Bedbug Control Catford

Why Only One of You Is Reacting

If you share a bed in Catford and only one of you has marks, read this before deciding it is not bedbugs.

A bedbug bite is not what you see in the morning. What you see is your body’s reaction to the saliva, and people vary enormously in how they react. Some come up in raised, itchy welts. Some get a faint mark that fades by lunchtime. Some show nothing at all, however often they are bitten.

So a partner with clear skin is not evidence that the bedbugs are choosing one of you. Both of you are very likely being fed on; only one of you is showing it. Reactions can also change over time, so the person who shows nothing now may start reacting later.

What Not to Conclude

• That it is an allergy, a rash or something in the washing powder, without first checking the bed
• That the person with the bites brought them in. Bedbugs arrive in luggage, furniture and visits, and there is no way of telling whose
• That the problem is in one side of the bed only. They move freely across a mattress
• That bites alone prove bedbugs. They do not; the evidence is in the bed, not on the skin

Our bedbugs or something else guide covers the other things that cause bites and marks overnight.

How to Check the Bed Together

1. Strip the bed in daylight or with a strong torch, and bag the sheets straight into the machine for a hot wash.
2. Run a finger along the mattress piping on both sides of the bed, looking for small dark spots, pale shed skins and tiny cream-coloured eggs.
3. Lift the mattress and look at the base, the slats and the joints of the frame, especially the corners nearest the headboard.
4. Check the headboard where it meets the wall, and the bedside furniture on both sides.
5. Keep anything you find in a sealed bag or on clear tape. It lets us identify it on the phone or at an inspection.

If you cannot find anything but the bites carry on, a professional look is the next step. Inspections start at from £120 and confirm whether there is anything to treat before money is spent on a treatment.

Do Not Split Up Into Separate Rooms

The natural response is for the partner with the bites to move to the sofa or the spare room. It rarely helps the person, because bedbugs follow people and will find them again, and it often turns one infested room into two. The better plan is to stay put, check, and get it treated.

Once it is confirmed, the choice between heat and chemical is the same as in any bedroom, and is set out on the heat treatment page. For the wider picture across the borough, see the Lewisham page.

Looking After the Bites

Most reactions settle on their own once the biting stops. A pharmacist can suggest something for the itching, and a GP is the right person if the skin becomes infected or the reaction is unusually strong. Call 999 for any sign of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or difficulty breathing.

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