Bedbug Chemical Treatment Tower Hamlets

Why a Course, Not a Single Visit

The insecticide we use kills bedbugs that cross it, but it does not reliably get into the eggs. So the first visit deals with the ones that are already out and about, and the next one catches whatever has hatched since. Visits are about 10 to 14 days apart, usually two in all, sometimes three. For how the product works and where it goes, read the London chemical treatment page for the full explanation.

Each visit takes one to two hours, which is why this route suits people on shifts or long hours: you need one person at home for a short slot, not a whole day. For who needs to be in at each stage, see how much time off you need.

Before the First Visit

An estate flat is often busy, with children, bunk beds and not much storage. The preparation is the same wherever you live, but it is harder to do in a small space, so start a day or two ahead:

1. Strip every bed in the rooms being treated, and hot-wash and dry the bedding. Bag it and keep it sealed until the rooms are dry.
2. Clear the floor: shoes, toys, bags and boxes, especially under the beds and along the skirtings.
3. Leave the beds, wardrobes and drawers where they are. We need to get behind them, and dragging a frame through the flat spreads what is in it.
4. Put the children’s bunk beds on the list you give us. Both levels, and the ladder, get treated.

If you use a shared machine in the block, the Poplar page covers how to carry and wash bedding there without taking the problem with you.

The Fortnight Between Visits

This is where most courses succeed or struggle. You are back in the rooms once the surfaces are dry, and the most useful thing you can do is carry on as normal:

• Keep sleeping in your own bed. Bedbugs come out to feed, cross the treated seams and frame, and die. Moving onto the sofa gives them somewhere new to go.
• Do not wipe or vacuum the treated edges until we tell you it is fine to. The residue is doing the work.
• Do not add shop sprays or powders. They can scatter bedbugs into the next room or next door.
• Expect a few sightings. Newly hatched ones will appear. Note where and when, and tell us at the next visit.
• Keep the floor clear, so the second visit can pick up where the first left off.

Bites can carry on for a while, and some people do not react at all. For a skin reaction, ask a pharmacist or your GP; if someone has signs of a severe allergic reaction, ring 999.

The Second Visit, and When a Third Is Needed

At the second visit we go over the same places again, look at what you have noted, and check anywhere that has been disturbed. If there is still live activity at that point, or the infestation was well established to begin with, a third visit follows on the same spacing. We tell you at the time which it is, and why.

The Flats Around You

On an estate, the flat next door, above or below may have its own problem, or may be where yours came from. We can only treat the homes we are asked to and let into. If you think neighbours are affected, tell your landlord, because a block is easier to deal with together than one flat at a time. The guide to lifts and corridors explains how bedbugs do and do not move through a building.

If your landlord takes repairs online, the Isle of Dogs page covers how to report it so it is taken seriously.

Who Pays, and What It Costs

Whether the council, the housing association or you arrange and pay depends on your tenancy and on how the bedbugs arrived. Report it in writing and keep a copy. We are pest controllers, not legal advisers, so for the tenancy side ask your landlord or an advice service. Leaseholders in ex-council blocks have a different position, set out on the Bethnal Green page.

If you are paying yourself, treatments start from £220, with the figure depending on the number of rooms. Chemical costs less than heat. Ring 0800 955 1018 for the exact price before anything is booked. If you would rather have it done in one visit, read about heat treatment in Tower Hamlets.

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