof covers for mattress and pillows, and vacuuming with a filter. Your pharmacist or GP can advise on the allergy itself.

What to Do About Bedbugs

If you have found spotting, skins or a bug, keep sleeping in your own bed, hot-wash the bedding, and do not reach for a shop spray. Rented rooms have an extra step: tell the landlord or agent in writing. Then ring us for a price. The Lambeth page covers the order of things for renters.

If You Still Cannot Tell

Itching with nothing to see is frustrating. Change the sheets for pale ones and look again each morning for a week. Put the bed a few centimetres from the wall. If you still find nothing and the itching goes on, an inspection from £120 settles the bedbug question before anyone spends money on treatment. See the Lambeth inspections page for what happens on the visit.

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