Bedbug Inspections Sutton

Marks After a Night Away

Itchy marks after a night away are common and have many causes: insect bites from outdoors, a new washing powder, a heat rash, a reaction to someone else’s pet. Bedbug bites look much like any of those, and some people do not react to bedbugs at all. So a child’s skin is a poor guide on its own, in either direction.

For the marks themselves, a pharmacist is the first stop and a GP if they do not settle. Ring 999 if there are signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face or trouble breathing. Our guide on how long bites last explains what to expect, and whether bedbugs spread disease is answered separately.

What to Do Before You Ring

The useful work in the first day is dealing with what came back in the bag, before it is unpacked round the house.

1. Unpack on a hard floor, in the kitchen or bathroom, rather than on the child’s bed.
2. Put clothes, pyjamas and anything washable straight into the machine on a hot wash, or bag them until you can.
3. Look along the seams, zips and pockets of the bag and any sleeping bag, with a torch. You are looking for small brown insects, pale shed skins or tiny dark spots.
4. Keep the sleeping bag or pillow that went on the trip bagged until you have looked at it.
5. Do not spray anything. If you find an insect, put it in a sealed bag or pot, or photograph it clearly, and keep it for us.

If you do that and find nothing, and nobody in the house has marks over the next couple of weeks, you may never need us.

When an Inspection Is Worth Paying For

The London bedbug inspections page sets out what an inspection covers, for the full explanation. For a parent in this position, it earns its cost in three cases:

• The marks keep appearing after the first week, on the same child or on someone else in the house.
• You found something in the bag or the bed and cannot tell whether it is a bedbug.
• You were told afterwards that the house your child stayed in, or the trip accommodation, had bedbugs.

If you already have a live bedbug in a pot, you do not need an inspection to confirm it. Ring and we will talk about heat or chemical treatment instead.

Where We Look in a Family House

We start where the child sleeps, and then follow the path of anything that came back from the trip. That usually means the child’s bed and the furniture beside it, the place the bag was left when they got home, and any other bed or sofa the child has slept on since. If a brother or sister shares the room, their bed too.

If the concern is a visitor who stayed with you rather than your child staying away, the spare bed or sofa bed they used is the starting point instead. The Cheam page covers that case in full, and the Worcester Park page is for the adult who led the trip.

Talking to the Other Family or the School

If the inspection finds bedbugs, it is fair to let the other family or the school know, plainly and without blame; bedbugs travel in bags and are not a comment on anyone’s home. If it finds nothing, you have your answer and there is nothing to pass on. Our guide on telling people has more on what to say.

What an Inspection Costs

Inspections start from £120. A larger house with several beds to check is quoted on the rooms, and you get the figure on the phone before anything is booked. If bedbugs are found, treatments start from £220. Ring 0800 955 1018, or see our Sutton page for keeping a family house clear.

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